Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- The boat-in campsites along Ross Lake have tent pads, food storage lockers, picnic tables, fire rings, and an outhouse. Docks are unusable when the lake’s water levels are too low.
- Backcountry permits are required and must be picked up in person (except during winter); reservations are recommended, but some walk-up permits are available.
- North Cascades National Park’s nearby Colonial Creek Campground has 19 sites (three of which are reserved for ADA usage) a short drive west on Highway 20 from Ross Lake. Reservations can be made up to six months in advance from late May to early September. Sites closest to the lake are walk-in only.
When to Go
Visit in summer to enjoy the long days (as much as 16 hours during the solstice) and (comparatively) dry season in the Pacific Northwest. This is also when the lake’s water levels are reliably high. Some snags and other obstacles can become an issue for boats when the lake is lower.
Know Before You Go
- Lake conditions are best before 11am.
- Fishing is permitted from July 1 to October 31 (no bait allowed).
- Motorboat, canoe, kayak, and SUP rentals are available at the Ross Lake Resort.
- Birdwatchers can expect to see loons, osprey, bald eagles, blue herons, and kingfishers, among others.
- The 30-mile East Bank Trail extends all the way to the Canadian border. Ross Lake can also be accessed from British Columbia via the town of Hope.
Ross Lake National Recreation Area
Camp lakeside to enjoy total privacy and the best views the North Cascades has to offer.
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Between the snow-capped peaks of the North Cascades is a 22-mile-long, 500-foot-deep lake that hosts some of the most secluded campsites Washington has to offer. Forget about car camping—the only way to access these sites is by foot (along the East Bank Ross Lake Trail) or by water taxi service. The lake is the product of Ross Dam (responsible for supplying power to nearby Seattle), and a popular site for rainbow trout fishing. The Ross Lake Resort, which offers a water taxi for campers, floats on log booms repurposed from the loggers’ camp once used when the dam was being built. Ross Lake features 19 campgrounds, each with one to three sites each, for a total of 58 campsites.
Between the snow-capped peaks of the North Cascades is a 22-mile-long, 500-foot-deep lake that hosts some of the most secluded campsites Washington has to offer. Forget about car camping—the only way to access these sites is by foot (along the East Bank Ross Lake Trail) or by water taxi service. The lake is the product of Ross Dam (responsible for supplying power to nearby Seattle), and a popular site for rainbow trout fishing. The Ross Lake Resort, which offers a water taxi for campers, floats on log booms repurposed from the loggers’ camp once used when the dam was being built. Ross Lake features 19 campgrounds, each with one to three sites each, for a total of 58 campsites.
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
Visit in summer to enjoy the long days (as much as 16 hours during the solstice) and (comparatively) dry season in the Pacific Northwest. This is also when the lake’s water levels are reliably high. Some snags and other obstacles can become an issue for boats when the lake is lower.
Know Before You Go
Public campgrounds (book externally) —