Goodell Creek Campground — Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Went in May. Free camping before the season starts and lots of free spots. Very pretty spot and toilet were fine

I was able to score site 19 right on the river because of a no-show.. The scenery is stunning. The river is a beautiful shade of green because of the glacial “milk”. This is a primitive campground with no hook-ups, but there is potable water located in the loops. There are bear containers, picnic tables, and fire pits. There are vault toilets located in the loops, but they are not in great condition. Fair Verizon signal so I was able to get online. Too many trees for Starlink. I was awakened at 5:50 a.m. because the flood evacuation siren went off– apparently a false alarm. It was a bit unnerving. I spent the next night in Newhalem Creek Campground which is right“next door”. This has better infrastructure.

A very nice NP campground that felt spacious. I loved the river loop trail in the campground- it was great to be able to hop out of the car and stretch my legs after a long drive day. The walk in sites looked super cool, but I’m not sure I would want to make that trek to the bathroom every time and it would be a pain to lug the chemical toilet out there!

I only ended up camping here for one night since it was booked, but would have liked to stay another. I think it may have just been the campground I stayed at, but mine was very very small. Like, picnic table almost on top of the campfire small. I went solo, but if I had my family with me all 4 of us wouldn’t have been able to sit all around the camp fire. Again, I think it was just my spot, but maybe do your research before to find a bigger site

The camp site we got had a nice shade. This is really nice because it was a very hot week. I recommend it. Clean facilities.

Great experience camping here. Sites are large and allow some privacy from neighbors with the dense trees. Lots of shade. Bathrooms not the cleanest, but luxurious to have flush toilets, sink and mirrors. Books up quickly during busy summer months. Recommend visiting the town of Newhalem and checking out Ladder Creek Falls Trail. **For an extra special treat, go on this trail after sunset when the falls lights up with energy generated by the power plant :)

Located directly in front of the North Cascades Visitor Center. The campground is as described. We tent camped in loop A near the hike-in sites. Of course it was rainy but we were still very happy with this campground. The bathrooms were clean and had one electric outlet. The water spigot was in front of the restrooms. The bear box was excellent and there were plenty of trees for privacy. There is one general store nearby but no restaurants so I’d recommend coming prepared. The NP Rangers are lovely and pointed us in the right direction for hikes. We drove into Newhalem to hike the Ladder Creek Falls Trail behind the Gorge Powerhouse. It is beautiful! Then we drove up Lake Diablo - Gorgeous!

This is a nice campground away from the large mass of people up the road toward diablo lake. It’s right off the hi-way and next to a river and easily accessible. They have put toilets and a nice set up with decent to large spacing between spots. It was actually astounding for this type of campground how spaced out you are. The big draw for me were the massive old growth trees here. I would definitely stay here again.

Had a really great time camping here. The campground is located right next to the North Cascades NP visitor center, and about 1/2 a mile from a general store with fire wood, ice, and food. We camped in Loop B which is nicely forested. Loop C sustained some damage from a wildfire a few years ago so it has more dead/burnt trees than compared to Loop A and B. Most of the campsites are pretty well spaced out and have a good amount of privacy. Campsites are equipped with bear boxes, a table, fire pit, and a tent pad (or 2, depending on the site). The campground overall was really well maintained and nice clean bathrooms, with water spigots located outside.

There are a few nice nature trails that start in the campground that lead to the Skagit River and the visitor center. Definitely worth the short trek to see the river! Diablo Lake is about a 12 mile drive east of the campground, making this a good base to explore North Cascades and beyond.

This campground is right next to the visitors center. Overall it's a good campground, but has smaller sites with less privacy than others nearby. Also, this campground is pretty far from most hiking trails which can tack on to your travel time.

Right off the beaten path, very popular. Big sites but prefer it more secluded.

We stayed at this camp site at the end of August, 2018. There was a burn ban in effect due to wildfires all over the state. it was very smokey which blocked most views but we had no issues breathing and hiking. the trails around the camp site are great. awesome visitor center near by and river access. we camp in our RV and our friends bring tents. our two sites (30 and 32) mentioned they hold three tents each. we had 4 tents and there was NOT enough space! very small camp sites! but we made it work and had fun! there are waterfalls near by at the power plant that lights up at night! Everyone in our group who has Verizon had cell service.

There were very few other campers while I was visiting Goddell Creek. This would have been ideal but there had been recent mountain lion and bear sightings in the area and I was camping alone. I decided to set up a few sites down from another group but still right along the river. Had the weather been a little hotter I might have changed a dip in the water. The sites are all relatively separated but an easy walking distance from outhouses. The North Cascades are incredible and well worth a visit even just for the drive in and out. I will most certainly be back again soon. Unfortunately I have no photos of the actual campsite.

The sound of the river and richness of the forests, along with the proximity to the Visitor Center and some easier hikes, combine to make Newhalem a convenient stopping point for me as I crossed the North Cascades. It's located along the Western side of the park, so I made sure to stop as I drove East to West, checking out the sites, stops, and hikes that are more "in" the mountains.

The site was roomy, felt private, and led me easily to the trail behind it. Some of the walk-in sites I saw as I took the trail looked really nice: close to the glacier-blue river and slotted into densely forested pockets.

I spent the morning taking trails that criss-cross the campground, leading along the river, up the Visitor Center, and back to the historical "town" of Newhalem.

I recently stayed at Newhalem in the North Cascades. The facilities where limited but very clean. They have an amazing visitors center with very helpful staff. This is the perfect location to start to explore the North Cascades. It is situated very close to the river, with fly fishing access. The sites are good sized and plentiful. The park staff was very helpful with changing our reservation and knowledge about the surrounding area.

We stayed at a walk-in site. The site was only a 4 minute walk from the parking area and it was very private and peaceful. The site was a good size and well separated from the other sides. We could hear the river going by and that's it. The North cascades visitors center is close by with good information about hikes.

Because we were visiting North Cascades in the early season -- actually, the day the main park road reopened! -- we had a limited number of campgrounds to choose from within the low-country area of the park.

Newhalem was a nice base camp for our four days of hiking and driving our way through the park. The sites were spacious and scenic, and there were flush toilets and running water nearby. Since it was late April, there was maybe only one or two other campers in the campground, so that added to our sense of solitude.

In any other case, we would choose to visit North Cascades much later in the season. We love to hike, and only were able to hike low-elevation trails like Fourth of July Pass and Thunder Knob. We also had the Diablo Lake Overlook all to ourselves, which is a jaw-dropping view.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (North Cascades)

Visited the campground 10/21/16-10/23/16. With it being this late in the season to camp, the grounds were free. There were no services, so you need to bring your own water, and pack out your trash. Pit toilets, decently clean, definitely smelly. We camped on site 20 and 21, right on the river. It was a great spot!

We had to navigate out of the campground in the rain, which isn't so far out of the way that it was difficult. we were happy with the facilities and the proximity to the town.

Diablo Lake....Incredible. Great hiking trails around the lake with incredible vistas to be seen. Go! Check out the dam powerplant in town too.

Beautiful wooded campground right next to the North Cascades Visitor’s Center. Plenty of spots for larger trailers and campers. Water spigots and flush toilets. Historic Newhalem is right next door, so make sure you visit for a walking tour that takes you back to the time that the hydroelectric project was being built. Town is still owned and run by Seattle City Light, the public utility that built and runs the hydro project. Easy walking trails nearby. Cost=$16. Half of the campground is reservable via the National Park Service and half is first come, first served.

Sweet little spot on the Skagit River, just west of Newhalem, run by the National Park Service. Water spigots, picnic area, boat launch for kayaks/rafts, and pit toilets (a bit stinky, but cleanish). Very wooded with private sites. Some spots are close enough to Hwy 20 to hear the road, but others that are deeper into the campground are quieter. Close to the North Cascades National Park Visitor’s Center and some easy hiking trails. A few spots for larger trailers/campers. Cost=$16. First come, first served, iron ranger.

This is a beautiful campground nestled within tall pine trees. The extensive fern undergrowth adds to the comfortable feeling. The Northern Cascades are beautiful and you are in the middle of it here. It's right off route 20. Riding here on my bicycle was a tough but rewarding trip.

Camping here is great. You are right by the creek, right in the mountains, close to hiking trails, and still close to civilization. Bathrooms are accessible. Good camping here and stunning scenery the whole way on the drive there!