Colonial Creek South Campground, near Sedro-Woolley, Washington, is a fantastic destination for those looking to immerse themselves in the beauty of the North Cascades National Park. With its stunning views of Diablo Lake and surrounding mountains, this campground offers a picturesque setting for camping enthusiasts.

The campground features spacious sites, many of which are shaded by towering trees, providing a cool retreat during warmer months. Visitors often mention the clean bathrooms and the convenience of having bear boxes at each site, ensuring safety while enjoying the great outdoors. As one camper noted, “Beautiful campground with many large shaded sites along Lake Diablo. Absolutely gorgeous.”

For adventure seekers, there are plenty of nearby activities. You can swim in the lake, launch a boat, or hit the hiking trails right across the street. The Thunder Knob trail is a popular choice for those wanting to explore the area further. Just keep in mind that weekends can get busy, so planning ahead is key.

While some campers have noted that sites can feel a bit close together, the vibrant atmosphere and breathtaking scenery make it worth it. Whether you're here for a weekend escape or a longer stay, Colonial Creek South Campground is a great base for exploring the natural wonders of the North Cascades.

## Overview

 Colonial Creek South Campground requires reservations during the peak season, from late May through early September of each year. Important changes to booking windows: To better serve visitors, Colonial Creek South Campground will release campsites in two staggered block releases. These block releases will be 6 months in advance and 7 days in advance. Campsites #64 - #95 and #116 - #164 are available for reservations 6 months in advance. Campsites #96 - #113 are available for reservations 7 days in advance. Any sites not reserved during the peak season are available same-day as first-come, first-served for 1 night only and can only be claimed in person at the campground. Colonial Creek South Campground may be open as first-come, first-served after the peak season until most of the campground closes for the year, typically in mid to late September. Ten walk-in, tent-only campsites (#64 - #73) are open as first-come, first-served before and after the peak season, from January through late May, and early September through December of each year. The campground is remote, yet bustling and is nestled in old-growth forest. Located on the south side of State Route 20 near milepost 130, there are 93 campsites that are surrounded by forest and located on Diablo Lake. Colonial Creek South Campground can accommodate a variety of camping, whether its drive-in camping, or walk-in tent camping. The campsites vary in size from small to medium. Most of the campsites do not accommodate large trailers or RVs. 
## Recreation

 Campers can access the Thunder Creek Trailhead from the South Loop. The Thunder Knob Trailhead is on the north loop across State Route 20. [Fishing][1] is allowed in Diablo Lake with a Washington State Fishing license, the nearest location to purchase a license is in the town of Marblemount, WA. Follow Washington State Fishing Regulations when recreating. [Black bears][2] are active in this campground and the surrounding trails. Be aware of your surroundings while hiking, picnicking, and camping. Use the provided bear boxes in your campsite to store coolers, cookware, and other odorants when not in use. If you encounter a bear around the campground or on a trail, inform campground staff or go to the North Cascades Visitor Center and fill out a bear report. 
## Facilities

 The campground is located on the southern side of State Route 20, with some campsites along the lakefront of Diablo Lake. The entire facility offers drinking water, flush toilets, garbage and recycling, RV dump station, and some paved parking spaces, but most sites have uneven gravel parking. Each campsite offers a picnic table, bear box, and campfire ring. 
## Natural Features

 Colonial Creek South Campground is surrounded by a forest of western redcedar, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, red huckleberries, and other native vegetation. The campground has easy access to Diablo Lake for recreating. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (360) 854-7200. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Traveling west on State Route 20: The North Cascades Visitor Center is 11 miles (18 km) west on State Route 20 from Colonial Creek South Campground, operating seasonally, typically from May to September. Campers can find the passport stamps, exhibits, park film, park store, and much more. Traveling east on State Route 20: Diablo Lake Overlook is 1.5 miles (2 km) east on State Route 20. the turquoise lake can be viewed safely from this area and there is ample day use parking and vault toilets. Ross Lake Overlook is 5 miles (8 km) east on State Route 20, this is a less developed vista point. There are two pull off areas with interpretive way sides and with views of the Ross Dam and Ross Lake. 

[1]: https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fishing.htm
[2]: https://www.nps.gov/noca/learn/nature/bear-safety.htm

Colonial Creek South Campground — Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Searching for the best camping near Marblemount, WA? Marblemount is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Marblemount

The Best Camping Near Marblemount, Washington

I've been to Colonial Creek Campground twice, both in winter.  The first time was wonderful.  It's deserted in winter, and it's located right before where the highway closes off in winter.  It's in the mountains, and on a cold winter night, the stars are spectacular.  You can hear the ice cracking all night and the mountains are more than beautiful.  I rated it as three stars because on my second trip, a transient approached our campground at night and we ended up having to pack our things and leave in the middle of the night.  I've been informed by others that state campgrounds in the winter can be popular for transients.  Lesson learned, but it has inspired me to do more winter hiking, perhaps just in a less popular location.

Winter Camping Colonial Creek Campground

I actually did a solo overnight backpack up the trail from colonial to fourth of July pass. Unfortunately the backcountry campground I stayed at is not on this site yet. 
Diablo lake is gorgeous, but because of the accessibility of colonial campground via the main road it is very popular. The amenities are all there and well maintained. The ranger working the gate told me I had to pay to park when the main station had informed me that I didn't because I would be in the back country, so that was a time-consuming little mix up but besides that the Rangers are knowledgeable and willing to help out. 
My hike to fourth of July pass was nice, 4 mIles with around 2000 feet of elevation gain. I got great views of Diablo lake, ragged ridge, and a glacier across the valley. 
North Cascades National park is kind of out of the way so it is much less known than its counterparts Rainier or Olympic, and therefore I highly recommend checking it out if you have the opportunity. It has been dubbed the American Alps due to its severe peaks. 

Fourth of July Pass

I visited this campground last summer with my friends and it was a good solid campground. Lots of shady campsites, and two next to each other were able to hold the 12 of us. The rates are cheap too! The only thing is with a burn ban in place there is no light at all on the campsite, just pitch black. There are restrooms, that were semi cleanish, but no showers or potable water. The lake is also frigid, way too cold to enjoy swimming in it. Its more like a walk in to the ankles and run back out kind of lake. But it was beautiful, sunny, and in the 90s the whole time we were there in august.

Pretty nice campground but the lake is WAYYY too cold to swim in!

Such a nice campground! This place is so well kept, and the views are absolutely amazing! The camp sites are pretty private, and some are right on the lake! I just couldnt get over how beautiful this place was!

Very Nice

We've spent 1 night at Colonial Creek on a few different occasions but this is never our final destination. This is nothing against the campground, its been good to us so far. Always acceptably clean and we've always managed to find camp sights with little to no view of the neighboring camp.  We've never managed to snag a lake location but they seem a bit more close and snugly than the other sites anyways.  There are a number of the sites we deem "normal' just off the main or center loops but we typically keep along the back of the loop along the forest where there are more private, wooded sites and walk-in camp sites available.   
We tend to use this campground as a starting point to either go backpacking up the Thunder Creek trail, the trail-head is located in the back of the campground near the amphitheater or to boat into campsites off Lake Diablo, the boat-launch is located at the front of the campground near the ranger booth.  
Though after reading a few other reviews of this campground on this website we are planning a group trip back this winter in hopes of some astrophtography shots over the frozen lake.  
A worthy side trip just a few minutes past the campground is the Lake Diablo overlook, well worth the trip for the view. 



1 nighter 

On the edge of Thunder Arm of Diablo Lake and amidst huge peaks, sits this beautiful campground that is run by the National Park Service.  Very wooded (some with old growth forest) with private sites.  Great for tents and small campers, but not too much for anything over 30 feet.  Clean bathrooms, flush toilets, camper dump station, fish cleaning station, water spigots and a boat launch for small fishing boats or canoes/kayaks.  In the summer months, the lake is glacially-fed, making the water turn a gorgeous turquoise color from the minerals that are brought down with the glacial flow.  Lots of great hiking options in the area, including Thunder Creek which starts at the far end of the campground.  This site is just 1.5 miles west of the Diablo Lake Overlook – which is hands down the best place to watch the sunset in the area.  Also, most of NOCA’s evening ranger programs are held at this site.  First come, first served.  Cost=$16

On the edge of Diablo Lake

Colonial Creek is a beautiful spot, though the campground itself is cramped and very popular.  Colonial Creek will be able to be reserved next year, though there will be a number of first-come-first-served sites on the boat launch side of the road.  Not the campground of choice for me - except to make sure I get my canoe on the water at dawn without having to drive in the dark so I can get to the really beautiful backcountry sites!

Great spot for your pre-paddling backcountry trip

Stunning.. a little bit of a drive from Seattle but worth it!

It's hard giving so many different kinds of campgrounds 1-5 stars because there are so many different "categories". Coming back from the Outerbanks of North Carolina where every state run campground is upwards of $40 even if they don't have hot water showers or flush toilets for that matter it's somewhat refreshing coming to my west coast home and finding $12 lakefront campgrounds. 



beautiful location with creek and lake access 

Get there early on a summer weekend. We arrived to the campsite Saturday around 11AM ($10/night). Each site had its own table and fire pit - ours was tucked into a nice private spot. Some of the sites had bear lockers and there were bathrooms nearby with running water and large trash bins throughout. 

07.09.16

This campground stays pretty busy during the spring/summer/fall months. You are not able to make reservations so if you are planning on going on a weekend, get there early friday if you can. There are two loops and we always stay at the one on the left if you are heading east on 20\. There are a few hikes that leave from the campground which is nice but there are tons within a short drive from there. The bathrooms are nice and there is plumbing. No showers though. There are bear cabinet things at the campgrounds for you to store you food.

Popular Campground - Good location

We stayed at this campground on Diablo Lake for 1 night on our drive from BC to Portland. We were there on a Tuesday night in early June with not a lot of people. I think typically this campground would be very crowded but we were lucky to be there at a time with not a lot of people around. We grabbed what seemed to be the last available site right on the lake and it was PERFECT! The views were breathtaking and we felt very comfortable and safe in our site with a fire pit, bear safe locker, picnic table and enough space to feel pretty private. I definitely recommend this camp site if you're traveling off season, slightly off season or during the week.

Perfect camping if staying off season

Easy location to get to only 3 hours from Seattle, beautiful lake and close to a lot of good hiking and backpacking. Sites were a bit close together but we were staying in a big group so it worked out. Very crowded and loud, but it was a holiday weekend. Tough to get a good lake view unless you walked down to the boat launch. Not much lakefront to swim at. No firewood or ice available nearby. Nice flushing toilets and running sink water was good for multiple days. Lake access from site 99 but too cold to swim at this time of year. Floats, paddle boards, or kayaks are a must but be careful because there is current and a lot of wind so make sure you have a paddle to get back to shore.

Good hiking, loud campground

Stopped hear on a road trip around the north cascades. Very busy campground but nice. Even had a ranger talk at the amphitheater about wildlife and bringing back grizzly bears to the park.

Beautiful trip

One of my favorites! Campsites right on the water of a pristine blue lake. Watch out for bears though

Lakeside paradise

pet friendly (on 6’ leash), quiet, shaded. Clean bathrooms, but no showers. Fire ring, table, and bear proof cabinets at each site. surrounded by forest and on Diablo Lake! water is cold, but stunningly beautiful. some really nice hikes


Fantastic

Love this place! The lakeside space is awesome and makes for a relaxing getaway with some beautiful alpine views. And diablo lake is a gem always changing coloring depending on the lighting...truly magical! Make sure you bring bug spray if headed out in July. My only negative is all the summer weekends reserve out way early in the season :(

One of my favorite Car camps

Tuesday June 19th
Colonial creek campground north loop. (pay cash/check at box) 
Temps in the 80’s in Seattle, hot at campground wIth cool breezes.
Spot #21 
$16 a night first come
Bear lockers provIded
Parking in site. Great for a small travel trailer. No hook ups. 
Neighbors barely visible through thick foliage. 
Direct access to creek. Rocky banks, lots of fell trees. 
Trees for a hammock. 
Bathrooms and water spigots are equal distances away in opposite directions. 
Nearby Diablo lake is a beautiful light teal green and is colder than hell freezing over. It would be nice for kayaking, but not even the quickest dip. 
Leashed dogs allowed. no showers  



North Loop

Not super quiet but not crazy busy. Close to water and great hikes!

Jumping off point for great trails 

It is a very clean peaceful campground, many trails to explore and view the mountains and glaciers that are just stunning. Many old growth trees that dwarf you in this majestic place.

Quiet, peaceful with raw beauty along all the trails and lake.

Colonial Creek is situated in the heart of the North Cascades. It has easy boat access to Ross Lake and trails along Thunder Creek. Has clean restrooms and spacious campsites. Sites are first come, first served. Sites are wooded and bugs were minimal.

Beautiful lake and a network of amazing trails

Colonial Creek is right on Diablo Lake. My boyfriend and I were at a spot with the water just in the other side of the trees and it was phenomenal. We had a deer walk through the campsite the next morning, but other than that our spot felt secluded and was one of my favorite campsites I have had. 

Relaxed and Refreshing

This was our first stop of a 7 day road trip! We arrived in the dark and only stayed for the night. Surprisingly there were plenty of open spots! Our site was small, equipped with a bear locker, fire ring and picnic table. The camp ground had flush toilets, the bathrooms were very clean. They also had a garbage and recycling service, and even potable water available. We explored the camp ground during the day. This camp is right at Diablo lake! There were even camp sites right on the water! Fully accessible fishing pier and boat launch. Kayaking was rough as the winds were strong while we were here. Hiking and more available to those that stay. Fishers had a place to clean their catch! We paid 16 dollars for 1 night. Typically camp at dispersed sites but I would certainly stay here again.

camp at diablo lake 

We loved this campground! In the off-season only a few walk-in sites are available for free. The main restrooms and water are locked up, only a vault toilet is available at this time. Site #64 is the best site, much farther away from the nearest campsite and larger. This campground was very quite during the weekends but got busy on the weekends. Next to a few popular overnight hikes, right on the lake, boat dock access. Beautiful spot!

Favorite campground in the area

Our family really liked the camp ground itself. The only complaint really is other campers. Our "neighbor" obviously wasn't in the know about campground etiquette. Spot lights on until 11 PM and were very loud. But the campground was in a beautiful area close to the beautiful Diablo lake view point. The lake was right at the campground and it was just amazing.

Good location

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this campground. The maps made it look tight and the park didn’t make much sense to me but I was in for the biggest surprise of our trip. This campground is astounding. The spacing was great especially for a national park campground, the walk ins weren’t to far away but not to close either, the bathrooms were placed appropriately and the attractions are right at your site. There had to have been a dozen old growth giant trees in our site and the views to really help you relax. The bathrooms didn’t have a shower and you could tell the plumbing was old but it didn’t matter. The sites all have a normal fire ring and table. Our site was for tents only and it is recommended to check each site before you book a reservation. Reservations are a must here as well. 

Absolutely amazing

We were surprisingly pleased with this campground. Our site was was a tent site only. The sites are spread out and do offer a little privacy.  The sites have a picnic table, fire pit and a bear box. The restrooms a bit dated and you could defiantly tell they need to be updated. Diablo lake is beautiful and plenty of hiking trails to keep you busy. We will be back.

Fantastic 

Diablo lake is one of the most stunning sites my eyes have feasted on! We love this campsite. We’ve done first come first serve here, but I think that there are reservable sites too. The hiking, the swimming, the drive in! This place is truly magnificent and magical. 

This Lake! 

When we planned our two week camping trip, COVID was not even on our horizon.  Luckily

Lovely Place to Practice Social Distancing

Campgrounds are full.  Camping is one of the safest ways to get out and about yet still practice social distancing.  Luckily we planned our trip before COVID-19 appeared and we were able to go on our trip in spite of COVID.  And luckily we had reservations.  Colonial Creek South Campground on Diablo Lake was a wonderful place to camp.  Our site was big enough for our A Frame Pop Up camper and it had a nice private picnic table and tent area we could have used if we’d had extra people camping with us.  We were right across from the camp sites that backed up to Diablo Lake and have already scoped a camp site on that side we’d love to check out next summer.  There’s lots of lovely hikes in the area.  The campground was kept very clean.  Kayaking, boating, swimming (although the water is cold) - the lake is a beautiful turquoise jewel in the heart of the North Cascades.  We can’t wait to go back.

So many people have dusted off their camping gear or bought new gear and are out and about.  Colonial Creek North Campground, which is not reservable, was full mid week.  Usually we’ve been able to get non-reserved camp sites mid week easily.  So just a word to the wise if you are going camping, arrive early or get reservations where possible.

Social Distancing - Great Place

I’m not by any means a pro fisherman but this camp gives great access to any fish that stray away from the lake in to the inlet. The sites are pretty spread out compared to other camp sites in western Washington for sure. Everything is pretty open and there is a nice trail at the end you could take to go backpacking or just a day hike 

Great Lake Access

Colonial Creek South was SO busy when we visited but still so awesome!!

Finding parking can be the first challenge. Due to the boat ramp and hiking trailheads there are A LOT of people/ vehicles.
Getting a reservation can be a challenge, good luck. There are walk up sites also, however the system they use can be a little frustrating. Time of year and day of the week I’m sure factors in. 

Once you are in though it is deep cedar/pine forest camping. Several walk in sites are right by Diablo Lake which is beautiful. There’s bear boxes at each site , picnic tables and areas to set up. 
Water activities galore and hiking trailheads in the area. So much to do. I want to go back! 


So Awesome 

This is by far the nicest campground in North Cascades National Park that one can drive to.  If you are lucky to be able to reserve beach side spots on Diablo Lake you will also have lots of privacy and incredible views of this amazing turquoise blue lake and maybe even your own water access/beach.  If not, the dock and beach are only a few steps away. Bathrooms are pretty basic, no showers. Cell reception is non-existent.  Amazing access to the lake and incredible hikes from your campsite!

North Cascades National Park camping at its finest!

What can I say that others haven't!? Some of the best car camping in the Cascades. The lake is shockingly blue and COLD, but after a sweaty day of hiking is the ultimate in refreshment! Camp sites are close but feel secluded enough. If you walk into the tent sites on the north side of the campground you have some better options if you want to lug all of your gear with you.

Awesome car camping spot with waterfront camping

Beautiful site! Try to get a reservation if you can, this campground can get really busy! Nice tent pads, and food storage lockers which is great. Like others mentioned, lots of winding trails nearby and the lake is amazing!

Fun N. Cascades Spot

Colonial creek south #80 is our favorite site. It's a double site so there's room for a couple of tents, close to water and toilets. The sites close to the water are packed tight, often one on top of another. No privacy. We had screaming kids at all sites around us, so it was hard to relax. Still a great campground. We saw bald eagles, hawks and deer. There were bears sited within the campground, so the rangers were being very vigilant.

Pretty but noisy 

We were super excited to camp at Colonial Creek. I've read so many reviews saying this is the best place to camp in the N Cascades. I imagine your experience will be different on any given night based on the community camping at the time. But, boy would I ever think twice about camping here on a summer weekend again. It seemed like every site was over capacity with many cars and tents and huge groups of people jammed in everywhere. The result is complete chaos of barking dogs and screaming children and parties going late into the night. On the weekend we were here it seemed like a group of 50 or so folks had rented several sites and would gather to sing &amp; talk lake into the night each night. Because there were SO many people at each site there were often lines at the bathrooms. That said, bathrooms were clean.

  

We were in site 163 which is huge with a huge tent pad. That said, it is almost a twin site with 162 and tons of traffic. Like, you could almost stand between cars parked in both driveways and touch them.  The sites on the lake side of the inner loop (like 157, 159, etc) seemed more private and away from the ruckus. 

  

If you are a rooftop tenter it's probably worth noting that the parking spots for even the drive-up lake-side camp spots are basically in a parking lot/on the road and most of the campsite itself is a bit of a walk to the lake.

Stunningly Busy

Went two years in a row on Memorial Day weekend. Crazy busy but 100% worth it if you plan accordingly. Swimming in the lake is an absolute must if after a long day outdoors if you can brave the cold! 

Favorite campground 

Colonial Creek

I generally enjoyed this location in North Cascades National Park. It is a beautiful area with hikes nearby and chilly swimming. Mosquitos weren’t bad which was a relief. However, sites at this campground are close together and not very private. It feels a bit like a carnival at times instead of camping in the woods.

We found ourselves in the middle of the Pace family reunion while visiting. Apparently all the adults coordinated and rented sites by each other for this event instead of renting a group site. The adults yelled across our site to each other, their children ran through our site to adjacent ones, and they were up and noisy by 6 AM. We also were treated to dirty looks, I’m guessing because it was their “usual spot”? They said they camped there for over 30 years so they clearly feel like it’s their private park at this point. This certainly impacted our enjoyment, and ability to relax. 

In the future, we will consider a site away from the water for more privacy.

Despite the presence of bears, there was also a pretty cavalier attitude to bear safety and adherence to those rules. There were a lot of kids and adults day drinking so they just weren’t as alert as they should be. This can put those around them at greater risk for a bear encounter. A fed bear is a dead bear, so this was frustrating to witness. 

Beautiful Location

Lovely but busy spot in North Cascades NP. We were fortunate with really good weather. You can swim in the lake, there is a boat launch and there is a hiking trail across the street. Super convenient. Thunder knob trail.

Bathrooms were clean. Sites a little close. Lots of people come into the park on the weekends from Seattle though it is the least visited of the three Washington Parks. Lovely scenery, turquoise lake.

You need to be prepared when you arrive. Closest camp store is about 25 minutes with limited supplies, but can get you by.. there are restaurants and gas stations in Marblemount, but that is all from what we could tell.

Convenient spot

Beautiful campground with many large shaded sites along Lake Diablo. Absolutely gorgeous. Each site has its.own bear boxes and the bathrooms were pretty clean. 

Beautiful wooded sites

Our camp spots were close to the lake. The cedar trees gave great cover from the rain. The trails around camp were well maintained. 

Great off season campground 

Beautiful Campground for our class c. Great location if you plan on hiking around Diablo Lake. 

Beautiful and great location 

This campground is in such a beautiful setting! Big trees, piles of moss, and lots of ferns. Mostly tent campers, so it feels like actual camping. Unfortunately, no showers, but there are flushing toilets. My only real complaint is because of the popularity of the place, you do have noisy families and poor camp etiquette (ex: running to your cars a lot, slamming doors, headlights flashing at night, beeping your car to lock it... etc.)

Photos of Colonial Creek South Campground — Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Real photos from real campers