Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Ross Lake National Recreation Area (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Desolation Peak, Diablo Lake, and Ross Lake. Also, be sure to include Ross Dam in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Ross Lake National Recreation Area (Washington).
Table of Contents
Desolation Peak
Mountain in Washington State. Desolation Peak is in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington state, about 6.2 miles south of the Canada–United States border and in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. It was first climbed in 1926 by Lage Wernstedt, who named it for the destruction caused by a forest fire that swept the slopes bare that same year. At the summit stands a small, wooden, one room fire lookout belonging to the National Park Service. The lookout is 15 miles from the nearest road and overlooks miles of forest and numerous other peaks.
Jack Kerouac spent 63 days during the summer of 1956 as a fire lookout on Desolation Peak. He wrote about his experiences in The Dharma Bums, Lonesome Traveler, Desolation Angels and in a collection of haiku by the name of "Desolation pops".
Desolation Peak Trail, is a steep hike to high meadows, great views and the fire lookout. It is a very popular hike but strenuous along the East Bank Trail. The trail is often hot and dry.
In 2020 Lindsay Hagen published a short film about Jim Henterley, one of the watchmen remaining in service on the Desolation Peak Lookout.[1]
Diablo Lake
Reservoir in Washington State. Diablo Lake is a reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States. Created by Diablo Dam, the lake is located between Ross Lake and Gorge Lake on the Skagit River at an elevation of 1,201 feet above sea level. Diablo Lake is part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project and managed by Seattle City Light. Diablo Lake Trail, designated a National Recreation Trail in 1981, runs for 3.80 miles along the lake's northern shore.
The lake holds rainbow, coastal cutthroat, brook, and the federally threatened bull trout. It is a popular recreational spot for kayakers and canoeists. The unique, intense turquoise hue of the lake's water is attributed to the surrounding glaciers that grind rocks into a fine powder that is carried into the lake through creeks. That fine powder, also called glacial flour, stays suspended in the lake, giving the water its brilliant color.[2]
Ross Lake
Lake in Washington State. Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles long, up to 1.5 miles wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level.
The U.S. portion of Ross Lake is in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. North Cascades National Park is adjacent to the west and south, while the Pasayten Wilderness is east of the lake. In British Columbia the lake is a part of Skagit Valley Provincial Park, and Manning Provincial Park is nearby to the east.[3]
Ross Dam
Skagit River dam and a recreational lake. Ross Dam is a 540-foot -high, 1,300-foot -long concrete thin arch dam across the Skagit River, forming Ross Lake. The dam is in Washington state, while Ross Lake extends 23 miles north to British Columbia, Canada. Both dam and reservoir are located in Ross Lake National Recreation Area, is bordered on both sides by Stephen Mather Wilderness and combined with Lake Chelan National Recreation Area they make up North Cascades National Park Complex.
Built as part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project by Seattle City Light, the dam is part of a series of three dams through the Skagit Gorge that were built primarily to generate hydroelectricity from the massive elevation drop of over 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Canada-U.S. border to Newhalem. The other two dams are Diablo Dam, directly below Ross Dam, and Gorge Dam, further downstream. Ross Dam can generate up to 460 MW of electricity.[4]
Hozomeen Mountain
Summit in Washington State. Hozomeen Mountain is a double-summited rock peak on the east side of Ross Lake in the North Cascades of Washington state. Despite its modest absolute elevation, it is notable for the large, steep drops from both of its summits to the surrounding terrain.[5]
Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities.
In 2012, hydro-electric dams provided approximately 89.8 percent of the electricity used in Seattle. The Skagit Hydroelectric Project alone accounts for about 20 percent of Seattle City Light's electricity.[6]