Basic Backpack - East Bank Ross Lake Trail

Update 8/6/24: This trip had to be cancelled because of low water levels on Ross Lake which made some boat-in campsite inaccessible.  On August 2 the NPS cancelled the reservations for all affected campsites including  Lightning Creek Boat Group Camp, which  was the starting point for this trip. Unfortunately it was not possible to find an alternative  route with similar schedule and difficultly.

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Located along Ross Lake in the North Cascades, the East Bank Trail is usually visited by Mountaineers as part of the epic (and very strenuous) Devil's Dome Loop.  However, the East Bank Trail is itself a beautiful and unique destination with features including the impressive and elegant Lightning Creek and Devil's Creek suspension bridges and some catwalk-ish sections of trail carved out of the lakeshore. It also includes beautiful views of Ross Lake and the surrounding peaks, and some lovely forest walking. It is a nice way to spend a few days and nights in the North Cascades backcountry without strenuous elevation gain.   

This trip is timed so that people with a traditional Monday-Friday work schedule can go on a multi-night trip without having to take too much vacation time. The trip doesn't start until Thursday afternoon, and we should be back home by Saturday afternoon or early evening, leaving Sunday to unpack and recover.

Here are some WTA Trip Reports with pictures of the route: Report 1, Report 2, Report 3.

This will be a chill trip.  We are there to see the sights and enjoy being in the area. 

Itinerary

After staging cars at our exit trailhead, the trip starts with a 20 minute water taxi ride from Ross Lake Dam up to Lightning Creek Boat Group Camp where we'll spend the first night. (There is no hiking on the first day.)  Most of the second day will be spent walking along the lakeshore, where we will hike over those suspension bridges and catwalks, and take in the views of the lake. This will be a long but easy (flat) day of hiking, with stops for snacks, lunch, and water refills along the way.  The third day is a short-ish forest hike along Ruby Creek to our exit trailhead.

Daily Details

• Day 1 (Thursday):  Meet at Ross Dam Trailhead at 1:30pm.  Stage cars at exit trailhead (20 minutes round trip) then hike 1 mile and -500' to the Water Taxi dock. Depart the dock at 3:00pm and travel by boat 12 miles/20 minutes up-lake to Lightning Creek Boat Group Camp where we will camp for our first night.
• Day 2 (Friday): Hike south along the East Lake trail to Roland Creek Group Camp.  This is a long mileage day but is basically flat. We will take breaks along the way for snacks, lunch, and water refills.  (9.2 miles, 900' gain, 800' loss)
• Day 3 (Saturday): Hike south then east along the remainder of the East Bank trail to our staged cars at the East Bank Trail trailhead. (6.3 miles, 1100' gain, 1050' loss)

By returning to the cars on early afternoon Saturday we'll be driving back to Seattle in the lightest afternoon traffic of the week, and will have Sunday at home to unpack and recover.

Special Considerations

Please review these before registering to make sure this trip is right for you.

• There are no food storage facilities at our campsites.  As per Park Service requirements, we will have to hang our food or use bear canisters.
• The trip includes a 20 minute boat ride provided by Ross Lake Resort's water taxi service. They are reputable and ferry hikers all over the lake all the time.  However, we will be on a small boat on a large lake that can get rough on windy days.
• Participants will be asked to reimburse the leader $40 for trip expenses ($30 each for the water taxi, and $10 each for camping permits).  This can be done in cash or via Venmo during the trip or soon after.
• It will probably be warm.  For Ross Lake in August the average high is 80F and the average low is 55F.  
• The trip could be cancelled if the forecast calls for sustained temperatures above 90F, the fire risk in the area is high, or there is a smoke forecast of moderate or higher.

Ross Dam Trailhead at 1:30pm.  Carpooling may be arranged if there is interest.