By:
Submission
Colonial Creek South Campground in North Cascades National Park is a remote, yet bustling campground nestled in old growth forest. Located on the south side of State Route 20 near mile marker 130, there are 94 campsites that are surrounded by forest and located on Diablo Lake.
Visitors can access several trails from within the facility, such as Thunder Knob Trail and Thunder Creek Trail. Colonial Creek South Campground is also close to several trails along State Route 20. Visitors can also go boating, fishing, and swimming (although the water is a chilly 43 degrees) on Diablo Lake. Bears do inhabit the area, so care should be taken when hiking, picnicking, or camping.
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 removal and some paved parking spaces, but most sites have uneven gravel parking. Each campsite offers a picnic table and campfire ring.
Diablo Lake and Ross Lake overlooks are within a short driving distance from the facility. Campers who wish to learn more about the area can attend interpretive programs at the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem during peak season, or participate in a variety of tours.
Colonial Creek South Campground is located near mile marker 130 on State Route 20. From Burlington, WA, drive 70 miles east on State Route 20. From Twisp, WA, drive 71 miles west on State Route 20.
We camp here every year and there is always a lot of activity for the whole family. Kids love to swim in Diablo Lake, I usually hike along the river. If we get bored we drive several miles towards the dam and hike together .
My recommendation is to book a spot early in the year. This is a very popular campground and I’ve seen people not being able finding a spot without reservation.
Walk-in sites were surprising in how far/uphill you had to hike to get to them, but they had ample bear lockers nearby and convenient water spigots too. Recommend trying to book a site by the water instead during the summer as it gets hot! Water access is available in the south campground. No cell service, so plan ahead.
Beautiful camp ground with a gorgeous lake. This place is by far one of my favorite places. The sites are all sorts of sizes so please check in advance with recreation.gov to make sure your site will be what you need. The trails here are very well maintained and so is the beach. The water is very cold, gets deep quickly and has some very strong currents so please wear a life jacket at all times. Kayak and sup users be aware of the wind it picks up quick and tends to blow hard.
love this location to stop at and take beautiful photos of Diablo and surroundings. camping spots with gorgeous views right on the water. i have yet to camp here, but looks like a great spot if you dont mind camping right next to a lot of people. restrooms, i hear have running water. each spot has lockable bear proof bins for your food
This campsite is amazing!
We had no reservations and were relying on cancellations. We were blessed that weekend. Moved 3 times to different campsites that became available for that day. Rangers Wendy and Christine were awesome as well as the gentleman that opened up the camp for the day. No fees if you grab a cancelled site for the night. Please keep your food locked up either in your car or in storage that is provided at each site. Bears do come by and they recently had to put one down:/
