A map of the route we took for our trip
Last Thursday night we finally ended up finding a place to camp around 10 PM. The first campground we tried, closed their office and their gates at dusk. We were probably 15 minutes too late to get in. So we set off in search of another park. We ended up finding Grandy Lake Campground, a small county campground on the way to Baker Lake that didn’t even show up in our internet search.
What fun! Trying to set up camp in the dark with a tent you haven’t used in about two years. I’m sure our campground neighbors were very unhappy with us. We had to use the light from the Jeep to help us get set up. I hate arriving so late and trying to set up camp, but it does keep life interesting and sometimes it supplies some more pleasant aspects. It is always a great adventure to wake up in the morning and see what your surroundings look like in the light of day.
Grandy Lake looks like an old logging lake. It appeared to be pretty shallow and full of old logs. Their were no services, except for some portable toilets on the premises. There was no potable water, but the price was right, five dollars for the night. We made the mistake of deciding to break camp and head down the road without eating breakfast or showering. In hind sight, we should have toted water from the lake and showered, as Pam is a “bear” to live with if she doesn’t get to shower and wash her hair every morning. Add to that not feeding her, and it is like trying to make friends with a ‘very hungry bear”. Lesson learned!
We found our way back to Highway 20 and headed toward our original destination Diablo Lake. We set up camp on Thursday afternoon in the Colonial Meadows Campground, took showers and then headed out to explore. We didn’t have cell phone or internet service that day, so I am writing this and saving it to post when we get back to civilization.
That afternoon we continued up Highway 20 to the summit where we could see the trail to Ross Lake Resort before we turned around. We stopped and visited the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, an environmental education center that is supported by Seattle City Light. It is on the shore of Diablo Lake. This is a beautiful drive, but we were surprised by the lack of recreational facilities. There are several beautiful bridges that allow you to cross the Skagit River. There are several beautiful water falls. The scenery is gorgeous. There are several dams that supply hydroelectric power for Seattle on the river, and the dams create some amazing lakes.
There are several campgrounds in the area. The three campgrounds that we actually viewed were Colonial Meadows Campground (142 sites – $12 a night), Newhalem Creek Campground (various services and prices) and Gorge Lake Campground (Free – only six sites). There is a ferry on Diablo Lake that takes visitors up to Lake Ross. The northern part of Lake Ross is in Canada.
The day-time temperature was about 92 degrees., which is nothing compared to the 110 to 120 degrees we frequently saw in Phoenix, but it was not what we expected at this altitude. So we headed back to our campground and cooled off in the creek next to our campsite, and then we took a nap. The Colonial Meadows Campground, is also where the Thunder Creek Trail begins. The campground has 142 sites, and has public restrooms with flush toilets scattered throughout the campground. There are no showers or utility hookups. The cost was $12 a night. The creek ran right behind our campsite, and Diablo Lake was about 100 yards from our site.
Diablo Lake, was beautiful to look at from a distance, but it didn’t look like a very pleasant place to swim. I don’t know if it was pollen from all the pine trees, but there was a layer of yellow gunk floating on the surface. Now the creek was very pleasant, but also very cold. We would definitely stay there again. We also thought that Gorge Lake Campground looked very interesting,. With only six sites and the fact that the sites were free was very attractive. It would be a pleasant place to stay. However, it looked as if the water was probably moving too fast there to be able to get into it.
The next day we continued on over Hwy 20. It was an absolutely amazing drive. I have never seen so many waterfalls in all my life. You can see the rest of our route and pictures online.
On our way home, we stopped and drove through a few other areas that offered camping to check them out for future adventures: Lake Chelan State Park, Alta Lake State Park, and Entiat City Park. The preceding links provide info and photos about these facilities. You will also find a few pics in the photos that we took and in viewing the route that we took, you will see a few pictures that we attached to the different waypoints.
All in all, we had a wonderful time and look forward to getting out and doing some more camping this summer in the beautiful state of Washington.
