Bellingham Whitewater

Exploring Ross Lake Part 1: Lightning Creek

Exploring Ross Lake Creeks- 6/10/06

Ross Lake is a reservoir created by the Ross Lake Dam, which provides electricity for the city of Seattle. The dam has backed the Skagit River into a 25 mile long lake that reaches north into British Columbia from the northwest corner of Washington.

I first heard about Ross Lake from my parents, who in the 1960’s explored this lake by canoe. My dad shared with me fishing stories and details that included waterfalls that dropped directly into the lake. Mom reminisced about hiking along the banks of “Little Beaver Creek� watching my Dad fish. These stories and many drives over Highway 20 while peering down into the emerald waters of Ross Lake were the catalyst for my desire to explore this zone more closely.

Ross Lake from the Lightning Creek Trail

In the heart of North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake is surrounded by glaciated mountains. The terrain is exceedingly steep and beautiful. The drainages are uncharted due to the remoteness of the area. After Chris Tretwold and I studied maps of the area, a handful of creeks had potential, but only two creeks appeared to have good access and the gradient we were looking for. Lightning Creek and Little Beaver Creek were at the top of our list. We estimated that each creek contained gradient from 100 to 200 feet per mile; Little Beaver was the steeper of the two.

The prospect of whitewater in these creeks and rumors of waterfalls that dropped directly into Ross Lake piqued our interest, and Chris and I put together an expedition in June 2006. Our only setback was getting to the creeks that drained into the middle of the lake.

We hoped to explore the creeks with the help of a little horsepower, but we found out through a couple of phone calls that the dam-controlled lake level was too low to launch a large boat. Our other option was a boat taxi at Ross Lake Resort but they charged a bundle for shuttle service and we wanted to scout numerous creeks, not just go to one destination. Ultimately, we opted for the reliable sea kayak method for transport. Although slower, the sea kayaks provided room for gear and overall they were our best option to reach the base of the creeks this time of year.

Logistically, to reach the creeks our nearest launch point was at Hozomeen, a ranger station and campground at the northern tip of Ross Lake, accessed only through British Columbia. When we arrived at the launch point we had calm winds, clear skies, and a bright moon. With the favorable weather, we decided to paddle to Lightning Camp that night.

After hauling our sea kayaks and gear across a boggy marsh of a beach, we set off through a cemetery of trees noticeable by rotted, water logged stumps protruding six feet out of the water. These remnants of an expansive logging operation reminded us of the Skagit River wilderness buried beneath us.

Once we left shore, the whitewater boats trailing behind us felt like towing heavy-set water skiers. They would get sideways, threaten to capsize and pull us anywhere but in a straight line. Numerous attempts at adjusting our towlines didn’t make the difference needed to streamline our sea kayak towing method. We resorted to brute strength and thousands of correctional strokes to get us the ten miles to Lightning.

Despite the minor setback, our spirits were high, conversation was optimistic and the shadowy backdrop we were in was mysterious and imposing. Silhouettes of the nine thousand foot peeks accentuated the vastness of the landscape, and the silence all around us was hypnotizing. After a few miles of paddling our silent trip was interrupted with a rumbling sound closer to shore. The waterfalls my dad talked about were real, only I couldn’t see them!