Diablo Lake and Ross Lake both offer excellent flat-water paddling and are among the few inland waters in the Northwest with extensive boat-in campsites. However, there is no road access to Ross Lake in the U.S. (the unpaved Silver Skagit Rd. enters the park from British Columbia, leading 40 mi. to the north end of the lake). Ross Lake Resort (tel. 206/386-4437) offers a canoe and kayak shuttle service from Diablo Lake (which is accessible by car) around Ross Dam to Ross Lake. The resort charges from $15 to $25 per canoe or kayak. You can also rent outboard motorboats, kayaks, and canoes at the resort.
You'll need a backcountry permit to overnight on Ross Lake. These permits are available at the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount. The permits allow you to stay at the many campsites along the shores of Ross Lake. Backcountry permits are also available at the Hozomeen Ranger Station. Here you can explore the Narrow Ruby Arm using Green Point Campground (1 mi. above the dam) as a base camp. Farther north are the Cougar Island (2 mi. above the dam), Roland Point (4 mi. above the dam), McMillan (5.5 mi. above the dam), and Spencer's (6 mi. above the dam) campgrounds.
Because of the length of the lake and the strong winds that often blow in the afternoon, many paddlers stick to the lower end (unless they enter at Hozomeen at the lake's north end).
If you aren't inclined to spend the money for the shuttle, you can have a similar experience paddling on Diablo Lake, which is an amazing turquoise color due to the amounts of glacial flour suspended in the water. Diablo also has three boat-in campsites (Thunder Point, Hidden Cove, and Buster Brown) as well as a couple of small islands to explore. Backcountry permits are needed for boat-in campgrounds on Diablo Lake. Alternatively, you can explore the lake from the drive-in Colonial Creek Campground on the Thunder Arm of the lake.
