Heather - Maple Pass Loop
2 days ago
Vibrant crimson and scarlet undergrowth
14 this month · 121 reports
Ross Dam Trail
North Cascades
updated 1 month ago
The Ross Dam Trail is reported to be in good condition, with no snow or significant obstacles. Parking at the trailhead lot is available, though it can get full. Hikers should be prepared for strong winds, especially once on the dam itself, and expect a strenuous uphill climb for the last 0.2 miles back to the trailhead. Overgrowth has been noted in some sections starting around 2.7 miles in. 2026-08-26
Generated from 11 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about Ross Dam Trail
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 1 month ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
No trip reports on this trail in 1 month, so everything below is at least that old.
The road to the trailhead is reported as suitable for all vehicles as of August 26, 2026. There have been no reports of issues with the road leading to the Ross Dam Trail in the provided trip reports.
As of August 26, 2026, the trail itself was in good condition. Some areas starting about 2.7 miles in were noted as a bit overgrown as of July 15, 2026, but no tree blockages were encountered. There are no recent reports of significant obstacles like blowdown or major washouts.
Hikers should be prepared for strong winds, particularly on the dam itself, as noted on August 26, 2026. The trail is not overly crowded, with one report from August 26, 2026 mentioning only seeing about 5 or 6 people on the trail, and another from July 15, 2026 noting the parking lot was about 90% full on a Wednesday morning.
Bugs were not a significant issue, with reports stating they were not too bad as of July 23, 2026 and non-existent as of August 26, 2026. One report from July 20, 2026 mentioned mice breaking into a car at the parking lot, though this is not a direct trail condition.
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Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
Older1 month ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Parked in the big lot off the main road. Only saw about 5 or 6 people on the actual trail. The trail itself was in good condition and downhill pretty much the entire way. Once on the dam, it was cool ...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
A word of warning to people following an old guide book about North Cascades NP that we could hike to Ross Lake Resort, get a boat ride up to Big Beaver CG further north on lake and then have a six mi...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
PSA - We hiked down to Ross Lake for a multi-day backpacking / boat in camping trip. The hike is easy with packs. Nothing remarkable to note. However, upon return to our vehicle 4 days later we discov...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
NOTE: This trip report covers the entirety of the Ross Dam Trail along with the Big Beaver trail up to the trail junction with Sourdough Mountain.We arrived at the Ross Dam trailhead at around 9AM, an...
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Great two-night backpacking trip with our pup. We camped at Green Point the first night and Big Beaver the second. On day two, we hiked about two miles up the Big Beaver Trail and sawlotsof bear scat ...
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Done as a day-hike from a base camp at Big Beaver Boat Camp (we canoed in, launching from Diablo Lake Colonial Creek Campground launch, portaged along Ross Dam, and paddled up Ross Lake).The segment o...
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
The hike is about 7 miles with about 1500 feet of climbing. The steep sections all have switchbacks, so a fairly moderate trail.TrailheadFree Parking! We did get camping permits from the ranger online...
Older9 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
I drove out with the intention of going to the seasonal winter roadblock on highway 20 and then slowly making my way back while checking out stops. This is right next to the roadblock so I decided to ...
Older19 months ago
North Cascades
Snow free, great views! I highly recommend you continue down to walk across the dam, definitely the best part! The scale of this felt so unreal!The trailhead is right next to the gate where 20 is clos...