Ross Lake is a large

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, and southwestern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. The

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level (489 m). The U.S. portion of Ross Lake is in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area.

North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Pa ...

is adjacent to the west and south, while the Pasayten Wilderness is east of the lake. In British Columbia the lake is a part of Skagit Valley Provincial Park, and Manning Provincial Park is nearby to the east.

Hydrology

Ross Lake is formed by the impoundment of the

Skagit River The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000 ...

by Ross Dam, which is operated by

Seattle City Light Seattle City Light is the public utility providing electricity to Seattle, Washington, in the United States, and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park and parts of unincorporated King County, Burien, No ...

for

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined a ...

generation serving

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, and surrounding areas. After leaving Ross Lake, the Skagit River flows through two more reservoirs before running to

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...

. High peaks surround Ross Lake in all directions, and include Hozomeen Mountain, Ruby Mountain, Desolation Peak, and

Jack Mountain Jack Mountain is the 17th highest mountain in Washington state. It is one of the 10 non-volcanic peaks in Washington State over . It towers dramatically over the south end of Ross Lake, rising above the lakeshore in only . Nohokomeen Glacier ...

, the summit of which is over 7,000 feet above the elevation of the lake. Rivers and creeks flowing into Ross Lake include the upper

, Hozomeen Creek, Silver Creek, Little Beaver Creek, Arctic Creek, Lightning Creek, Devils Creek, Big Beaver Creek, and Ruby Creek. Most of these creeks originate from

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s and snowfields high in the North Cascades.

History

Ross Dam, originally called Ruby Dam, was built in three stages between 1937 and 1949, and currently stands 540 feet (160 m) tall. A fourth stage of construction was planned for the dam; however, in 1984 Seattle City Light made an electricity-purchasing agreement with British Columbia which delayed any further expansion of the Ross Lake Dam for 80 years. The lake and dam are named after James D. Ross, the superintendent of the Seattle City Light's

Skagit River Hydroelectric Project The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for t ...

, which built the dam.

Recreation

Ross Lake is a major recreation destination within the North Cascades, attracting visitors with a multitude of

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ing,

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facin ...

, and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

opportunities. The

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-sa ...

fishing, in particular, is well-renowned. Ross Lake is not home to anadromous fish such as

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...

as natural barriers in the river prevented these fish from traveling upstream on the Skagit River any further than a few miles past the Gorge Powerhouse. Camping is allowed at a number of boat-in and hike-in campsites around the lake. Backcountry camping permits (free, first-come, first-served) are required, and may be obtained from the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

in Marblemount. The lake is also home to a floating resort called the Ross Lake Resort. Made up of several dozen cabins and bunkhouses, it is situated approximately a quarter mile from the dam and rests entirely on log booms. During the winter, when lake levels shrink, the resort detaches from its shore moorings and relocates to the center of the lake. This is due to lower water levels caused by annual drawdowns of the lake for flood control of the Skagit River. A road from the Canadian side of the lake ends just inside the US. Travelers do not have to report to an official Port of Entry (as required at the nearby

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

crossing), as they must reenter Canada to leave.

Climate

Ross Lake has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen ''Csb'').

References

External links