Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Ross Lake National Recreation Area
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1]
Ross Lake from Desolation Peak in 2017
Map showing the location of Ross Lake National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Ross Lake National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Ross Lake National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Ross Lake National Recreation Area
LocationWhatcom County and Skagit County, Washington, United States
Nearest cityNewhalem, Washington
Coordinates48°40′23″N 121°14′43″W / 48.67306°N 121.24528°W / 48.67306; -121.24528
Area117,575 acres (475.81 km2)[2]
EstablishedOctober 2, 1968
Visitors998,019 (in 2022)[3]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteNorth Cascades National Park

Ross Lake National Recreation Area is a US national recreation area in north central Washington just south of the Canada–US border. It is the most accessible part of the North Cascades National Park Complex which also includes North Cascades National Park and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Ross Lake NRA follows the Skagit River corridor from the Canada–US border to the western foothills of the Cascades. The NRA contains a portion of scenic Washington State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, and includes three reservoirs: 12,000-acre (4,900 ha) Ross Lake, 910-acre (370 ha) Diablo Lake, and 210-acre (85 ha) Gorge Lake. These reservoirs make up the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project operated by Seattle City Light. Nestled in the "American Alps" the Ross Lake NRA bisects the north and south units of North Cascades National Park.

Diablo Lake from Hwy 20
  1. ^ "Protected Planet | Ross Lake". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  2. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-14. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  3. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-07-23.

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