★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic landFree
North Cascades National Park
Drive-up · public land · Whatcom County, WA · 48.71616, -121.15085
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
Nice! A free (for now) campground below the emerald-colored Lake Diablo in North Cascades National Park. Vault toilet, fire rings, and picnic tables. Next to emerald Gorge Lake. Boat ramp. Enough room for one or two vehicles at each site. No cell service. Strongly recommended if visiting the North Cascades.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 897 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- DDump3 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- MMechanic29 mi
- HHardware30 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- OOutfitter35 mi
- LLaundry36 mi
- PPropane44 mi
- +Urgent care53 mi
- AAir-up57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
897 ft
County
Whatcom County, WA
Coordinates
48.71616, -121.15085
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSkagit River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townDiablo · ~0.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.8 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~3.1 mi
- GroceriesSkagit General Store · ~5.3 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomSKA Gorge Camp Double Romtec toilet · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomSKA Buster Brown Boat-in Campground Romtec Toilet · ~2.2 mi E · NPS
- RestroomSKA Hidden Cove Campground Romtec Toilet · ~2.3 mi E · NPS
- RestroomSKA Diablo Lake Overlook Double Romtec West · ~2.5 mi E · NPS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Marble Creek Campground~14.1 mi
- Kool-Aid Lake Camp~19.7 mi
- Bridge Creek~20.2 mi
- Noisy Creek Campsites~20.4 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Whatcom County, WA). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading your camp page →Dispersed camping tips →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →