Photo: NPS / MICHAEL FRICKEColonial Creek South Campground
★4.4(369 reviews)
High DemandNorth Cascades National Park · Sedro-woolley, Washington🏞️Lake AccessRiver Access
Photo: NPS / MICHAEL FRICKEBest For
The strongest choice on Diablo Lake for campers who want the most site options, including hike-to sites, in the park's most scenic midpoint corridor. September planners should note this campground shows 0% last-minute availability — it is entirely pre-booked by those who start 6+ months out.
92
Sites
No
Hookups
Colonial Creek South offers 49 standard drive-in sites, 34 walk-to sites, and 9 hike-to sites on the south shore of Diablo Lake — the most diverse site mix of the two Colonial Creek campgrounds and the better-rated one. Its 4,582 total reservations across the season make it the second-busiest campground behind Newhalem Creek. The September data is the most striking in the entire park: 0.0% of September reservations were last-minute, and 34.4% were booked 6+ months out — meaning if you want September here, you are competing with campers who locked in their dates before New Year's Day. July is the surprise easiest month with 28.2% last-minute bookings, suggesting higher turnover when school calendars compress stays.
Content from North Cascades National Park park guide
July and August are peak season with nearly 5,900 reservations each month and 19–20% of bookings made 6+ months in advance — beautiful weather but zero margin for flexible planning. May offers the most last-minute opportunity (22.6% of bookings) and lighter crowds, though some campgrounds and facilities may not be fully open. September is counterintuitively the hardest month to get a site last-minute at 18.0%, driven by high-planning campers who want fall color and cooler temperatures without the summer crowds — if that's you, book in January.
State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) is the primary corridor connecting Newhalem-area campgrounds to the Colonial Creek and Diablo Lake campgrounds — it typically closes for winter between November and April, effectively ending the camping season at those sites. Stehekin and its campgrounds (Purple Point, Harlequin, Lakeview) are entirely inaccessible by road and require travel by ferry, floatplane, or on foot; once in Stehekin, the valley road is served by a seasonal shuttle bus. Hozomeen is only accessible via a long unpaved road from Hope, British Columbia — do not plan to reach it from a US highway.
Total reservations in May 2024: 449
Address
Sedro-woolley, Washington
Coordinates
48.6896, -121.0961
Very high demand - sites typically fill up immediately when the booking window opens. Plan to book the moment reservations open.
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
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North Cascades National Park does not charge a standard per-vehicle entrance fee for most of the park, though the Stephen Mather Wilderness and specific recreation areas may have associated permit costs — verify current fee schedules at recreation.gov before arrival. Campsite nightly rates vary by campground and site type; group shelter sites cost more than standard individual sites. The America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass covers entrance fees where applicable and is worth carrying, but it does not cover campsite reservation fees.
All reservable campgrounds enforce a 14-day maximum stay, and the data shows demand is Very High every day of the week with no seasonal slack at the peak campgrounds. Cell service is extremely limited to nonexistent throughout most of the park — do not rely on mobile data for navigation, weather updates, or campsite changes once you leave Sedro-Woolley or Marblemount. Dogs are generally permitted at campgrounds but restrictions apply on trails within the national park boundaries; bring adequate food, water filtration, and supplies from Marblemount or Burlington before entering the park corridor, as services inside the park are minimal.