Goodell Creek Campground
9Heads up5 park alerts · 4 fires, nearest 8 mi
- Right now
- OpenThe agency lists it open
- Sites
- 1918 on recreation.gov
- Season
- Year-roundOpen year-round
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices
In the agency’s own words
Goodell Creek Campground requires reservations during the peak season, from late May through early September of each year. Important changes to booking windows: To better serve visitors, Goodell Creek Campground will release campsites in two staggered block releases. These block releases will be 6 months in advance and 7 days in advance. Campsites #1 - #13 are available for reservations 6 months in advance. Campsites #14 - #19 are available for reservations 7 days in advance. Keep reading
Any sites not reserved during the peak season are available same-day as first-come, first-served for 1 night only and can only be claimed in person at the campground. Goodell Creek Campground is open as first-come, first-served before and after the peak season, from January through late May, and early September through December of each year. The campground is a small, yet comfortable facility close to the town of Newhalem along the Skagit River. It is surrounded by forests that that can be explored through the area's many hiking trails. The campground has 19 individual campsites. It is private and secluded, yet the town, a visitor center and other amenities are close by.
Recreation
Campers can walk to several of Newhalem's hiking trails from the connecting trail to the Newhalem Campground. The creek and river are popular for fishing , and boating access is available from the raft launch at the campground. Black bears are active in this campground and the surrounding trails. Be aware of your surroundings while hiking, picnicking, and camping. Use the provided bear boxes in your campsite to store coolers, cookware, and other odorants when not in use. If you encounter a bear around the campground or on a trail, inform campground staff or go to the North Cascades Visitor Center and fill out a bear report.
Facilities
The campground is set along the Skagit River. The entire facility offers drinking water, vault toilets, trash and recycling, and paved roads. Each campsite includes a bear box for food storage, a picnic table, and a fire ring.
Natural Features
The campground has a shaded forested canopy with western redcedar, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, wild red huckleberries, and other native shrubs. Nearby is Newhalem Creek and the Skagit River. The river is the largest river that flows into the Puget Sound area and provides critical habitat for all species of Pacific salmon. The river drains cold, clean glacial meltwater from the mountains of British Columbia and northern Washington. Bald eagles return to its shores every winter.
Nearby Attractions
The North Cascades Visitor Center is nearby and operates seasonally, typically from May to September. Visitors can find the passport stamp, exhibits, park film, gift store, and much more. The town of Newhalem is a short walk from the campsites, there visitors will find a general store and information center operated by Seattle City Light. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (360) 854-7200.
What the agency tells you
This campground is located within a hydroelectric project. A warning system is in place to notify campers of high water. See entrance area or campground staff for specific information upon arrival.
Wildlife frequents the area. All food must be stored in animal-resistant food lockers or hard-sided vehicles when not in use.
There are no shower facilities or electrical hookups available.
Everything else this campground posts · 6
Firewood, ice, gas, and other services are not available in the park complex. The nearest services are in the town of Marblemount, WA.
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Campsite occupancy is limited to eight people, three tents, and two vehicles per site.
Campground reservations are accepted during the specified season dates. Campgrounds may be open before or after the reservation season on a walk-up basis. For more information on camping in the North Cascades visit, www.nps.gov/noca .
No Show Policy If you do not arrive at a campground or cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date, your reservation will be cancelled. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. Please cancel your reservation if you are unable to use it to make spaces available for others. You can contact the park at 360-854-7301 to assist with changes for a reservation or to notify about a late arrival.
Refund Policy Customers may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Customers may also initiate a refund request through the call center at any time after their reservation has ended. Fees: Applicable fees, such as reservation fees, service/cancellation fees, lottery application fees, and change fees, are non-refundable. Debit or Credit Card Purchases: Refunds for debit or credit card payments made after October 1, 2018 will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. In the event that a customer has cancelled this card, they will need to contact their card company to have the funds released. We cannot issue refunds to any card other than the one used to pay. If a customer paid with a debit or credit card prior to October 1, 2018 their refund will be issued in the form of a Treasury check. Check or Cash Purchases: Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. You may update the address at the time you request the refund. It may take up to 6-8 weeks for the Treasury check to arrive. Please make sure your address is up to date in your customer profile. Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within your Recreation.gov customer profile.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 19
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 56 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Store
- Nearby
- Bear boxes
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Creek
- Birding
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Paddling
- Picnicking
- Rafting
- Water access
- Whitewater rafting
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 151st darkest of 400 in WA
- Bortle 3
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:37 UTC
recreation.gov lists 18 of the 19 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 10
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 4
recreation.gov availability, read 16:37 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
19 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 18 mapped sitesAll 19 sites
| Goodell | 01 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 128 ft | 420 ft |
| Goodell | 02 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 128 ft | 381 ft |
| Goodell | 03 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 68 ft | 219 ftGoodell Creek |
| Goodell | 04 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 68 ft | 216 ftGoodell Creek |
| Goodell | 05 | standard nonelectric | 36 ft | 20 ft | 161 ftGoodell Creek |
| Goodell | 06 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 20 ft | 171 ftGoodell Creek |
| Goodell | 07 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 70 ft | 149 ft |
| Goodell | 08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 68 ft | 213 ft |
| Goodell | 09 | standard nonelectric | 37 ft | 155 ft | 191 ft |
| Goodell | 10 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 58 ft | 159 ft |
| Goodell | 11 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 34 ft | 167 ft |
| Goodell | 12 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 34 ft | 190 ft |
| Goodell | 13 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 117 ft | 279 ft |
| Goodell | 14 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 77 ft | 440 ft |
| Goodell | 15 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 77 ft | 389 ft |
| Goodell | 16 | type not stated | 20 ft | 349 ft | |
| Goodell | 17 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 104 ft | 302 ft |
| Goodell | 18 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft | 31 ft | 179 ft |
| Goodell | 19 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 31 ft | 156 ft |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Lower Goodell Group CampgroundRoss Lake National Recreation Area · 0.1 mi
Upper Goodell Group CampgroundRoss Lake National Recreation Area · 0.1 mi
Newhalem Creek CampgroundRoss Lake National Recreation Area · 0.3 mi
Gorge Lake Campground6.1 mi
Colonial Creek North CampgroundRoss Lake National Recreation Area · 7.7 mi
Colonial Creek South CampgroundRoss Lake National Recreation Area · 7.9 miGoodell Creek Campground is located at milepost 119 on State Route 20. From Burlington, WA, drive 60 miles (97 km) east on State Route 20. The west entrance to the park is at milepost 112. From Twisp, WA, drive 82 miles (132 km) west on State Route 20.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Marblemount, WA
Typical weather
Typical October night 44°F, day 57°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 32°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Goodell Creek Campground is in Washington’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Rick Larsen (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →