Devils Dome Loop

Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Pasayten Wilderness, off State Route 20 (east of Ross Lake)

Check before you go. Check before you go: the Forest Service's Ptarmigan Fire closure (Order 06-17-04-26-39, Sept. 9 through Oct. 31, 2026, unless rescinded) closes a long list of western Pasayten trails. Its trail list doesn't include the Devils Ridge or Jackita Ridge trails, but the alert page's list of affected recreation sites names Devils Ridge, so confirm with the Methow Valley Ranger District (509-996-4000). WTA reports that the Canyon Creek bridge was destroyed by a fallen tree. The Park Service's Border 2 Fire closures cover the north end of Ross Lake and the Hozomeen area, not this loop. State Route 20 closes every winter between milepost 130 (Diablo Pass) and milepost 171 (Cascadia Daily News); WTA puts the East Bank trailhead about 4.5 miles past Ross Lake Dam, so check WSDOT in late fall.

The Devils Dome Loop circles Jack Mountain east of Ross Lake, joining the lakeshore with a long, high traverse in the Pasayten Wilderness. The Park Service lists it among its loop trips at 40.4 miles and 4 to 5 days, with “high ridge walking above treeline around Jack Mountain” and views of the Pasayten.

WTA lists the loop at 43 miles and 13,000 feet of gain and notes there are no bailout points and no cell service.

The hike

The Park Service describes starting at the East Bank trailhead on State Route 20 and heading out the Ruby Creek Trail, or starting at the Canyon Creek trailhead. WTA’s guide runs it clockwise: down to Ruby Creek and along an old roadbed to Hidden Hand Pass, then north on the East Bank Trail along Ross Lake, dropping about 900 feet to the lakeshore.

From Devils Creek, the Devils Ridge Trail climbs about 5,200 feet to Devils Dome, through old growth and then scree above treeline (WTA). A side trail leads to Bear Skull Shelter. From the dome, WTA says the route stays above treeline for more than 15 miles to Devils Park, following the Jackita Ridge Trail. Then it drops about 4,800 feet through meadows and old growth to Canyon Creek and the Ruby Creek Trail.

Water decides where people camp. A July 2025 WTA trip report, written by a hiker who did the loop clockwise in two nights, called Dry Creek Pass “a dry camp,” found water about 300 feet below Devils Dome, and warned of a dry stretch of about 6 miles between the dome and North Fork Devils Creek. WTA’s guide says Devils Park Shelter generally has water, and lists a camp with reliable water about 1,000 feet below the Anacortes Crossing turnoff.

The same report described heavy brush in the Pasayten, especially on the climb from Ross Lake and parts of Jackita Ridge, fresher blowdowns between the saddle north of Devils Pass and Anacortes Crossing, and black flies and mosquitoes at both camps. Near the end, it said blowdowns at the destroyed Canyon Creek bridge block the Ruby Creek return; the writer climbed around on a slope they called “extremely steep and unstable.”

WTA mentions a side trip from near McMillan Park to a lake below Crater Mountain, and a boat shuttle from the Ross Lake resort to the Devils Creek trail that cuts about 12 miles. The Mountaineers describe a 25-mile version that starts with a water taxi to Devils Junction and ends at Canyon Creek.

For a shorter trip on the park side of Highway 20, see Thornton Lakes.

Tips

Carry more water than you think. Both WTA and the 2025 trip report flag long dry stretches.
Start or finish at Canyon Creek to avoid the blowdowns at the destroyed bridge (2025 trip report).
Plan for snow early in the season and bugs in midsummer (WTA).
Expect brush on the Pasayten side.
Check fire closures in the Pasayten before you go.

Camping

Camping on Ross Lake is at Park Service camps and needs a park backcountry permit; NPS says reservations are made on Recreation.gov, with about 40% of sites held for walk-ups. In the Pasayten, the Forest Service says free, self-issued wilderness permits are required and available at the trailhead. WTA lists Bear Skull Shelter, Devils Dome (dry and exposed), the camp below Anacortes Crossing and Devils Park Shelter as camp options. The Mountaineers suggest a basin just west of and below Devils Dome, a camp along Jackita Ridge near water, and one near Devils Park.

Inside Intel: The 2025 WTA trip report suggests treating Dry Creek Pass as dry; the writer found no water there and got through the night on 1.5 liters. The Mountaineers point to a camp along Jackita Ridge, 10 to 12 miles from Devils Junction, near “a good water source.”

Trail facts

Distance: 40.4 miles (NPS); 43 (WTA)
Route type: Loop from the East Bank or Canyon Creek trailhead
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: About 13,000 feet of gain (WTA); high point about 6,980 feet
Campsites: Ross Lake camps (NPS permit); Bear Skull Shelter, Devils Dome, Jackita Ridge, Devils Park Shelter
Water: Scarce on the ridge; carry extra and treat all water
Permits: NPS permit for Ross Lake camps; free self-issued Pasayten Wilderness permit
Trailheads: East Bank and Canyon Creek, on State Route 20
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

A dry, exposed night on Devils Dome:

The camp on Devils Dome sits high on bare ridge with nothing to block the wind. See the sleeping bags testers trust when the temperature drops.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.