Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
The ancient geologic landscape of the upper Columbia River cradles Lake Roosevelt in walls of stone carved by massive ice age floods. Come explore the shorelines and learn the stories of American Indians, traders and trappers, settlers and dam builders who called this place home. Swim, boat, hike, camp, and fish at this hidden gem in Northeast Washington, created by the Grand Coulee Dam.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Hawk Creek Area Closed for 2026 Recreation Season
The Hawk Creek Campground and boat launch area will close to all public access starting April 16 through October 16. The closure is necessary to keep visitors, staff, and construction crews safe during the Hawk Creek Road Improvements and Stabilization Project. It may be extended through Oct. 30, if needed.
- ClosureFort Spokane boat launch & day use open; Campground open with some closures
Fort Spokane Campground has re-opened to the public with minimal closures as of 8/14/2026. Sites 39, 40, 41, 50, and walk-in sites 64-68 will remain closed for the foreseeable future due to fire damage and hazard trees. Caution tape and closure signs have been posted for visitor safety. Please remain in open areas of the campground only. The Fort Spokane day use area and boat launch remain open.
- CautionNPS ↗Fall 2026 Prescribed Fire Notice at Lake Roosevelt
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area may implement the following prescribed burn during fall 2026.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx - South Twin Wui
8 mi from the park's reference point
- Prescribed3R Rx - Coyote
30 mi from the park's reference point · 841 acres
- PrescribedRep Rx - Walker 50
36 mi from the park's reference point · 313 acres
- PrescribedLpr Rx - Paulke
37 mi from the park's reference point · 331 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| All Park Hours | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and December the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| North Gorge Campground | 11 sites | |
| $23 a night · North Gorge is open seasonally. | ||
| Snag Cove Campground | 9 sites | |
| $23 a night · Snag Cove Campground is open seasonally, but water is not available at times of low lake level. · 9 reservable | ||
| Kettle River Campground | 13 sites | |
| $23 a night · Kettle River Campground is open seasonally. · 13 reservable | ||
| Evans Campground | 44 sites | |
| $30 a night · Evans Campground is open seasonally. Amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. | ||
| Evans Group Site | 1 site | |
| $65 a night · Evans Group Site is open seasonally. Amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 1 reservable | ||
Show all 24 campgroundsHide
| Kamloops Island Campground | 17 sites | |
| $23 a night · Kamloops Island Campground is open seasonally. Water is not available in winter or times of low lake level. · 17 reservable | ||
| Marcus Island Campground | 25 sites | |
| $23 a night · Marcus Island Campground is seasonally. Water is not available in winter or during low lake levels. · 25 reservable | ||
| Kettle Falls Campground | 75 sites | |
| $30 a night · Kettle Falls Campground is open year-round. Loops 2 and 3 close from December 1 through March 31, but the remaining sites are available for reservation. | ||
| Locust Grove Group Sites | 2 sites | |
| $65 a night · Locust Grove Group sites are open seasonally, but water is not available in winter or times of low lake level. · 2 reservable | ||
| Haag Cove Campground | 18 sites | |
| $23 a night · Haag Cove Campground is open seasonally. · 18 reservable | ||
| Cloverleaf Campground | 7 sites | |
| $23 a night · Cloverleaf Campground is open during the spring and summer season, but water is not available in times of low lake level. · 7 reservable | ||
| Gifford Campground | 42 sites | |
| $30 a night · Gifford is open year-round, but amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 42 reservable | ||
| Gifford Group Site | 1 site | |
| $65 a night · Group site is open year-round, but amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 1 reservable | ||
| Hunters Campground | 37 sites | |
| $30 a night · Hunters is open year-round, but amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 37 reservable | ||
| Hunters Group Sites | 3 sites | |
| $65 a night · Hunters Group sites are open seasonally. Amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 3 reservable | ||
| Camp Na-Bor-Lee (non-profit operated) | 10 sites | |
| Camp Na-Bor-Lee is open on a seasonal basis. Please check their website for up to date opening and closing dates. · Books through campnaborlee.com | ||
| Fort Spokane Campground | 68 sites | |
| $30 a night · Fort Spokane Campground is open year-round. The back loop is closed October 1 through April 30, but the remainder of the campsites are available for… | ||
| Porcupine Bay Campground | 20 sites | |
| $30 a night · Porcupine Bay Campground is open seasonally. Water and flush toilets are available seasonally. · 20 reservable | ||
| Hawk Creek Campground | 20 sites | |
| $23 a night · Closed Nov 13 to May 21 · 20 reservable | ||
| Jones Bay Campground | 9 sites | |
| $23 a night · Jones Bay is open seasonally. · 9 reservable | ||
| Keller Ferry Campground (Concessionaire-operated) | 55 sites | |
| Keller Ferry Campground is open on a seasonal basis. Please check their website for up to date opening and closure dates. · Books through lakerooseveltadventures.com | ||
| Keller Ferry Group Sites (Concessionaire-operated) | 2 sites | |
| Keller Ferry Campground is open year-round. Water and flush toilets are only available seasonally. · Books through lakerooseveltadventures.com | ||
| Spring Canyon Campground | 78 sites | |
| $30 a night · Spring Canyon is open year-round by reservation only. The lower loop remains open year-round while the upper loop is closed November 1 through March 31. | ||
| Spring Canyon Group Sites | 2 sites | |
| $65 a night · Spring Canyon group sites are open seasonally. Amenities like flush restrooms, water, and the dump station are not available in winter. · 2 reservable | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Fort Spokane Visitor Center and Museum ↗Passport stamp
Located in the former guardhouse of historic Fort Spokane, the visitor center and museum are open seasonally from Memorial Day to Labor Day of each year. This facility has no entrance fee.
Explore
Things to do
- Boating at Lake Roosevelt NRA
The waters of Lake Roosevelt offer many opportunities for fun in watercraft from canoes and motorboats, to paddleboards and houseboats. Learn about launch fees and permits here.
Opens on the Park Service site - Canoeing & Kayaking at Lake Roosevelt NRA
'If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.' Slow down and paddle the waters of Lake Roosevelt by kayak or canoe or board. Discover hidden coves and quiet beaches away from the busy campgrounds and day use areas.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fishing on Lake Roosevelt NRA
Lake Roosevelt offers hundreds of miles of shoreline, so you can relax and easily find a place to relax and drop in a line. Check out our links to local agencies where you can purchase your fishing license.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become A Lake Roosevelt Junior Ranger
Download the activity book and earn your badge to become a Junior Ranger OR follow the link to the web site to find accessible activities for all ages: make a podcast, create a play, write or act out a story, pretend the floor is lava!
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Sentinel Trail1-2 Hours
Located at Fort Spokane, this self-guided trail navigates to trailside markers telling the story of the people who lived and worked here in the late 1800s.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Mission Point Trail0-1 Hours
A half-mile loop trail along a relatively flat bluff takes you through standing pine forests to the edge of Lake Roosevelt. From there you can see the site of Kettle Falls, a place used for millennia by the local tribes for salmon fishing.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 8Hide
- Hike the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area
The Sherman Creek Wildlife Area is a cooperative trail system between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Bunchgrass Prairie Nature Trail0-1 Hours
The Bunchgrass Prairie Trail is located at Spring Canyon Campground and Day Use Area. Hike along this trail to learn more about native plants in the channeled scabland ecosystem.
Opens on the Park Service site
News
- Fall 2026 Prescribed Fire Burning Notice ↗2026-10-06
Fall 2026 list of locations for potential prescribed burn.
- Campfire Ban Lifted ↗2026-09-29
Fire ban lifting on October 2.
- Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Welcomes New Superintendent ↗2026-08-20
The National Park Service has selected Devon Bradley as superintendent of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. He will assume the role October 4, 2026.
- 2026 Total Fire Restrictions Implemented ↗2026-06-16
Due to extreme fire conditions, all fires at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area are prohibited effective 12:01 a.m., June 20, until further notice.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the Pacific Northwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 226 birds, 58 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Barred Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Mountain Pygmy Owl · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Western Screech-Owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Barrow's Goldeneye · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Clark's Grebe · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Eared Grebe · Great Blue Heron · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · Green-winged Teal · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Sandhill Crane · Snow Goose · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Western Grebe · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Baird's Sandpiper · Black Tern · Bonaparte's Gull · California Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Forster's Tern · Greater Yellowlegs · Herring Gull · Killdeer · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Curlew · Long-billed Dowitcher · Pectoral Sandpiper · Ring-billed Gull · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · Wilson's Phalarope · common snipe
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · Blue Grouse · California Quail · Mourning Dove · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · Ruffed Grouse · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-naped Sapsucker · White-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAe'o · American Crow · American Dipper · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · American tree sparrow · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-headed Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Bobolink · Bohemian Waxwing · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's oriole · Canvasback · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's vireo · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-backed chickadee · Chipping Sparrow · Chukar · Clark's Nutcracker · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Raven · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Dusky Flycatcher · Eastern Kingbird · Eurasian Treecreeper · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Catbird · Gray Jay · Gray Partridge · Gyrfalcon · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Lapland Longspur · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Macgillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Goshawk · Northern Oriole · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern Shrike · Pacific-slope Flycatcher · Pine Siskin · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sage Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Snow Bunting · Solitary Vireo · Song Sparrow · Sora · Southern Rough-winged Swallow · Steller's Jay · Swainson's Thrush · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Varied Thrush · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Water Pipit · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped Warbler · black-capped chickadee · brown creeper · cliff swallow · gray-crowned rosy finch · mountain chickadee · olive-sided flycatcher · spotted towhee · veery
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · American Water Shrew · Brown Rat · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · Columbia Plateau Pocket Mouse · Columbian Ground Squirrel · Common Muskrat · Coronation Island vole · Deer Mouse · House Mouse · Least Chipmunk · Meadow Vole · Merriam's Shrew · Mountain Cottontail · Northern Flying Squirrel · Northern Pocket Gopher · Red Squirrel · Southern Red-backed Vole · Vagrant Shrew · Western Harvest Mouse · Western Jumping Mouse · White-tailed Jack Rabbit · Yellow-bellied Marmot · Yellow-pine Chipmunk · common porcupine · dusky shrew · yellow pine chipmunk
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Black Bear · American Marten · American Mink · Bobcat · Common Otter · Coyote · Cross Fox · Ermine · Long-tailed Weasel · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsBighorn Sheep · Eurasian Elk · Mule Deer · White-tailed Deer · elk
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · California Myotis · Fringed Myotis · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Myotis · Pallid Bat · Pinto Bat · Townsend's Big-eared Bat · Yuma Myotis · small-footed myotis
Also on the checklistCatamount
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks
Weather & climate
Lake Roosevelt is generally a cool or cold place from fall through spring with overcast skies. In the summer, the skies clear and present warm to hot days. More information on weather can be found under Alerts and Conditions.
Questions people ask
Does Lake Roosevelt charge an entrance fee?
No. Lake Roosevelt is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Lake Roosevelt open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Lake Roosevelt?
Yes. The Park Service lists 24 campgrounds in Lake Roosevelt: North Gorge, Snag Cove, Kettle River, Evans, and Evans Group Site, and more. 24 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Lake Roosevelt campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Camp Na-Bor-Lee (non-profit operated). Dump station: Evans, Evans Group Site, Kettle Falls, Locust Grove Group Sites, Gifford, Gifford Group Site, Hunters, Hunters Group Sites, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay, Keller Ferry Campground (Concessionaire-operated), Keller Ferry Group Sites (Concessionaire-operated), Spring Canyon, and Spring Canyon Group Sites.
Source: Campgrounds
Do Lake Roosevelt campgrounds book through Recreation.gov?
Not all of them. Camp Na-Bor-Lee (non-profit operated), Keller Ferry Campground (Concessionaire-operated), and Keller Ferry Group Sites (Concessionaire-operated) take reservations through campnaborlee.com and lakerooseveltadventures.com.
Source: Campgrounds
When do Lake Roosevelt campgrounds close for the season?
Hawk Creek is closed Nov 13 to May 21.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Lake Roosevelt right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Hawk Creek Area Closed for 2026 Recreation Season; Fall 2026 Prescribed Fire Notice at Lake Roosevelt; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Lake Roosevelt?
1,183,757 recreation visits in 2025, number 64 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Lake Roosevelt?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Lake Roosevelt?
Lake Roosevelt is generally a cool or cold place from fall through spring with overcast skies. In the summer, the skies clear and present warm to hot days.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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