Baker Lake Sea Kayaking

With an abundance of mountain views, fishing, and backcountry campsites, Baker Lake makes for a relaxing weekend kayaking trip or a long single-day tour.

Fed by the Baker River, Swift River, and several other smaller rivers, Baker Lake was a much smaller lake until the construction of the Upper Baker Dam in 1959 that raised the water level approximately 312 feet. Today the lake fluctuates about 39 feet annually. Kokanee salmon runs in the spring and fall draw fisherman from several surrounding counties.

There are numerous launch points for Baker Lake. The Kulshan Campground boat launch is the closest access point to the nearby town of Concrete, Washington. Beyond the Kulshan Campground, it is possible to drive across the 312-foot Upper Baker Dam and gain a very real sense of how deep much of the lake is. North of the the Kulshan launch is the Dry Creek Campground and inlet; be mindful of logs and tree stumps on the shallower sections of the inlet. Continuing north, there is a nice beach at the mouth of Sandy Creek. Directly east of Sandy Creek, the lake bed rises up to mere inches below the surface, then dramatically drops hundreds of feet down where Sandy Creek cut through the ancient lake bed. At the northwestern corner where the lake doglegs to the east, the Swift Creek Campground sits at the mouth of Swift Creek. From this vantage point, Mount Baker can be seen to the west, Mount Shuskan to the north, and Mount Blum to the east. The far northeastern shore of Baker Lake offers access to remote, boat-assisted camping and exploring.