Tucked away near the very end of Baker Lake off of Baker Lake Road, Shannon Creek Campground is one of the reservoir's most peaceful and sought-after campgrounds. With a small but well-shaded picnic day use area, boat ramp, and pebbly beach that looks across the waters to 6,220-foot Mount Watson, it's certainly worth driving the full distance to Shannon Creek. The campground itself is relatively small with only 19 campsites and several vault toilets. The campground does not provide potable water, which is available at nearby Swift Creek Campground to the west.
Note: Shannon Creek Campground is open Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend.
Baker Lake
Once a low-lying flat with a small lake, extremely dense old-growth, and wetland marshes, Baker Lake was flooded and submerged by over 300 feet in 1959 with the construction of the Upper Baker Dam. Today, the elongated reservoir at the base of Mount Baker (10,781') and Mount Shuksan (9,131') is still luckily surrounded by magnificent old-growth conifer forest (dominated by Douglas fir, western redcedar and western hemlock) and measures roughly 9 miles in length.
Extremely popular among locals for its fishing and motorized boating, the National Recreation Area fills to capacity during the summer months, and campsites can be difficult to claim at all 10 of the reservoir's established and reservable campgrounds, including (from north to south):
The reservoir also provides four additional boat/hike-in campgrounds/sites on its southeastern shore that are accessible by boat/kayak and the South Baker Lake Trail. From north to south:
- Noisy Creek Campsites
- Silver Creek Campsites
- Maple Grove Campsites
- Anderson Point Campsites
Fishing
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Baker Lake is
open to fishing from the 4th Saturday in April to October 31. Fishing in this Baker River reservoir (Baker Lake) can be excellent for kokanee in April, May, and June and again in the fall. There is a six-inch minimum, 18-inch maximum size limit on trout and kokanee. An expanding sockeye population may provide frequent fishing opportunities in the future. The duration and timing of the sockeye fishery varies with in-season abundance. Baker Lake is closed to the taking of bull trout/Dolly Varden. Additionally, a radius of 200 feet surrounding the pump discharge at the south end of the lake is closed to all fishing.
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