Baker Lake Trail is a 20.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Concrete, Washington that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until November.
backpacking
birding
hiking
nature trips
walking
forest
lake
views
wildlife
Baker Lake Trail in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest hugs Baker Lake and is mostly flat for most of its length. It wanders through old-growth forests providing some awesome views of Mount Baker. $5 entrance fee
Hiked half.
Bridge over Anderson creek is broken but passable.
pretty, lots of up and down. no lake access if you start from the North.
What a fantastic backpacking experience. I hiked in solo and stayed overnight from Thursday to Friday. The hike in was extremely pleasant until about mile 3. The majority of the trail meanders parallel to the lake so you get fantastic views of the lake, lots of shade and a nice breeze. The last mile however veers inland where the brush, bugs and sun exposure get much worse. Cruise through it though because the camp site at Maple Grove is awesome. Of the 6 camp spots, a few were closed and a few were taken by boaters. The best spot for a solo hiker, Site 1, was open and away from the other campers so I really had the place to myself. The forest is very quiet but the lake can get noisy with boats from time to time. Being by myself I welcomed the occasional waterskier or fishing boat to watch. This was an excellent trip overall. The next time I come I will bring the family and the canoe and explore more of the surrounding lake.
Elevation gain is misleading as you're hardly ever on flat terrain. LOTS of ups and downs. We did an overnighter and found a STUNNING campsite about 8 miles from trailhead, just past Noisy Creek (we think). Single campsite right on the lake, totally private. Once you get about a mile or two you see very few people on the trail, which is good because it's quite narrow in spots. If it's been raining, highly recommend gaiters as your pants will get soaked from vegetation. Very scenic, but no vistas or overlooks. Just the lake.
lake this trail. our youngest who is four has done this trail many times.
Nice meandering trail that weaves along the Eastern shore of Baker Lake. Not great lake access, as you are typically 20-50ft above shoreline with a steep drop. Great trail for beginners and children, or to make summit attempts at greater peaks.
great hike, especially on a warm day since it's in the trees. the streams are awesome.
easy and rewarding, making it a good trip for all skill level. Go in off season if you want any chance of privacy
Easy and fun trail with wonderful views of several peaks, Mt. Baker and Baker Lake/River. But THE DIRECTIONS TO THE TRAIL ARE WRONG (at least on the iPhone). I downloaded the directions from the AllTrails iPhone app and opened them with Apple maps. The directions took me about 20 miles out of the way, well beyond Rockport. So I stopped at the Cascades National Park ranger station and asked for directions. Here's what you do: Head towards Concrete and between mile marker 82 and 83, turn onto Baker Lake Rd. The Baker Lake/Baker River trailhead (it's the same trailhead) is about 25.5 miles at the end of that road. Also FYI, about halfway through Baker Lake Rd, it turns into gravel, so watch out. And, Discover Passes don't work here. You need to bring $5 to pay. Happy trails!
Great trail, took my 7 y/o for his first overnight backpacking trip. The trail was easy, well marked - perfect for families with small children. Bring plenty of bug spray, the first mile is through some swampy areas with swarms of mosquitoes.
Gorgeous views, easy enough for kids if you don't go too far in.
pretty good views from Anderson campground, it's pretty easy hike to maple grove campground which gets you closer for snaps with glacier on north cascades