A dam in Concrete, WA on the Baker river creates beautiful Baker Lake to the South East of Mount Baker. It is a beautiful recreation area for camping, fishing and hiking. On the Northern Wester side of the lake lies the Baker Hot Springs.

I was spending the weekend at Baker Lake in support of the Mount Baker Marathon - a 50-mile foot-race from the town of Concrete to the summit of Sherman peak and back. I was a volunteer at the aid station near Thunder Creek and figured I would spend the weekend camping and kayaking on the lake. I camped at the Kulshan Campground, which is next to the dam that creates the lake. The campground is about 30 miles away from the town of Concrete, which is the nearest place for supplies and services. The campground has a boat launch, potable water and a bathroom. You are free to drive across the dam and access a trail that follows the East side of the lake to its Northern tip. There are also forest service roads that you can drive on to get farther into the Cascades.

There are also some hot springs to the North West of the lake. Though, they aren’t that cool. Its small, sometimes crowded and very smelly. I didn’t go in. I would recommend checking it out at least once. The other attraction is that the Swift Creek trail ends/starts there, which you can use to access Lake Anne and even Artist Point.