Note: This hike occurred in August of 2023.

East of Sedro-Woolley the skies had turned grey, and what had been a long-planned trip was suddenly seeing a lot of changes. We had traveled to Washington in hopes of hiking Cascades National Park. However, those hopes were dashed, as a rapidly growing forest fire in the national park had caused parts of Washington’s Highway 20 to be shut down. Considering these circumstances, we did the best we could, and early one August morning we headed into Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The destination: Baker Lake.

Baker Lake, a sizable reservoir built in 1959 by expanding a pre-existing natural lake of the same name, lies between Mount Baker and a series of smaller peaks to the east. As we drove alongside the water, neither Baker Peak nor any of the smaller peaks were visible. Smoke blanketed the area. It was a scene that, being from Colorado, we were sadly familiar with. Still, the haze was likely the reason behind the near empty parking area that we found at the Baker River trailhead.

At its outset, the Baker River trail followed alongside its namesake, the Baker River. The river was wide and shallow, and seeing it flowing out from the distant haze made it seem a bit surreal. We also passed several areas where the waters had come close to eating away the trail as they eroded the banks. We tread lightly.

Around a mile in, the trail split. The left fork would continue to take us north along the river, the right fork would circle us back to the shores of Baker Lake. We turned right. Immediately we were at a large footbridge, which allowed us to cross the river.

After crossing the bridge, we were no longer following along the river. Instead, the trail veered into the wild green yonder of the surrounding rainforest. This was maybe the most exciting part of the hike. The next several miles of trail toured along ridges and ravines that were dense with (plant) life. Fauna made no appearance, save for a few squirrels and slugs, in this stretch. The smoke clouded the treetops.

This hike went against a principle that we try to always incorporate in our adventures: Have a destination. While these hikes are always ultimately about the journey, it’s nice to have something to aim for, whether that be a peak, a mountain lake, or some other grand feature. The destination motivates. The destination makes the miles easier. The destination provides a clear demarcation of where to turn around.

The Baker Lake/River trails, while they connect to destination hikes further on, are not destination trails themselves. So, after some 3 or 4 miles going down the Baker River valley, we decided to find a way down to the lake shore. The opportunity was provided thanks to the abundant social trails branching out from the main thoroughfare. The side trail we chose brought us to a lakeside campsite – a decidedly unofficial one, judging from the number of empty beer cans. Despite the litter, it was a destination we could get behind, with the views of Baker Lake stretching off into forever.

We turned back, and after a time were back at the bridge over the Baker River. Not quite satisfied with our time spent outside for the day, we decided to turn and explore further up the Baker River trail. This second leg of the journey brought our final travel distance to nearly 11 miles. We turned back towards the cars when we became tired. It had been all too short a hike, and we hoped that someday we could return to the area under blue skies.

Thank you for reading!

~Sky, Ty, and David