From its day use picnic and swimming area and boat ramp the views of Mount Baker (10,781') and Mount Shuksan (9,131') are simply stunning. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Kulshan Campground itself.
Koma Kulshan Campground (its full name) is by far Baker Lake's largest overnight camping destination and the only one on the reservoir that's open year-round, but disappointingly the same engineering minds that erected Upper Baker Dam were also put to use to envision a campground with the most campsites in the smallest amount of space. Efficiency was found in the campground's parking-lot-style layout, but charm, privacy, and views were certainly not considered. The sprinkling of portable toilets around the campground instead of well-constructed vault toilets or restrooms adds to the problem.
"RV sites" only have potable water and sewer connections but no electrical hookups, ironic as it may be for being a campground created, owned, operated and maintained by a power utility. On the upside, potable water is provided at all 108 campsites.
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 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 reservoirs 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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