Every Lake
Baker Lake
A 1959 dam backed up the Baker River into 25 miles of shoreline below Mount Baker.
- 11 ft · first step
- 23 ft
- 34 ft
- 46 ft
- 57 ft
- 69 ft · bottom
About Baker Lake
Baker Lake sits in the North Cascades of Washington State, held back by Upper Baker Dam, completed in 1959 by Puget Sound Power and Light Company, predecessor to Puget Sound Energy. The dam impounds the Baker River inside the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, at the northern base of Mount Baker, an active stratovolcano. The reservoir runs roughly nine miles north to south, with about 25 miles of shoreline and a surface area near 4,339 acres. Concrete, Washington, on Highway 20, is the closest town; Bellingham lies about 50 miles to the northwest.
The lake supports sockeye and kokanee salmon, and a trap-and-haul facility on the Baker River moves fish around the dam to reach spawning grounds upstream. Boaters and anglers launch from Kulshan and Horseshoe Cove, both run as public campgrounds, and trails along the eastern shore pass through stands of old-growth forest. In late summer the water often turns a pronounced turquoise, a result of fine glacial sediment carried down from Mount Baker's glaciers. Puget Sound Energy operates the dam under a federal hydropower license that also funds the surrounding recreation sites and salmon programs.
- 31 roads engraved around the shore, 1 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Baker Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Baker Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 11 ft, 23 ft, 34 ft, 46 ft, 57 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 69 ft. The lake covers about 7.0 square miles, and 31 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Baker Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Baker Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Baker Lake.
Baker Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Baker Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Baker Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 69 ft
- 7.0 square miles of water
- 31 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
