Baker Lake is a lake in Skagit County, Washington. It is part of Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) ESE of Peaceful Valley.
Baker Lake is a lake in northern Washington state in the United States. The lake is situated in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Baker River valley southwest of North Cascades National Park and is fed by the Baker River along with numerous smaller tributaries. The lake is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Concrete, Washington. The lake covers an area of 4,800 acres (19 km2) and holds up to 285,000 acre-feet (352,000,000 m3) of water. Water levels fluctuate an average of 39 feet (12 m) annually. Formerly a smaller natural body of water, it was enlarged and raised 312 feet (95 m) in 1959 in conjunction with the construction of the Upper Baker Dam, a concrete gravity hydroelectric dam capable of generating 91 megawatts.From the Wikipedia article “Baker Lake (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Baker Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:14 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:58 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 16m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:14 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 15m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:54 PM | 16h 08m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:48 PM | 8h 18m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Baker Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:57 AM – 4:07 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:54 AM – 2:44 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:03 AM – 12:43 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:33 PM – 10:33 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.68 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (76%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this lake
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Baker Lake, closest first.
Hot Spring
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness AreaWaterfall
Glacier
Scenic ViewpointWaterfall
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Swift Creek Campground2.2 km (1.4 mi) · reservable
- Shannon Creek Campground2.4 km (1.5 mi) · reservable
- Park Creek Campground2.9 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground3.2 km (2.0 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Creek Campground5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Baker Lake?
What time is golden hour at Baker Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Baker Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Baker Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Baker Lake?
How far is Baker Lake from Peaceful Valley?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.