Discover Baker: Lakes, Gold History, and Scenic Byways
Accommodation in Baker
Baker combines impressive landscapes with traces of gold-mining history and a variety of opportunities on the water. Baker County borders the Wallowa Mountains and Hells Canyon. Hells Canyon is 7,993 feet deep and up to 10 miles wide in some places, measured from rim to rim. This gives the region a striking landscape as the setting for a trip that brings together nature, history, and individual excursions.
Lakes, Trails, and Outdoor Experiences
At Unity Lake State Recreation Site, you can go boating and fishing. For planning a day on the water, the site provides a boat ramp, boat-trailer parking spaces, restrooms, and water. Anthony Lake is open exclusively for non-motorized activities in summer. Fishing, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking are possible there. If you prefer to explore on foot, the Anthony Lake Shoreline Trail offers a gravel loop around a subalpine lake.
There are also different types of trails around Baker. The Phillips Lake Trail System runs for more than 6 miles along Phillips Lake and is open to hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. About 1.5 miles of trails lead through the wetlands of the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area. At Anthony Lakes, the nearly 3-mile Broadway Flow Trail is another option: On the downhill run, it offers flowing sections and banked turns for all skill levels. This lets you choose between a lakeshore, wetland, and mountain-bike trail depending on your preferred activity.
Gold Mining and the Oregon Trail
The region’s history comes to life at several sites. The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge was the last of three floating dredges built in the Sumpter Valley. Visitors may enter it from May through October. Sumpter Station is located in the same area, at the entrance to the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area. The Sumpter Valley Railroad is Oregon’s only narrow-gauge, steam-powered railway. With mostly volunteer labor, more than 7 miles of track have been rebuilt; the network continues to expand.
At the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the remains of the historic Flagstaff Gold Mine and original traces left by pioneer wagons are part of the grounds. There are 4 miles of interpretive trails for walking. The paved Flagstaff Hill Loop Trail is 0.5 miles long and easy. The Center also has a theater for films, lectures, and dramatic performances. The Eastern Oregon Museum in Haines houses thousands of artifacts relating to the history of the upper Baker Valley and upper Powder Valley.
Scenic Byways and Museums
For a trip with multiple destinations, two different road-trip perspectives are available. The Elkhorn Scenic Byway passes through the Elkhorn Mountains, by gold-mining ghost towns as well as lakes and rivers. The Journey Through Time Scenic Byway begins in Baker City. In Baker City itself, the Baker Heritage Museum is housed in the historic 1920 Natatorium. The exhibits include rocks and minerals, historical memorabilia, mining materials, and Oregon Trail artifacts, among other things. Permanent and rotating exhibitions also cover the timber industry, ranching, agriculture, the early history of Baker City, Chinese culture, and wildlife.
The Right Base for Your Trip
When looking for a vacation rental in Baker, it is worth deciding first what you would like to focus on. Those planning water activities can include Unity Lake, Anthony Lake, or Phillips Lake in their excursion plans. For cultural and historical interests, the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge, and the museums are the main attractions. A trip along the scenic byways combines the landscape with the region’s historical themes. When different interests come together, Baker can thus be viewed as a starting point for varied days filled with nature, activity, and history.
For further orientation, you can also visit the pages for the places Sumpter and Baker City.
For the broader travel overview: Oregon.
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