Johnson Lake via Baker Creek

Johnson Lake via Baker Creek is an out-and-back from Baker Creek Trailhead to a remote high-country lake and the old mining district nearby. It is listed at 9.8 miles, 2,740 feet of gain, and 5–8 hours; expect a strenuous day. The distance listing does not state its convention. The mapped path is about 5.24 miles to the lake, so plan to return the same way and treat 9.8 as an approximate total. Starting around 8,020 feet, this is a high-country hike, not a quick lakeshore stroll.

The route rises through pine, fir, and aspen; spring wildflowers can sometimes last into summer. The mapped line follows the Timber Creek corridor from the trailhead, joins the Johnson Lake Trail at a shared junction, and continues to the lake. The route information gives no step-by-step surface or grade description, so plan around the full mountain climb and leave time for the walk back as well as a stop at the shore.

Johnson Lake sits near the remains of an early twentieth-century tungsten district. Miners extracted and milled ore here, then shipped it elsewhere for refining into alloy steel used in World War I weapons, tanks, and transmitter radios. Log cabins, mining equipment, and traces of an aerial tramway remain high in the basin. Work continued sporadically after the war, until a 1930s snowslide stopped production. Many cabins have weathered avalanches, blizzards, and rockfall for about a century. The lake and old cabins make the destination worth lingering over, but do not enter or disturb the historic buildings or equipment. From the shore, the blue-green water, rocky slope, and conifer edge make a strong lake view; the mine cabins are a separate subject.

Several named routes reach Johnson Lake or nearby Baker Lake. This row is the Baker Creek Trailhead hike to Johnson Lake and back along the same corridor. The Snake Creek approach starts on the other side, while Baker Lake and Johnson Lake loops add separate trail; do not combine those itineraries or their distances with this one.

Follow gravel Baker Creek Road to Baker Creek Trailhead at its end. Park only in designated spaces; roadside parking is prohibited. Pit toilets without running water are available at the trailhead. There is no potable water along Baker Creek Road or the hike, so fill before you set out. Pets are not permitted on park trails; trained service animals are allowed.

Baker Creek Road can close intermittently in winter and spring. Snow can remain near Johnson Lake into early summer, and sometimes later after a heavy-snow winter; traction may be needed when snow remains. These seasonal conditions can change how far you get, so check current access before driving in.