Baker Bay is a bay located just inside the mouth of the Columbia River, behind Cape Disappointment on the north side of the river, in Pacific County, Washington and Clatsop County, Oregon. Visitors can access or view Baker Bay from a variety of locations. The town of Ilwaco, Washington, is located inside the bay, as are Chinook Point and Cape Disappointment State Park.
Visitors might be surprising to learn that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark weren’t the first American settlers to explore the Columbia River. In 1792, over a decade before the Corps of Discovery set out, a small crew under the command of Lieutenant William Broughton sailed up the Columbia River up to what would become modern-day Vancouver aboard “The Chatham,” while the expedition’s leader, Captain George Vancouver, remained at sea on the main ship. It was Broughton who gave Baker Bay its moniker, naming it after a British merchant, Captain James Baker, whose ship happened to be anchored just inside the Columbia’s mouth when Broughton passed through.
Years later, on November 15, 1805, Baker Bay, would receive a new name. Lewis and Clark had just rounded “Point Distress” and established Station Camp on the sandy shore of the bay. They chose to call it Haley’s Bay in honor of a European trader that the local natives said to be their favorite. Clark mentions this in his journal, saying: “This Bay we call Haleys bay from a favourate Trader with the Indians which they Say comes into this Bay and trades with them.”
Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, Lake St SE, Ilwaco, WA, USA
Distance: 1.71 mi (straight line)
Beard's Hollow Trailhead, Ilwaco, WA, USA
Distance: 2.75 mi (straight line)
Cape Disappointment State Park, Robert Gray Drive, Ilwaco, WA, USA
Distance: 2.93 mi (straight line)
243 Robert Gray Dr, Ilwaco, WA 98624, USA
Distance: 3.06 mi (straight line)
North Head Trail, North Head Trail, Ilwaco, WA, USA
Distance: 3.18 mi (straight line)
World Kite Museum & Hall-Fame, Sid Snyder Drive, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.23 mi (straight line)
Long Beach Family Horse Rides, Sid Snyder Drive, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.27 mi (straight line)
Worlds Largest Frying Pan, Pacific Avenue South, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.27 mi (straight line)
Veteran's Field, 3rd Street Southeast, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.31 mi (straight line)
Marsh's Free Museum, Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.32 mi (straight line)
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Robert Gray Drive, Ilwaco, WA, USA
Distance: 3.33 mi (straight line)
Museums and Interpretive Centers Guided Tours LC Features Walks and Hikes
Discovery Trail, Long Beach, WA, USA
Distance: 3.98 mi (straight line)
Fort Columbia | Historical State Park, U.S. 101, Chinook, WA, USA
Distance: 5.65 mi (straight line)
Outdoor Experiences Museums and Interpretive Centers Forts Walks and Hikes
Middle Village - Station Camp (unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park), U.S. 101, Chinook, WA, USA
Distance: 6.59 mi (straight line)
Delaura Dune Trail North Trailhead, Jetty Road, Hammond, OR, USA
Distance: 7.67 mi (straight line)
Fort Stevens State Park, Peter Iredale Rd, Hammond, OR, USA
Distance: 8.05 mi (straight line)
Outdoor Experiences Museums and Interpretive Centers Forts RV and Camping Guided Tours
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