Baker Lake (Qamani'tuaq, meaning "very wide place in the river") is a large, shallow inland lake in Nunavut, Canada, situated at the geographical centre of Canada. The hamlet of Baker Lake, Nunavut's only inland community with a population of roughly 2,000, sits on the north shore of the west end of the lake. The Kazan and Thelon rivers both empty into Baker Lake, making the community a natural terminus for several major Arctic canoe routes.

The lake's shallow depth is its defining hazard for paddlers. Wind-driven whitecaps can build rapidly, and an open boat can be swamped with little warning. Any open-water crossing demands calm conditions and a realistic assessment of whether those conditions will hold for the full duration of the crossing. The approach to the hamlet from the Thelon River requires navigating sandbars where the current slows and deposits sediment. Paddlers arriving via this route typically follow the shore of Nicholls Island (approximately 64°15'N, 95°59'W) for about 2.7 km before committing to a 4.5 km open-water crossing to reach the community. This crossing should not be attempted unless conditions are calm and expected to remain so for at least two hours.

Baker Lake serves primarily as a take-out and logistics hub for expeditions paddling the Kazan Heritage River and the Thelon Heritage River, both of which are recognized for their natural landscapes and cultural significance to the Caribou Inuit. The Kazan River in particular remains important to people from Baker Lake, who travel to it in spring and summer to hunt and fish. The hamlet offers a Northern Store, a co-op, limited accommodation, and a visitor centre that displays historic paddler notes recovered from the Kazan Falls cairn. Canoe outfitting services, including top-of-the-line canoes, paddles, PFDs, and spray covers, have been available through local operators. Canoes can be shipped out as cargo freight, though rates vary and should be confirmed well in advance.

Scheduled flights connect Baker Lake to Winnipeg and Yellowknife via Canadian North. Float plane charters south to Angikuni Lake are also available for parties staging expeditions from the community. Given the remoteness and the severity of conditions on the lake itself, a spray deck or covered canoe is strongly recommended for any paddling in this area.