Lake Crescent WA

Lake Crescent WA: Beauty, history, details such as hiking, camping, boating in the Lake Crescent area of Olympic National Park near Port Angeles, WA.

Lake Crescent WA – Encounter the history and beauty of one of Nature’s most stunning places. Plus here are opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, fishing and relaxing around the lake.

18 miles to the west of Port Angeles Washington is a stunning, 9-mile-long lake carved by ancient glaciers.

Low oxygen levels and great depth result in water that is so deeply turquoise that, almost, one must see it to believe it.

Deep turquoise waters of Lake Crescent WA on a July afternoon.Deep turquoise waters of Lake Crescent WA on a July afternoon
  • "Lake Crescent is one of Nature's most beautiful places" (BrentM on TripAdvisor, Silverdale WA)
  • "We loved just sitting and admiring the views with the surrounding mountain as a backdrop" (KaChHa on TripAdvisor, London, Canada)
  • "So picturesque; we found it so beautiful we went 2 days in a row...you can get great views right off the road" (BluBalloon on TripAdvisor, Seattle, WA)

TripAdvisor Reviews of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park's Page Featuring Lake Crescent WA

Olympic National Park: Lake Crescent Brochure

Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park


Cities Near Lake Crescent

Downtown Port Angeles is roughly 22 miles (35.4 km) to the east of Lake Crescent WA, or approximately a 30 minute drive. But, if Port Angeles is not your starting point, then: 

  • Sequim is 37.5 miles (60.4 km) away, or approx. 50 minutes drive
  • Forks is 37 miles (59.5 km) away, or approx. 43 minutes drive
  • Aberdeen is 142 miles (228.3 km) away, or approx. 2 hours 40 minutes drive
  • Port Townsend: 68 miles (109.4 km) away, or approx. 1.5 hours drive
  • Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry is 102.5 miles (165 km) away, or approx. 3 hours, if the ferry wait is not too long.

About Lake Crescent WA

  • What used to be "Singer's Tavern" is now Lake Crescent Lodge run by the National Park Service. At Lake Crescent Lodge one can camp or stay in style, picnic, rent kayaks, and enjoy excellent dining.

  • While the "official" depth has been set at 624 feet by students at Peninsula College in the 1960's, a depth of 1000+ feet has since been unofficially measured by cable-layers. 

  • Over the thousands of years since a landslide isolated Lake Crescent and Lake Sutherland, two trout species have become genetically acclimated to the lakes, and are found nowhere else: Beardslee rainbow trout and Crescenti cutthroat trout.

    Fishermen have in the past pulled 15- and 20-pound Beardslee and Crescenti trout out of Lake Crescent.

  • Mountain goats transplanted from southeast British Columbia live on Mount Storm King and the areas surrounding Lake Crescent. Four goats were released in 1925; their numbers grew to 800+, and have now stabilized at around 300 goats. Beware of aggressive behavior from them if you hike up into their range. 

    FYI: The ONP has been re-locating these goats to new range in the Cascade Mountains where populations of mountain goats are already endemic. Your chances of encountering goats in the Olympic National Park are low, but not yet eliminated.

Lodging at Lake Crescent WA

The Olympic National Park offers TWO lodges at Lake Crescent, one on the north shore, and one on the south shore.

Click here for an overview of all five Olympic National Park Lodges.

Lake Crescent Lodge on the south shore of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park.Lake Crescent Lodge on the south shore of Lake Crescent.
Log Cabin Resort on the north shore of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park.Log Cabin Lodge on the north shore of Lake Crescent.

Things to do Around Lake Crescent WA

View of the shore and kayaks from the dock at Lake Crescent LodgeView of the shore and kayaks from the dock at Lake Crescent Lodge

There is so much to see and do in and around Lake Crescent WA! At the very least, one can stop along the shores of Lake Crescent and enjoy a picnic. You'll find views and picnic tables:

  • Along the North Shore
  • At Bovee's Meadow
  • At La Poel
  • At Fairholme
  • Hwy 101 has several large scenic turnouts, all with terrific views in case you'd like to stop, snap a few photos and just enjoy the beauty over PB&J or BLT sandwiches.  

Oh, but there are so many more Port Angeles attractions and activities in and around Lake Crescent.

  • South Shore: Marymere Falls Trail
  • South Shore: Mount Storm King Hike - trailhead is along the Marymere Falls Trail
  • South Shore: Barnes Creek Hike - trailhead is along the Marymere Falls Trail
  • North Shore: Spruce Railroad Trail (see below)
  • North Shore: Pyramid Mountain Hike - check trail conditions as this 3.5-mile hike crosses a scree field and is periodically closed if conditions are deemed unsafe for hiking. If open, however, the 2,600-foot climb in altitude will bring you to great views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
  • A short drive to the west of Lake Crescent WA (less than 2 miles or 3.2 km) will bring you to the Sol Duc River Valley which offers another set of attractions within the Olympic National Park and the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. 

Olympic National Park: Lake Crescent Brochure

Olympic National Park: Lake Crescent Website

Spruce Railroad Trail at Lake Crescent WA

The Spruce Railroad Trail tracks the shoreline of Lake Crescent for much of its lengthThe Spruce Railroad Trail tracks the shoreline of Lake Crescent for much of its length

The Spruce Railroad was built in the late 1930's in order to transport spruce trees for use in World War II. The war ended before the railroad line was completed, and the effort was abandoned.

Today, many of the ties have been removed and the rail bed turned into a walking trail.

  • The trail is 4 miles long one way, 8 miles total.

  • Total grade variation is just 100 feet, meaning this is an easy hike

  • Dogs, horses, and bikes ARE allowed

  • Spruce Railroad Trail has two trailheads: From Camp David Jr Road (off of Hwy 101) at its west end, and from East Beach Road (off of Hwy 101) at its east end.

  • If an 8-mile hike seems too much, consider parking cars at both ends and then hiking the Spruce Railroad Trail one way, driving back to pick up the other vehicle.

  • Bonus feature: A long dark train tunnel! Bring a flashlight if you'd like to hike inside the tunnel. Without light, you're liable to trip over debris littering the old rail bed. Tunnel hiking is optional - the Spruce Railroad Trail itself goes past the tunnel opening.

  • This hike is very scenic; much of it hugs the lake, which can be seen for most of the 4-mile hike.

  • The trail passes Devil Point which cradles the Devil's Punchbowl. At this area, crossed on a footbridge over the water, rock walls on 3 sides make nearly sheer drops to the water, plunging 100 feet underwater before hitting bottom. On a warm day this is a great spot to climb the cliffs and (carefully) dive, or cannonball, into the Punchbowl.

Sol Duc Valley, just West of Lake Crescent WA

If you've allowed enough time, take a short drive to the west on Highway 101, and then take Sol Duc Road to the left (south), into the Sol Duc River Valley. Within 12 miles of the highway are:

Lake Crescent WA History

Lake Crescent is an integral part of the history of the west end of the Olympic Peninsula.

To hear the native tribes tell it, Lake Crescent as we know it was formed when Mount Storm King was unhappy with the Klallam and Quileute tribes fighting at its feet. It therefore hurled a mighty rock which became wedged at the outlet of the lake, raising the level of the water.

Lake Crescent as seen from the Spruce Railroad TrailLake Crescent as seen from the Spruce Railroad Trail

What we do know is that an enormous landslide split the lake into two about 7,000 years ago. The east tip of the lake became a separate lake, now named Lake Sutherland.

By the late 1890's, agriculture and the timber industry were on the rise, especially in the Forks and surrounding areas, and a slow but steady rise in settlers was occurring.

The Log Hotel was built in 1895 on the north shore of Lake Crescent at the spot where the Port Crescent Road met Lake Crescent, an area called "Piedmont."

In 1900, there were no through-roads connecting Port Angeles and parts east with Forks and settlements to the west. The road from Port Angeles ended at the East Beach of Lake Crescent WA.

People arriving at Lake Crescent either from the north or the east needed to hop on a ferry for transportation to points around the lake.

Ferries stopped at the East Beach, at the Log Hotel on the north shore, at Singer's Tavern (which is now Lake Crescent Lodge), and at Fairholme at the far westerly point of the lake.

By 1922, Washington State Road 9, now called Olympic Loop Highway (Hwy 101), had advanced along the south shore of Lake Crescent. For years it was a dirt road. The entire loop was completed by 1931.

Lady of the Lake

In 1936, events began to transpire that would result in the tragic story of the Lady of the Lake. Hallie Latham of Port Angeles was employed at Singer's Tavern on the lake. She married Monty Illingworth, a drinker and, apparently, a hothead. In a little more than one year of marriage, Hallie was battered and abused on multiple occasions. In December 1937, she disappeared altogether, having run off with another man according to Monty.

Below: a very moody Lake Crescent may have looked something like this on the December day the Lady of the Lake disappeared.

Lake Crescent on a stormy afternoon, with misty fog partially cloaking a snowy peak in the distanceLake Crescent on a stormy afternoon, with misty fog partially cloaking a snowy peak in the distance

About three years later in 1940, a body floated to the surface of Lake Crescent. The body's outer layers had saponified and turned to soap due to the very cold lake water and 3 years of delayed decomposition.

The discovery of the grisly body made national headlines. The autopsy revealed a violent death, and because she could not initially be identified, she became known to the entire nation simply as "The Lady of the Lake." Months later, clues such as the body's unusual dental work brought its true identity to light.

Monty was eventually found guilty of killing Hallie unpremeditatedly in a rage, wrapping her body in blankets, attaching weights to it, and dropping it into the deepest part of the lake. He spent 9 years in the Walla Walla Washington penitentiary before being paroled.

Lake Crescent WA Photos

Below: Enjoy these photos of our hike along the Spruce Railroad Trail, north shore of Lake Crescent WA. These photos were taken a few years ago - this trail is now wide and paved, and is ADA accessible as part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Click on any photo to view it in full size.

The Punchbowl at Lake Crescent. Olympic National Park.The Punchbowl
Spruce Railroad Trail along the north shore of Lake Crescent, in Olympic National Park.North Shore
Spruce Railroad Trail along the north shore of Lake Crescent in WA.
Spruce Railroad along the north shore of Lake Crescent.
Gnarly, fire-damaged roots and trunk of a Madrona next to the Spruce Railroad Trail, in Olympic National Park.Gnarly, fire-damaged roots and trunk of a Madrona next to the Spruce Railroad Trail.
The Spruce Railroad Trail passes by moss-covered multi-trunked maples.The Spruce Railroad Trail passes by moss-covered multi-trunked maples.
Lake Crescent positively glows turquoise when the sun strikes it just right.Lake Crescent positively glows turquoise when the sun strikes it just right.


Have You Been to This Beautiful Place?
Tell Your Story and Share Your Photos With Us!

Nature can present us with unexpected, memorable, and breathtaking moments! Do you have a great story or an interesting experience that took place in this beautiful part of the Olympic National Park? We'd love to hear about it! Feel free to share it in the form below. Be as wordy and as descriptive as you like. Include photos as well, if you have them; there is plenty of room for it all on our website.

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