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Outdoors Olympic NP

Lake Crescent

An outdoor spot in Olympic NP, free to visit and worth about 2 hours. Best time to go: Summer morning.

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Lake Crescent in Olympic NP
Photo: Zandcee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · license

Why go

Glacier-carved lake with clear blue water, kayak rentals and lakeshore trails off US-101.

It is one of 9 curated places we feature in Olympic NP, alongside 5 outdoor spots, 1 activity and 1 place for a drink. The closest of our other picks is Lake Crescent Lodge, 0.6 mi away as the crow flies.

Type
Outdoors · Nature
Price
Free
Time needed
2 hr
Best time
Summer morning

Nearby

The 5 closest curated picks in Olympic NP, measured as straight-line distance.

  1. 1
    Lake Crescent Lodge

    Historic 1915 lodge whose dining room serves Northwest dishes with lake views.

    Food · 0.6 mi straight-line
  2. 2
    Marymere Falls Trail

    Easy 1.8-mile round trip through old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall.

    Activity · 1.1 mi straight-line
  3. 3
    Sol Duc Falls

    Short forest walk to a waterfall splitting into channels in a narrow gorge.

    Outdoors · 7.3 mi straight-line
  4. 4
    Hall of Mosses Trail

    0.8-mile loop through the Hoh Rain Forest's moss-draped bigleaf maples and spruce.

    Outdoors · 15 mi straight-line
  5. 5
    Next Door Gastropub

    Port Angeles gastropub with Northwest taps and burgers, a good base-camp dinner.

    Drinks · 18 mi straight-line

On these curated routes

Lake Crescent is a stop on our Pacific Northwest route. Open it to see the full day-by-day plan.

More outdoor spots in Olympic NP

3 more curated outdoor spots in Olympic NP. See the full Olympic NP guide.

When to go

Average daily highs in Olympic NP run from 31°F in December to 59°F in August; November is usually the wettest month. For Lake Crescent itself, we suggest: Summer morning.

Modelled monthly averages for Olympic NP from NASA POWER, not a forecast. Full Olympic NP weather by month.

Getting there

Map links open a live search for Lake Crescent, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.

Address
Lake Crescent, Washington 98363, USA
Coordinates
48.05823, -123.81320
Destination
Olympic NP, Washington

Lake Crescent: quick answers

How much time do you need at Lake Crescent?

Plan on about 2 hours at Lake Crescent. That is our curated estimate for a typical visit; groups that linger will want more.

When is the best time to visit Lake Crescent?

Our pick: Summer morning.

Is Lake Crescent free?

Yes, we list Lake Crescent as free to visit. Check locally before you go, since special exhibits, parking or tours can carry a fee.

Where is Lake Crescent?

Lake Crescent is at Lake Crescent, Washington 98363, USA. The Google Maps and Apple Maps links on this page open it for directions.

Which TripsCircle routes include Lake Crescent?

Lake Crescent appears on Pacific Northwest, a curated route you can open on TripsCircle and plan with your group.

Add Lake Crescent to your crew's plan

Save it to a shared TripsCircle itinerary, settle the timing with a quick poll, and split the costs with everyone going to Olympic NP.

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Lists & regions

Curated recommendation, not live listing data. Confirm hours, prices, bookings and access before you go.