Lake Crescent sunrise © NPS
Attractions: Lake Crescent Lodge and Log Cabin Resort, Boating, Camping, Hiking, Swimming
The Lake Crescent area is difficult to miss. US-101 skirts the lake’s southern shoreline for about 10 miles. From east to west you’ll pass several short spur roads: East Beach Road to Log Cabin Resort and East Beach, Lake Crescent Road to Storm King and Lake Crescent Lodge, and Camp David Jr. Road to Fairholme Campground.
Lake Crescent Lodge (888.896.3818, www.olympicnationalparks.com) closes for winter (October – April), but Roosevelt Cabins remain open on winter weekends. Rates range from $168 – 220 per night. Log Cabin Resort (360.928.3325, www.logcabinresort.net) has everything from A-Frame Chalets ($121/night) to RV sites with full hook-ups ($40/night). It is open from late May to mid-September.
Camping is available at Fairholme. The campground has 88 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis for $12/night. It is open from April through mid-Fall. Canoe, kayak, and motorboat rentals are available at Fairholme General Store (360.928.3050, www.fairholmstore.com).
Swimming is popular at Fairholme, East Beach, and Devil’s Punch Bowl.
A handful of hiking trails are available in the area. The 4.2-mile trek to Mount Storm King is one of the best. It is accessed at Lake Crescent Lodge. From here you head south across US-101, turn right on Marymere Falls Trail, then left onto Mt Storm King Trail where you’ll climb 2,000 feet to the site where Indian legend states the mountain spirit hurled a gigantic boulder down at two quarrelling tribes. The boulder dammed the river, causing water to back up, forming Lake Crescent. On the lake’s north shore, hikers can take Pyramid Peak Trail (7 miles, roundtrip) to an old WWII spotting tower with exceptional views of the lake.