Picnic area · Olympic National Park
Cross the meadow for a picnic beside Lake Crescent.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this place
Lake Crescent Lodge: A Lakeside Break“Lake Crescent Lodge is coming up, a good place to trade the drive for a break beside the water. The main lodge dates from nineteen sixteen.”
Plays as you drive up to Bovee's Meadow in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Bovee's Meadow is a lakeside picnic area near Barnes Point on Lake Crescent's north shore. Cross the meadow to reach picnic space along the water. It's an easy choice when you want time by the lake without committing to a hike; the visit is mostly about settling in and enjoying the shoreline.
The site has auto parking, picnic tables, and a restroom. Visitors also swim from this shore, so a picnic can turn into a swim when conditions suit you. There is only a short meadow crossing between the day-use area and the water.
About 7,000 years ago, a massive landslide isolated Lake Crescent from nearby Lake Sutherland. That separation helped leave the lake with two distinctive trout populations: Crescenti cutthroat trout and Beardslee rainbow trout. It's a remarkable part of the lake's story to have in mind while you're sitting on its shore.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyMoments in Time Trail1 mi · 36 min · 0.5 mi awayA mossy forest walk with a short Lake Crescent shoreline stretch.
ChallengingMount Storm King Trail4.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.5 mi awaySteep switchbacks end at a tree-framed Lake Crescent view.
ModerateMarymere Falls Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.5 mi awayOld-growth forest leads to close views of a 90-foot waterfall
ModerateBarnes Creek Trail6.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steady creekside climb to the upper trail junction.
ChallengingUpper Barnes Creek Primitive Trail18.5 mi · 12 hr · 0.5 mi awayA hard 18-mile out-and-back to a quiet creek divide.
ChallengingAurora Divide Trail14.5 mi · 11.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long forest climb reaches a ridge above Lake Crescent.
ChallengingAurora Creek Trail6.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.9 mi awayA shaded leg-burner to the Aurora Ridge junction.
EasyOlympic Discovery Trail — Lake Crescent West6.5 mi · 3 hr · 2.1 mi awayA paved wheelchair-accessible link follows Lake Crescent’s north shore.
Lodging · 0.2 mi awayLake Crescent LodgeA 1916 lodge for slow days on Lake Crescent.
Ranger station · 0.5 mi awayStorm King Ranger StationA historic log cabin with stories of Lake Crescent ferries and trout.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayMarymere FallsA mossy old-growth walk ends at a two-level waterfall view.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayStorm King Boat LaunchA short dock stop for clear water and mountain views.
Scenic pullout · 1.8 mi awayLake Crescent Scenic Pull-OffA quick roadside pause for Lake Crescent beneath the Olympic Mountains.
Sight · 2 mi awayDevils PunchbowlA clear-water cove framed by a curved footbridge.
Lodging · 2.8 mi awayLog Cabin ResortCabins, camping and boat rentals in a seasonal Lake Crescent base.
Picnic area · 2.9 mi awayNorth Shore Day Use AreaA dockside picnic break on a deep, glacial lake.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
