Scenic pullout · Olympic National Park
A quick roadside pause for Lake Crescent beneath the Olympic Mountains.
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 Scenic Pull-Off“You're approaching the Lake Crescent Scenic Pull-Off on Highway one oh one. This is a good stop for a few minutes looking across the water toward the Olympic Mountains, without taking on a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to Lake Crescent Scenic Pull-Off 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
Lake Crescent Scenic Pull-Off is a roadside viewpoint on US 101, with a broad look across Lake Crescent toward the Olympic Mountains. Keep it in mind if you want a short photo stop along the highway rather than a walk. History and geology boards sit nearby.
The parking is street-side, and the entrance and exit join US 101. Take care pulling in and wait for a clear gap before heading back out.
For a photo, keep the tree-lined edge in the frame with the open water and mountains across it; the foreground helps show this is a lakeshore view, not just another slice of blue water.
Roughly 7,000 years ago, a massive landslide separated Lake Crescent from nearby Lake Sutherland. That isolation helped produce two distinct trout populations, Crescenti and Beardslee trout. The nearby history and geology boards give you a quick way into that story.
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
ChallengingAurora Divide Trail14.5 mi · 11.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA long forest climb reaches a ridge above Lake Crescent.
ModerateMarymere Falls Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.3 mi awayOld-growth forest leads to close views of a 90-foot waterfall
ChallengingUpper Barnes Creek Primitive Trail18.5 mi · 12 hr · 1.3 mi awayA hard 18-mile out-and-back to a quiet creek divide.
ChallengingMount Storm King Trail4.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.3 mi awaySteep switchbacks end at a tree-framed Lake Crescent view.
EasyMoments in Time Trail1 mi · 36 min · 1.3 mi awayA mossy forest walk with a short Lake Crescent shoreline stretch.
ModerateBarnes Creek Trail6.6 mi · 4 hr · 1.6 mi awayA steady creekside climb to the upper trail junction.
EasySpruce Railroad Trail4 mi · 2 hr · 1.9 mi awayWalk a paved old railroad grade beside Lake Crescent.
EasyOlympic Discovery Trail — Lake Crescent West6.5 mi · 3 hr · 3.1 mi awayA paved wheelchair-accessible link follows Lake Crescent’s north shore.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayDevils PunchbowlA clear-water cove framed by a curved footbridge.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayStorm King Boat LaunchA short dock stop for clear water and mountain views.
Ranger station · 1.3 mi awayStorm King Ranger StationA historic log cabin with stories of Lake Crescent ferries and trout.
Beach · 1.6 mi awayEast Beach, Lake CrescentA shallow, rocky shore for a swim, picnic, or paddle launch.
Lodging · 1.6 mi awayLog Cabin ResortCabins, camping and boat rentals in a seasonal Lake Crescent base.
Lodging · 1.7 mi awayLake Crescent LodgeA 1916 lodge for slow days on Lake Crescent.
Picnic area · 1.8 mi awayBovee's MeadowCross the meadow for a picnic beside Lake Crescent.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayMarymere FallsA mossy old-growth walk ends at a two-level waterfall view.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
