Sight · Olympic National Park
A short dock stop for clear water and mountain views.
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
Marymere Falls and Barnes Point“You're coming up on Barnes Point, the starting area for Marymere Falls. The walk takes you through mossy old-growth forest to a narrow, ninety-foot drop.”
Plays as you drive up to Storm King Boat Launch 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
Storm King Boat Launch is a small-craft launch and dock at Barnes Point on Lake Crescent, about 18 miles west of Port Angeles. Step onto the pier for a close look at the clear water and the forested Olympic foothills, or use the launch for a canoe, kayak or small boat. The visit centers on the dock and the lake.
Mornings are more likely to be calm. Afternoon winds can quickly build waves a foot or more, so plan a small-craft outing with that change in mind. Lake Crescent stays below 50°F, and cold-water immersion is a real risk; use proper flotation and safety equipment. Motorboats must stay at or below 5 mph and make no wake within 300 feet of shore. Washington also requires a boating education card for motorized boat operators.
The water can be clear enough to reveal pebbles below the pier, with wooded slopes across the lake. For a photo, use the dock as a foreground line and keep some of the mountain shore in frame; calm water may also reflect the hills.
About 7,000 years ago, a massive landslide separated Lake Crescent from Lake Sutherland. The isolation led to two distinctive trout populations, Crescenti and Beardslee, adapted to this lake. It is a surprising bit of history for a brief stop at the water.
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 · 0.1 mi awayA long forest climb reaches a ridge above Lake Crescent.
ChallengingUpper Barnes Creek Primitive Trail18.5 mi · 12 hr · 0.1 mi awayA hard 18-mile out-and-back to a quiet creek divide.
ModerateMarymere Falls Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.1 mi awayOld-growth forest leads to close views of a 90-foot waterfall
ChallengingMount Storm King Trail4.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.1 mi awaySteep switchbacks end at a tree-framed Lake Crescent view.
EasyMoments in Time Trail1 mi · 36 min · 0.1 mi awayA mossy forest walk with a short Lake Crescent shoreline stretch.
ModerateBarnes Creek Trail6.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steady creekside climb to the upper trail junction.
EasyOlympic Discovery Trail — Lake Crescent West6.5 mi · 3 hr · 2.5 mi awayA paved wheelchair-accessible link follows Lake Crescent’s north shore.
ChallengingAurora Creek Trail6.8 mi · 6 hr · 2.5 mi awayA shaded leg-burner to the Aurora Ridge junction.
Ranger station · 0.1 mi awayStorm King Ranger StationA historic log cabin with stories of Lake Crescent ferries and trout.
Picnic area · 0.6 mi awayBovee's MeadowCross the meadow for a picnic beside Lake Crescent.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayMarymere FallsA mossy old-growth walk ends at a two-level waterfall view.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayLake Crescent LodgeA 1916 lodge for slow days on Lake Crescent.
Scenic pullout · 1.2 mi awayLake Crescent Scenic Pull-OffA quick roadside pause for Lake Crescent beneath the Olympic Mountains.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayDevils PunchbowlA clear-water cove framed by a curved footbridge.
Lodging · 2.5 mi awayLog Cabin ResortCabins, camping and boat rentals in a seasonal Lake Crescent base.
Beach · 2.8 mi awayEast Beach, Lake CrescentA shallow, rocky shore for a swim, picnic, or paddle launch.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
