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Lake Crescent
View of the ancient landslide that dammed Lake Crescent
Location	Clallam County, Washington
Coordinates	48°04′N 123°50′W / 48.06°N 123.83°W / 48.06; -123.83Coordinates: 48°04′N 123°50′W / 48.06°N 123.83°W / 48.06; -123.83
Lake type	Crescent
Primary inflows	Barnes Creek, Smith Creek, Aurora Creek, Eagle Creek
Primary outflows	Lyre River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	12 mi (19 km)
Surface area	5,127-acre (21 km2)
Average depth	300 ft (91 m)
Max. depth	624 ft (190 m)
Surface elevation	580 ft (180 m)
Settlements	Piedmont

Lake Crescent and Mount Storm King in February

Lake Crescent is a deep lake located in Clallam County, Washington, United States, approximately 17 miles west of Port Angeles, Washington on U.S. Route 101. an official maximum depth of 624 feet (201 m), it is considered to be the second deepest lake in the state of Washington. However, its actual maximum depth has never been measured. The community of Piedmont is nearby.

It is a popular recreational area within Olympic National Park and is home to a number of trails, including the Spruce Railroad Trail, Pyramid Peak trail, and the Barnes Creek trail to Marymere Falls. The Spruce Railroad Trail follows the grade of what was once the tracks of a logging railroad along the shores of the lake. Following this trail on the north side of the lake, one can find the entrance to an old railroad tunnel as well as a popular swimming and diving area known as The Devils Punch Bowl.

Origins

The lake was formed when glaciers carved out deep valleys during the last ice age. Initially, this deep valley drained into Indian Creek valley and then into the Elwha River. Anadromous fish such as steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout migrated up into this valley to spawn.

Approximately 8,000 years ago, a great landslide from the mountains above dammed Indian Creek, and the deep valley filled with water. Many geologists believe that Lake Crescent and nearby Lake Sutherland formed at the same time, but became separated by this landslide.^[1]

This landslide feature is easily visible from the summit of Pyramid Peak.

Eventually, the water found an alternative route out of the valley, spilling into the Lyre River over the Lyre River Falls and out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Ecology

The anadromous fish populations in the lake became landlocked, because those fish could not ascend Lyre River Falls, making a barrier in that direction. Over time, two unique subspecies of fish evolved in the lake.

The endemic Beardslee trout, a relative of the rainbow trout, spawns in the Lyre River above the falls. The Crescenti Cutthroat Trout spawns in Barnes Creek (Washington).

Lake Crescent is known for its brilliant blue waters and amazing clarity, which are caused by a lack of nitrogen in the water, inhibiting the growth of algae.

Depth

In the early 1960s, the U.S. Navy did a survey of the lake using a Furuno Depth Sounder. They were not able to verify the maximum depth on their equipment. During a 1970 depth survey conducted by the students of the fisheries program at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, students used instruments that would not record measurements beyond a depth 624 ft. This then became the 'official' depth of the lake as recorded by the Park Service. However, when power cable was being layed in the lake, instruments showed depths in excess of 1000 ft-the max range of the equipment used. The maximum depth of lake Crescent is not known.

History

In the 19th century the lake was known variously as Lake Everett, Big Lake, and Lake Crescent. In 1890 the Port Crescent Improvement Company was promoting its townsite near the lake. M.J. Carrigan started the Port Crescent Leader for town boosterism. He wrote of the beautiful lake, which he called Lake Crescent. This name soon became well established.^[2]

The lake's brilliantly colored water.

Along the shores of Lake Crescent

References

See also

• Steamboats of Lake Crescent, Washington

Sources

• Williams, Hill. The Restless Northwest: A Geological Story, Washington State University Press, 2002, ISBN 0874222508.

External links

• Media related to Lake Crescent at Wikimedia Commons
• Olympic National Park - NPS
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer article - The allure of Lake Crescent never grows old
• History Around Lake Crescent, Clallam County, Washington
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – The Evergreen Playground) Online museum exhibit that highlights the history of tourism on the Olympic Peninsula, including the development of the Olympic Loop Highway (U.S. Highway 101) and the Olympic National Park. Includes many images of Lake Crescent.