Lake Crescent

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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 is a deep lake located in Clallam County, Washington, previously named Lake Everett. With a maximum depth of 624 feet (201 m), it is one of the deepest lakes in the state of Washington. Lake Crescent is a popular recreational area in the Olympic National Park. The community of Piedmont is nearby.

Lake Crescent is home to a number of trails, including the Spruce Railroad Trail, Pyramid Peak (Washington) trail, and Barnes Creek trail to Marymere Falls. The Spruce Railroad Trail follows the grade of an old railroad along the shores of Lake Crescent. One can even visit the entrance to a tunnel the railroad went through, but the trail circumvents.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Ecology 3 History 4 References 5 See also 5.1 History 6 Sources 7 External links

[edit] 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 until it was more than 620 feet deep, to become Lake Crescent. 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 (Washington).

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] History

Steamboats of Lake Crescent, Washington

[edit] Sources

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

[edit] External links

• 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.