Lake Crescent Lodge Review

In short: Spectacular, isolated location and scenery with summer camp quality lodging that does not include a lot of amenities. It includes a goofy but not over the top expensive restaurant.

I have an affinity to national park hotels and lodges. So when we planned our vacation to the Olympic Peninsula, I was excited about staying on the national park property. Overall, I really liked the Lake Crescent Lodge and property. You check-in at the main lodge that houses the lobby, gift shop, restaurant and a small amount of guest rooms on the second floor. There are other guest room buildings on the property along with the cabins, which must be booked well in advance. We received a room in the Storm King Motor Lodge. The rooms are straight out of the 70s with possible 80s flair. To me, it is part of the charm and brings back memories of 4-H camp. We had a full size bed along with 2 run of the mill motel chairs, and a small desk that worked well for holding our food. The bed and bath linens left something to be desired. The bathroom met our needs but there was nothing spectacular about it. The best part of our room was the view of Lake Crescent from our patio door.

The restaurant on site is average, but I would recommend going for one evening just for the experience. Get there early to get a table by the window for gorgeous views of the lake. Even though the wait staff likes to tout that they have chef, the food resembles food that you would eat at any generic restaurant. I was not blown away by any of the dishes.

The main lodge is quaint and reminds me of yesteryear. There are many tables and chairs in the lobby and the sunroom area with access to checkers and other games. We even had the pleasure of enjoying a fire in large fireplace under the Roosevelt Elk head.

The property is quite inviting. Adirondack chairs line the shore of Lake Crescent. There is also a long dock that provides you with beautiful views of the lake and surrounding scenery. There are row boats for rent but no canoes or kayaks. There are a few hiking trails that you can pick up at the property.

I would definitely stay at the Lake Crescent Lodge again as well as recommend it to others. I would like to see updates made to the guest rooms and a few more amenities added. It served the purpose of providing us a place to sleep with the charm of the surrounding area.

Pros: National Park charm, access to hiking trails, easy driving access to Port Angeles, beautiful environment, cozy lodge

Cons: lack of updates/renovations, few amenities, average restaurant, expensive lodging rates