How to Hike to Devil's Punchbowl in Lake Crescent

In my personal opinion, the Devil’s Punchbowl in Lake Crescent is one of the most scenic hikes and sights I’ve seen, not just in the lake but the Pacific Northwest area overall.

Getting to Devils Punchbowl is actually pretty easy but there are some people who may easily miss the trail marker or that don’t even know this place exists (myself included as I passed it several times), and this post is meant isn’t just going to show you how to hike to it, but also what to expect exploring the greater areas around it (because there is much more to see and do around Devils Punch bowl).

Quick info:

Name: Devils Punchbowl
Location: Lake Crescent Washington
Hiking length: 2 miles, 50 feet of elevation
Difficulty: Easy.
Nearby hotels: Port Angeles (see deals)

Photos:

Starting out (map):

The first thing you will need to do is drive to a place called Spruce Railroad trail. This is the starting trail to reach Devil’s Punchbowl. There will be a parking lot (with bathrooms) at Spruce Railroad trailhead and you will also notice a road East Beach Road, but you can’t drive it since it’s private. Just park your car at Spruce Railroad trail, and to the right of the private road will be a path to walk on. This is the trail you will want to take.

Walk on the Spruce Railroad Trail until you reach a tunnel:

As you walk on the Spruce Railroad trail, you will cross some nice sights including waterfalls, some nice views of Lake Crescent and it will continue for about half a mile until you reach a large tunnel. Right by that tunnel will be a sign saying that the Devil’s Punchbowl trail is to your left, meaning you will not enter the tunnel (Spruce Railroad Trail). Instead you will turn left and continue on a more traditional trail for about another 1/4 mile until you reach Devil’s Punchbowl. If you are interested in seeing that tunnel further, don’t worry as you’ll get that chance on your way back to the parking lot.

Once you reach Devil’s Punchbowl, you’ll be able to do many things:

how to get to devils punchbowl in lake crescent 02

The first is obviously take pictures. This place is amazing for that as you get amazing views of the lake and the Devil’s Punchbowl.
Second, you will be able to swim in this area too. I have heard of people cliff diving here, but I would skip that as the water (although extremely beautiful) may still have rocks underneath some areas so swimming might be the best thing to do here (skip cliff diving for safety).

I would also recommend you go to Devil’s Punchbowl early. I went here in early February and while the water was very cold, there weren’t any people there. If you want to see this place during warmer times and better weather, then you’d want to come here during spring or summer (but you will have a lot more people there too).

Finishing up (5 places to explore after):

This is where most people who find Devil’s Punchbowl may be unaware that there are many more things to see:

For starters, Devil’s Punchbowl is a side trail to the main one (Spruce Railroad Trail) and once you finish at the punchbowl, you can actually continue on the trail which will meet up with the Spruce Railroad trail shortly after, and it will also take you to the other end of that giant tunnel you saw earlier.
From there you will be able to either go back through the tunnel and back to the parking lot.
You can also elect to continue walking on the Spruce Railroad trail which goes on for many more miles and it’s honestly better to bike it as many people do. But that trail continues until you reach a fork where it ends and the Olympic Discovery Trail begins. On that fork there is another amazing hike called Pyramid Peak Trail which you can take to amazing overlooks of Lake Crescent. I would bring a map or an online one like Alltrails for this area just in case.
If you choose to follow the Olympic Discovery Trail, that will also continue west for many more miles past Lake Crescent (it doesn’t loop).
Additionally, you can also explore other parts of Olympic National Park, including Marymere Falls trail or the Sol Duc Falls trail (which the Olympic Discovery Trail does intersect with, but I’d recommend driving to either waterfall instead as the trails themselves will be much shorter.

My advice is to walk back through the tunnel, back to your car and drive to the other places. It’s just more convenient. Overall, this is one of the nicest places on the Washington Coast I have seen and I highly recommend you visit this spot if you’re in Lake Crescent.