The Spruce Railroad Trail follows the north shore of Lake Crescent on the line of a short-lived railway built during the First World War. Today it is one of Olympic National Park's most accessible lake walks, with forest, rock cuts, old tunnel sections, and sudden windows onto intensely blue water.
Unlike many Olympic trails, this one works for walkers, cyclists, families, and visitors who want scenery without a punishing climb. The eastern trailhead is the quickest way to reach some of the best shoreline views, though the full out-and-back is worth doing if the weather is clear.