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Photo: Anastacia12182, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A waterside park with a large campground and RV park. It's on the former site of Camp Hayden, a World War II military base, with some facilities dug into the hillside still intact. Tongue Point, the rocky outcropping to the west of the campground, has excellent tide pools during low tide. A short drive to the west are sandy beaches around the ghost town of Port Crescent.
Salt Creek Recreation Area is a 196-acre park located on Salt Creek about 15 miles west of Port Angeles, Washington on Washington State Route 112 near Joyce. The park was previously Camp Hayden, a World War II military camp built 1942–1945. The site was established as the Striped Peak Military Reservation in 1941, renamed as Camp Hayden on 22 October 1942, and renamed again as Fort Hayden on 17 April 1944. It was named for Brigadier General John Louis Hayden, a former commander of the Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound. It was purchased by the Federal General Services Administration after the war. There are still several structures left from the fort, including two large casemates which sheltered 16" guns and several other structures. The 16-inch battery was Battery 131, with two ex-Navy 16-inch Mark 2 guns capable of firing a one-ton projectile around 28 miles connected by a large magazine bunker. The camp also had Battery 249, which had two 6-inch guns with a bunker housing magazines and fire control equipment.
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Pristine blue water of the former glacial lake meets the towering mountain ranges on the horizon. Various viewpoints available along the highway or stop by the Lake Crescent Lodge to play in it.
The unofficial city park, featuring a fishing pond, dog park, BMX track, ball field & disc golf. (Just don't mind the sometimes passing airplane noise.).
The Olympic Peninsula's largest watershed. Prior to the construction of two dams in the early 1900s, it was known for its impressive salmon returns. Today, the dams are gone, and the Elwha River is now one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in National Park Service history. The Olympic Hot Springs Road and Whiskey Bend Road offer sightseeing opportunities through the valley's lowland and montane forests, as well as access to two picnic areas and a number of hiking trails. Stop to see Madison Creek Falls, a quick walk with superb views of the gushing Elwha River to the falls, with poems in between.
A set of wooden switchbacks climbing about 50 ft to link downtown to the residential neighborhood above. A boardwalk has existed here in similar forms since the 1890s.
A spit where visitors can stroll around the beach that overlooks the city on one side and Canada on the other. A spot for birdwatching and beachcombing. It's said that the beach contains some exotic stones and the luckiest can find sea glasses.
Carnegie Museum
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe displays cultural and historical artifacts in this old Carnegie Library building.