On the water
Calm. Light air, the lake near glass; a good window for the water, best taken early. Forecast wind N 2 mph.
Mornings run calmest, and an early launch is the honest move here: this is a popular powerboat lake, and summer afternoons fill with water-skiers, wakeboarders, and jet-skis churning their own wake across the open water. Go early for glass; the afternoon belongs to the ski boats. The lake is deep and stays cold below a warm surface, so a life jacket is part of the kit.
Weather at the lake
This Afternoon: Sunny. High near 93, with temperatures falling to around 90 in the afternoon. North wind around 2 mph.
Tonight: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 60°F.
Air quality
AQI 44, Good (PM2.5).
On and over the water
Watch the surface for common mergansers, grebes, and the occasional loonriding low between the points; bald eagles work the shoreline from the tall firs, ospreys dive for fish through the summer, kingfishers rattle along the banks, and river otters turn up around the docks and downed logs. Below them swim the lake's trout, kokanee, and cutthroat (see the On the Water tab).
Birds this week
117 species have been logged near the lake this week.
Recently seen: Common Nighthawk, American Crow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Dark-eyed Junco, Bushtit, House Finch.
ID what you spot with Merlin (free, from the Cornell Lab). Bug and plant IDs with FriendOrFoe, coming soon.
Recently observed nearby
Wildlife: Mule Deer (15), Steiroxys (11), Black Slug (9), Pacific Banana Slug (8), Olympic Marmot (7), Yellow-pine Chipmunk (6), Black Leather Chiton (5), Purple Shore Crab (5).
Plants and fungi: Woodland Beardtongue (14), Ghost Pipe (11), Twinflower (10), fireweed (10), Parry's Campion (9), Silverleaf phacelia (8), mountain owl's clover (8), Columbia lily (8).
Logged near here in the last week, via iNaturalist.
Stargazing
The lake sits in a low bowl ringed by homes and ridgelines, so it is not a true dark-sky site, but on a still night away from the porch lights the stars still double on the water. Tonight's dark-sky quality reads Excellent (5/5). The ridges crowd the low horizons, so the show is overhead more than down to the sky.
Sun and moon
- Sunrise 5:39 am · Sunset 9:03 pm
- Golden hour from 8:17 pm
- Moon: Waxing Gibbous 🌔 (68% lit)
- Active meteor shower: Southern Delta Aquariids, Perseids
Aurora
Planetary Kp is around 3.67. Below the threshold to expect aurora tonight, and the ridgelines here hide all but a strong show anyway. We flag it when activity climbs.
ISS passes
- Wed 9:51 PM, WNW, max 48°
- Thu 9:03 PM, WNW, max 71°
- Thu 10:40 PM, W, max 14°
A warm swimming lake
Lake Sutherland is warm enough by midsummer to swim without flinching, a friendlier swimming lake than its deep, cold neighbor next door. It is lower and shallower than Lake Crescent next door, so it holds its summer heat, which is exactly why it draws swimmers and water-skiers when the cold, clear neighbor does not. The catch is access: the shoreline is almost entirely private homes, so there is no public swimming beach.
Paddling
Put in at the WDFW boat launch on the south shore, the only public access. Go early: the lake is most often glass in the morning, and by a warm afternoon the powerboats and jet-skis own the open water. Wear a life jacket every time; the lake is deep and runs cold below the surface. Right now the surface read is calm.
Swimming, and the cold
The surface warms up by midsummer, warmer than Lake Crescent, which is the draw. But it is a deep lake, cold below, up to about eighty feet, and there is no live temperature gauge here, so we won't put a number on it. Treat a swim out from shore or a capsize as cold-water either way: life jacket on a boat, keep an eye on tired swimmers, and watch for boat wake on a busy afternoon.
Fishing
Lake Sutherland is a WDFW-managed lake with rainbow trout, kokanee, and cutthroat; a Washington fishing license and the statewide lowland-lake rules apply, so check the WDFW regulations before you cast. WDFW Lake Sutherland fishing →
Getting there
Lake Sutherland lies along Highway 101 about 17 miles, or 25 minutes, west of Port Angeles, just east of Lake Crescent. The only public way onto the water is the WDFW boat launch on the south shore: from Highway 101, turn onto South Shore Road and follow it about 1.7 miles, then turn onto Yew Tree Drive and into the parking area. Searching 'Lake Sutherland Boat Launch' in your maps app routes you straight to the ramp. The rest of the shoreline is private homes and cabins.
Access and fees
Lake Sutherland's only public access is the WDFW boat launch on the south shore, and parking at a WDFW water-access site takes a Washington Discover Pass, or the free Vehicle Access Pass that comes with a state fishing or hunting license. Check the current fee on the WDFW parking-pass page.
Know before you go
- Almost the entire shoreline is private. The WDFW boat launch on the south shore is the only public access, so there is no public swimming beach.
- This is a busy powerboat lake in summer. Water-skiers, wakeboarders, and jet-skis own the afternoons; an early morning is the calm-water window for a paddle.
- Parking at the WDFW launch takes a Washington Discover Pass, or the free Vehicle Access Pass that comes with a state fishing or hunting license.
- The lake is deep and stays cold below a warm surface. Wear a life jacket in a boat and keep an eye on tired swimmers.
Plan a trip: find a place to stay nearby on Hipcamp, or get Olympic Peninsula trail maps on AllTrails+.
On the map
Lake Sutherland, answered
Can you kayak or paddleboard on Lake Sutherland?
Yes, and an early morning is the time to do it. The lake is often glass before the wind and the powerboats come up, which makes for a calm, easy paddle; by a warm afternoon it belongs to the water-skiers and jet-skis, with wake on the open water. Launch from the WDFW boat ramp on the south shore, the only public access, and wear a life jacket; the lake is deep and stays cold below a warm surface.
Is the wind up on Lake Sutherland right now?
Wind decides the day on Lake Sutherland: a still morning lays the lake out flat, and an afternoon breeze can put chop on open water within the hour. On a warm summer afternoon the powerboats add their own wake, so for glass water a paddler goes early. Right now the forecast wind is N 2 mph; the Conditions tab carries the live surface read.
Is there public access to Lake Sutherland, or is it all private?
Almost the whole shoreline is private homes and cabins, with no public swimming beach. The one public way onto the water is the WDFW boat launch on the south shore: a concrete ramp with a boarding float and a small parking lot off Yew Tree Drive. Parking there takes a Washington Discover Pass, or the free Vehicle Access Pass that comes with a state fishing or hunting license. The Guide tab has the directions.
Is Lake Sutherland busy with boats, and when is it calm?
It is a popular powerboat lake in summer: water-skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, and jet-skis are a big part of why people love it, and warm afternoons are the busy, wake-churned hours. The calm-water window is the early morning, before the boats are out, when the lake is most often glass. If you are coming to paddle or swim in quiet water, plan for the morning and let the afternoon belong to the ski boats.
Can you swim in Lake Sutherland?
Yes; it is a warmer, friendlier swimming lake than Lake Crescent next door, and it holds its summer heat. The catch is access: with the shoreline almost entirely private, there is no public swimming beach, so swimming is mostly from a boat, a dock you have rights to, or the water-access area. The lake is still deep and runs cold below the warm surface, and afternoons bring boat traffic, so keep an eye on tired swimmers and watch for wake.
How cold is the water in Lake Sutherland?
The surface warms up nicely by midsummer, warmer than Lake Crescent, which is what makes Sutherland a swimming lake. But it is a deep lake, up to about eighty feet, and the water below the surface stays cold all year. There is no public live temperature gauge on the lake, so we won't put a number on it; treat a swim out from shore or a capsize as cold-water either way, with a life jacket on.
Can you fish in Lake Sutherland?
Yes. Lake Sutherland is a WDFW-managed lowland lake with rainbow trout, kokanee, and cutthroat, reached from the WDFW boat launch on the south shore. A Washington fishing license and the statewide lowland-lake rules apply, so check the current WDFW regulations before you cast; this is a state-managed lake, not a national-park water, so the park's rules do not apply here.
How is Lake Sutherland different from Lake Crescent?
They sit side by side and were one lake until an enormous landslide split them roughly eight thousand years ago, but they are different waters now. Lake Crescent is the cold, glacially clear, deep lake inside Olympic National Park, ringed by trail and quiet paddling. Lake Sutherland is lower, warmer, and outside the park, its shoreline private and its summers loud with powerboats; it drains east through Indian Creek to the Elwha, while Crescent drains north by the Lyre. Come to Sutherland for a warm swim and a morning paddle, to Crescent for cold, clear water and the hiking.
What wildlife can you see at Lake Sutherland?
117 bird species have been logged near the lake this week. Watch the water for mergansers, grebes, and the occasional loon, with bald eagles working the shoreline from the tall firs and ospreys diving for fish through the summer; kingfishers rattle along the banks, and river otters turn up around the docks and downed logs.
Whose ancestral land is Lake Sutherland?
Lake Sutherland is part of the homeland of the Lower Elwha Klallam people, who have lived along these waters since time immemorial. The Tribe tells the story of Nahkeeta, a Klallam maiden whose burial place became the lake, and still calls the lake Nahkeeta today, including in its present-day fisheries work on Indian Creek, which drains the lake toward the Elwha River.
What is a phenophase?
A phenophase is a stage in the seasonal life of a living thing: the week the bigleaf maples leaf out, the morning the salmon start running, the first frost on the salal. It's a way of telling time by what's happening outside rather than by the calendar. The study of it is called phenology, the science of nature's timing, of when things bloom, migrate, ripen, and rest. Phenophase brings that down to one place at a time. We read the live signals for a spot, its tides, light, birds, and blooms, and tell you what season it's truly in right now, and whether it's worth the trip.
Since time immemorial
Lake Sutherland is part of the homeland of the Lower Elwha Klallam people, who have lived along these waters and the rivers running down to the strait since time immemorial. The Tribe tells the story of Nahkeeta, a gentle Klallam maiden lost in the forest here; where her people buried her, a blue-green lake rose, the lake the Tribe still calls Nahkeeta today, including in its present-day fisheries science on the creek that drains it. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is a living, sovereign nation, its community centered at the mouth of the Elwha River just north of here.
In their own words: The story of Nahkeeta (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe) · Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Nearby places
- Lake Crescent · 4 mi
- Elwha River Valley · 10 mi
- Sol Duc Valley · 16 mi
A heads-up when it's a good day for the lake: a glassy early morning before the boats, quiet water, a warm afternoon swim. Coming soon.