East Beach is a National Park Service picnic and day-use area at the far east end of Lake Crescent, inside Olympic National Park on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The beach sits in a sheltered cove where the lake narrows toward its outlet at the Lyre River, about 15 miles west of downtown Port Angeles. Lake Crescent is a glacially carved lake that drops to 624 feet at its deepest point, and its low nutrient levels keep the water unusually clear and blue-green. The sheltered cove at East Beach is one of the lake's easiest places to get in the water.

From Port Angeles, drive west on US 101. Just before the highway reaches the lake, turn right onto East Beach Road. Follow it a short way along the shore, and where the road narrows to one lane, a gravel access road drops sharply to the left down a bluff to the beach and its parking lot. The lot is small, roughly 15 to 20 cars, and fills early on warm summer weekends.

The beach itself is a mix of sand and small gravel with a gradual entry, so kids can wade before the bottom falls away. Out past the shallows the lake deepens fast, as it does almost everywhere on Lake Crescent. The water is cold all year. The lake's great depth keeps it chilly even in August. In summer, roughly Memorial Day through Labor Day, the beach functions as a swimming area and paddlers are asked to give swimmers room. There is no lifeguard. Swimmer's itch, an itchy rash caused by a natural lake parasite, has been reported at Lake Crescent in past summers; the park's advice is to towel off thoroughly as soon as you leave the water.

There is no separate day-use fee or fee booth at East Beach, and no entrance station on the US 101 approach to Lake Crescent. The beach is inside Olympic National Park, where the posted entrance fee is $30 per private vehicle or $15 per person on foot or bicycle, good for seven days, with a $55 Olympic annual pass and America the Beautiful passes accepted. The picnic area has tables, fire pits and an accessible vault toilet; there is no drinking water, so bring your own. Alcohol and glass are not allowed on the lake's public beaches, and pets must stay on a leash six feet or shorter.

Other hazards are the ones that come with a big mountain lake. Afternoon winds often build waves of a foot or more out on open water, and boats can run here, though motorboats must stay under 5 mph and wakeless within 300 feet of shore. Hypothermia is the main risk for anyone swimming far out, so stay close to the beach and swim with someone. The beach is open year round, and winter storms sometimes bring down trees and leave debris along the shore.

East Beach is also a common launch point for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, and the cove is popular with snorkelers and scuba divers for its visibility. Up East Beach Road, the Log Cabin Resort (a park concession) rents boats in summer, and the east trailhead of the Spruce Railroad Trail leads about a mile to Devil's Punchbowl, a deep, clear swimming spot under a footbridge. The beach faces west down the length of the lake, which makes it a favorite place to watch the sunset over the mountains.