Crater Lake National Park

Visited: Sept 2014

Nearby city: Medford, OR or Klamath Falls, OR (south entrance); La Pine, OR (north entrance)

"Crater Lake defies the limited power of words to convey the full range of its magic"

-Paul M. Lewis

At over 12,000 feet, Mount Mazama once used to dominate the Cascades of southwestern Oregon. But 8,000 years ago, the volcano blew in an eruption 42 times greater than Mt. St. Helens in 1980. The eruption caused the mountain to shatter and collapse on itself, forming a five mile wide caldera rimmed by cliffs nearly 4,000 ft high. This caldera then filled up with water from melted snow and rain. The level of this newly formed body of water eventually settled, with seepage and evaporation balancing the incoming flow from snow and rain. This created the deepest lake in the United States, Crater Lake. It also created one of the most incredibly blue, pristine lakes in the world and a natural wonder that needs to be seen to be believed.

I first visited Crater Lake back in 2010. I drove way out of the way to get to it. It was late May, and the North Entrance was still closed for the season. So I drove all the way around to the South Entrance only to find that the lake was covered in fog. The visitor center was clear as day, but just a few miles down the road...thick fog. It was so thick you couldn't see the lake at all. I stayed for about an hour. It never lifted. I left...defeated.

Fast forward to September 2017, we arrived at the Park from the North Entrance and stopped at Merriam Point along the West Rim Drive and finally I got to view the Lake.

Wizard Island

Head down the road a few miles and take the hike to Watchman Overlook. A short hike (less than a mile) to an old fire watchtower on top of a mountain for even better views of the lake.

We then went to the Visitor Center and Rim Village. As it got closer to noon, the incredible blue waters of the lake really came out.

Phantom Ship overlook. 

As you go along the Rim Drive (which goes all the way around the lake), take an offshoot road to the Pinnacles, some peculiar badlands that seem a little out of place for the area.

Along the Pinnacles Road, there's a trail-head for a nice 2 mile roundtrip hike to Plaikni Falls. The rainfall was low this year and it was late September, so the Falls weren't that impressive. But it was a nice hike.

The only thing I wanted to do that we didn't get a chance was take the ferry out to Wizard Island. They stopped running the ferry for the rest of the year the weekend before we got there. I feel that one day is enough to spend in the park and see all the highlights (which is pretty much the Lake, Pinnacles can be skipped). But it is so far out of the way, and if you want to take the ferry or hike to Mt. Scott or Garfield Peak, it might be a good idea to make it 2 day stay or longer. For more info go to https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm Entrance fee is $15. Also check the website for when roads are open. Only the south entrance is open year round.