Crater Lake National Park is one of the most iconic landscapes of the Southern region of Oregon. This park is a home to the world-famous Crater Lake and over 170,000 acres of old growth forest.
One of the 7 Wonders of Oregon, Crater Lake with a depth of 1,943 feet is the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest lake in the world. Tucked up high in the Cascade Mountain range, the lake sits right at the heart of a national park which allows visitors a rare opportunity to see some of the wildlife of this region. There are plenty of boat rides across the lake as well as expansive trails and paths around it for hikers and cyclists.
Crater Lake has been created eight thousand years ago as a result of powerful eruptions of Mount Mazama. Volcano's eruption emptied the magma chamber, that caused the volcano's top to collapse, creating the caldera. Flowing lava sealed the caldera's bottom. The six-mile wide caldera was filled with water from springs, snow, and rainfall.
Crater Lake National Park is open year-round, except heavy snowfall. However, because of snow, the north entrance of National Park is closed from October through June.
Region: Cascade Mountains • Oregon • USA
Operated: National Park Service
Access allowed: Year-round, some road can be closed due to snow.
Service: Lodging, RV and tent campgrounds, cafe and restaurant, picnic areas, visitor center, convenience store, gift shop, restrooms.
Activities: Camping, hiking, bicycling, fishing, swimming, wildlife watching, trolley, and boat tours.
Accommodations: Crater Lake Lodge, cabins at Mazama Village, Mazama, and Lost Creek Campgrounds.
GPS Coordinates: 42.9464, -122.1108
Average Winter T°: 26°F (-3°C)
Average Summer T°: 53°F (12°C)
Crater Lake Facts
Type: Crater Lake
Elevation: 6148 ft (1883 m)
Surface area: 13,069 acres, 20.42 sq mi (53 sq km)
Maximum depth: 1949 ft (594 m)
Minimum depth: 15-25 ft (5-8 m)
Transparency: 90-100 ft (27.4-30.5 m)
The park has 570 species of plants and trees, including hemlock, pine, and fir; 200 species of birds and large mammals such as black bear, elk, and deer.
National Park has two visitor centers (Steel Visitor center and Rim Visitor center) with bookstores, historic Crater Lake Lodge, two restaurants, and one store. The lake boat tour is available from July to September.
There are 90 miles of trails, including mountain trails that lead to the summits of the high points:
Mount Scott - 8,929 feet;
Hillman Peak - 8,151 feet;
Garfield Peak - 8,060 feet;
Cloudcap - 1774 feet.
The Rim Drive Points of Interest
The 33-mile (53-km) scenic byways, Rim Drive is a loop route around Crater Lake with almost 30 pullouts along the road.
Located near the southern shore, Phantom Ship is remnants of a lava flow, that rises 160 feet above the lake.
Named after a Native American god Llao, Llao Rock is lava formation rising 1850 feet above the lake.
Wizard Island is cinder cone island rising 760 feet above the lake surface. A boating tour with a stay on the Wizard Island is available.
The Pinnacles - needle-like 100 feet (30 m) fossil fumaroles are raised from the canyon wall at the Sand Creek Canyon.
Situated 1.1 miles west of the Cloudcap Overlook, Pumice Castle is the orange pumice rock formation that certainly looks like a medieval castle.
Cascading waterfall Vidae Falls could be seen between Phantom Ship Overlook and Park Headquarters. It's 100 feet drop over a series of ledges reaching a rocky slope and continue its run to the south of Mt.Mazama.
Points of Interests Nearby