Photo:
Pavel Špindler / CC BY 3.0
Crater Lake holds the deepest, and arguably the bluest, water in the United States, a nearly 2,000-foot-deep lake filling the caldera of a volcano that collapsed some 7,700 years ago. Ringed by cliffs and fed only by snow and rain, its astonishing clarity and color have made this southern Oregon landmark one of the most striking natural sights in the country.
The caldera cliffs plunge to the intensely blue lake, with Wizard Island, a cinder cone, rising from the water near the western shore. Around the rim spreads a high volcanic landscape of pumice slopes and old-growth forest, buried under some of the deepest average snowfall in the country. Beyond the rim lie quiet backcountry forests, meadows and the Pacific Crest Trail.
Summer and early fall are effectively the season: the Rim Drive and most trails are buried in snow much of the year and typically open only from around July into October. Once clear, the rim offers hiking, boat tours and swimming access. Winter is long and snowy, drawing snowshoers and skiers to the rim under massive snowpack.
The park is reached via OR-62 in southern Oregon, with the south entrance open year-round to the rim and the north entrance and Rim Drive seasonal. A vehicle is essential to reach and circle the rim; the 33-mile Rim Drive, when open, is the classic tour, with overlooks and trailheads all along it.
Drive the Rim Drive for ever-changing lake views, hike to Watchman Peak or Garfield Peak for panoramas, and descend the steep Cleetwood Cove trail, the only lake access, for a boat tour to Wizard Island or a bracing swim. Backpackers walk the Pacific Crest Trail, and winter visitors snowshoe the snowy rim.
The caldera rim has steep, crumbling, often snow-corniced edges, so stay back and on trails. The lake water is cold and deep, and the Cleetwood Cove trail is a strenuous climb back out. Weather turns fast at altitude, snow lingers into summer, and deep snowpack shapes any shoulder-season or winter visit. Come prepared.
A park pass is required, backcountry camping needs a permit, and the Rim Drive’s opening date varies each year with the snowpack. Always check before you go. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; always confirm current road status, conditions and permits with the National Park Service before your trip.
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
