Crater Lake Hiking - Crater Lake National Park

Introduction.

Crater Lake National Park is a very popular location for travelers from around the world. The park receives approximately 500,000 visitors each year, primarily due to its center piece, Crater Lake. While there are a many potential sources for information on the different activities within the park, the intent of this post is to provide some personal suggestions for you to take, to get a great introduction to the park and the chance to visit some incredible locations.

Regarding some quick historical information and to answer one of the most asked question, here is some general information. Crater Lake was formed about 7,700 years ago due to a volcanic eruption that destroyed the upper half of Mt. Mazama. The result of this, the formation of a large caldera, over time filled with water and created Crater Lake. The reason that Crater Lake is so intensely blue is because the lake is so deep (i.e. 1,943 feet ) and so pure (e.g. filled with rain and snow runoff), long wavelength light is absorbed. The short wavelength light, in this case blue, is scattered back to the surface. This is the same reason that glacier ice appears so blue in color.

There are many other highlights and things to do within the park beyond my recommendations, however the approach suggested is to try to cover a larger number of shorter hikes/stops, so you can see a wider variety of sights and different areas within Crater Lake National Park boundaries.

General Logistic Information.

There are two entry points into Crater Lake National Park and you are able to get to any of the locations described in this post, regardless of where you enter. The park is officially open all year round however, there are many occasions where roads, trails, and facilities are closed due to snow. Additionally, the north entrance and Rim Drive are closed to cars from the beginning of November through late April, though these time frames are just guidelines. You certainly need to check on conditions if you are planning your trip on the outer edges of this time frame. There are 2 lodges operated within the park along with 2 campgrounds. There are also other services for food, supplies, and gas.

In our case, we stayed outside of the park in Klamath Falls, about 1 hour south of the park's southern entrance. This 1 hour distance estimate is based on our visit in early September, and it must be expected to be longer during the peak summer season. Also keep in mind where ever you stay, the crowds will be much larger during the summer season and this will impact your getting around.

This post will review the highlights of our visit, our suggestions for a number of Crater Lake hiking activities, and includes a number of captured images for your enjoyment. As mentioned, there is much more to explore in the park though I believe the details below will provide you a great exposure to Crater Lake National Park.

Crater Lake Hiking.

• For our first day, we decided to do some general introductory activities, so we visited the Rim Village complex. Made stops at the Rim Village Cafe and Gift Shop, walked over and viewed the Sinnott Memorial Overlook which contains a small museum and a great viewpoint overlooking the lake, and stopped in at the Rim Village Visitor's to get some additional information from the Park Rangers.

• Since this was our first viewing of Crater Lake, we decided to walk along the Rim Village Trail to get a taste of the great views.
• The whole area of Rim Village is fairly concentrated and has been made very accessible for all visitors.

• Then it was off to our first full Crater Lake hiking experience, climbing The Watchman.
• There is a trail from Rim Village to The Watchman, but we decided to make the short drive over to the parking area for our hike.
• While you can get some great views from the Overlook right near the parking area, our goal was to climb to the top of the The Watchman, at an elevation of 8,013 feet.
• The trail is a 1.6 mile round trip trek that does some switchbacks along the climb, though it is at least a moderately challenging Crater Lake hike, with an elevation change of a little more than 400 feet.



• At the summit you reach the Fire Lookout station, and even on a cloudy day, we got some incredible views of Crater Lake and an opportunity to almost look down into Wizard Island, the cinder cone that erupted out of Crater Lake approximately 7,300 years ago.



• After spending some time enjoying the views and getting some photos, we hiked back down and over to the Devil's Backbone, which is certainly a worthwhile little detour.

• The last Crater Lake hiking event for this day was in the area called The Pinnacles.
• This is a relatively short 1 mile round trip flat hike that takes you through a wooded area along Pinnacles Valley and to Pinnacles Overlook.
• The Pinnacle formations are colorful spires that rise as high as 100 feet. They are fossil fumaroles where volcanic gases rose up through a layer of volcanic ash and were turned into solid rock. They are a very interesting and unique sight.

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• For the next day, our Crater Lake hiking focus was on Garfield Peak.
• This trail starts from behind the historic Crater Lake Lodge and is a strenuous 3.5 mile round trip hike to the summit of Garfield Peak, with an elevation climb of 1,010 feet.
• As the trail switchbacks up, you get great views of the lake in general and of Wizard Island.



• Upon reaching the summit, the views are even more spectacular and expansive.
• Views include wide angle views of Crater Lake, Wizard Island, Phantom Ship, Devil's Backbone, and Mount McLoughlin.



• After completing the hike back down from Garfield Peak, we hiked part way along Discovery Point Trail.
• This trail begins at Rim Village and winds along the lake taking you from Rim Village to The Watchman.
• Discovery Point Trail is an easy hike and provides some wonderful views of the intense blue color of Crater Lake.

• We decided the best way to end this great day was to stop in at the "back porch" of the Crater Lake Lodge. In our case it was for some adult beverages, but there are options here for whatever you desire. Also, the view while relaxing cannot be beat.

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• The primary objective of our next day at Crater Lake was to take the Crater Lake boat tour and also to visit Wizard Island.
• There is a very specific schedule for the boat tours, and we recommend that you make reservations and purchase your tickets in advance so you are sure to go on the trip that best suits your plans.
• The location to start the boat tour is at Cleetwood Cove, which is the only location you are officially allowed to get down to the lake's water level.
• An additional note, Cleetwood Cove is also one of the few locations that you are officially allowed to go swimming in Crater Lake.

• Before more details on the hike to Cleetwood Cove and the boat tour, there are some other points of interest worth noting.



• Cleetwood Cove is located on the northern side of the lake, so if you are heading there from the south end of the lake you have at least a half hour drive and some great viewing locations along the way, so you probably want to give yourself some additional time for stops.
• We would highly recommend stops at Phantom Ship Overlook, Pumice Castle Overlook, and Cloud Cap Overlook. These stops are all very worth while and are certainly picture worthy.



• The hike down to Cleetwood Cove is just over 1 mile but relatively easy, as you have gravity on your side.
• This is not the case on the return trip. The official comment from the National Park Service is that you should plan the return hike to your vehicle (the 1 mile - 700 foot elevation climb) to take a full hour.
• This is a strenuous hike and will certainly test your endurance once your boat tour experience is completed.

• The Crater Lake boat tour is very enjoyable and educational, as it is led by one of the National Park Rangers. Our Ranger was very knowledgeable and very entertaining. Additionally, you get wonderful views from the lake level, which you cannot get anywhere else.
• A big attraction to us was taking the boat tour that drops you off at Wizard Island for approximately 3 hours, so we could add climbing to the summit of Wizard Island to our Crater Lake hiking experiences.
• The hike to the top of Wizard Island is 2.2 miles round trip and has an elevation change of 760 feet. This is a difficult hike over rocky areas and along narrow trails.
  

• The summit of Wizard Island provides more spectacular views of Crater Lake and has a .3 mile path that leads around the 90 foot deep crater.



• After spending some time at the summit of Wizard Island, we hiked back down to the dock to catch the boat to complete our Crater Lake boat tour.
• While the Crater Lake boat tour event took the full day, the drive to Cleetwood Cove, the boat tour itself, and the hike up Wizard Island was a great experience and we highly recommend this investment of time.

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• For our last day, our planned Crater Lake hiking event was to conquer Mount Scott, the park's highest peak reaching an elevation of 8,929 feet.
• This is a 4.5 mile round trip hike from a roadside parking area that climbs 1,250 feet in elevation and goes through mostly open terrain, so it can be quite hot as this is a strenuous hike to the top.
• At the summit you reach a fire lookout where you can rest and enjoy the views.



• Although our view was impacted by fires that were in the northern section of Crater Lake National Park, the sights were still great and we took time to enjoy the lunch we packed and the view from this highest peak around Crater Lake.



• Our journey to Crater Lake National Park was over, and although it is not as convenient as some of the other well known National Parks, at the same time, there is nothing like it. We even learned that the Crayola Crayon Company has a color named Crater Lake Blue. If the opportunity presents itself, this is a place that you want to see for yourself.