CRATER LAKE

CASCADE MOUNTAINS, OREGON Visited: May 2019, July 2020

Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902. The crater was formed from a collapsed volcano, Mount Mazama. The lake is the deepest body of water in the United States, the bottom sitting at almost 2,000ft. It is deeper than Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron combined! The water is only fed from snow melt and rain fall which makes it extremely pristine and empty of contaminates, which gives it the beautiful deep blue color. The park itself is 286 square miles, the actual crater being 20 square miles.

Crater Lake offers tons of different activities depending on the season. I was lucky enough to see it both in the winter and the summer!

SUMMER

The summer months are typically between June and October. No matter what, the park tends to be a little chilly! So bring a jacket!

WEST RIM AND EAST RIM DRIVE

During the summer months, driving the rim of the crater is a great way to take in all the craters glory. Starting at Rim Village, the drive will take you past all of the different overlooks with places to pull over and take in the sites!

In my time being at Crater Lake, you were never able to drive around the full perimeter of the lake due to year road road closures, either because of construction or weather.

CLEETWOOD COVE HIKE

Distance: 2.20 miles roundtrip Elevation Gain: 670ft Approximate Time: 1 hour

This hike is the only way to get down to the lake and is one of the only proper hikes that isn’t along the sidewalk on the road. Whether you want to take a dip or you are going on a boat tour, this is the only way down to the water.

This hike was EXTREMELY strenuous. The hike is straight down with a series of switchbacks taking you down to the waters edge. Obviously, the hike down is quite easy (just watch your knees!) But the hike up is very difficult. Although it is only 1 mile, it can take alot of energy!

However, it was absolutely worth it! I would not miss out on the opportunity to jump into this lake. The water was only 55 degrees! I could only last a couple of seconds in the water, but there were plenty of people swimming around and jumping off the rocks!

WINTER

During the winter, the rim drive is typically closed due to snowfall. However, that doesn’t mean there is any less to do. If you are a big partaker of winter activites, you will not be bored!