Crater Lake, N.P. in Southern Oregon

                                                Native golden-mantled squirrel
 

                                                    Native Clark's nuthatch on the rock

Photos don't do this justice at all.  The crater is huge and the sides down to the lake are very steep.  The water is an amazing blue.  Crater Lake is an amazing place to visit.  It was formed about 7,700 years ago when Mt. Mazama, which was a volcano, exploded.  The crater slowly filled with rain and snow melt to form this natural wonder.  

We came into the Park from the north, which was very quiet and no wait for entrance.  There are pumice fields along the 15-minute drive, which are areas with almost no vegetation.  The pumice is the ash from the original explosion.  There are several overlooks into the crater.  It is a wonder!  

The Park service offers a trolley tour.  The road is a bit winding in parts, but not terrifying and there was no snow on the roads. (last week of June).  We saw two native animals immediately - the golden-mantled squirrel eager to see if we were willing to ignore the signs and give him a snack.  NO!  The Clark's nuthatch is as large of bluejays and just as raucous.  

The Steel Visitors Center had an interesting film about the history.  The most interesting fact was that the Klamath Tribes have an oral record of the volcano, because they lived in the area and observed the event.  It must have been overwhelming.

As always, this National Park is set-up to make visiting easy for all types of people.  There are several places to get food, rangers available with information, nice bathrooms and two stores.  There isn't hiking into the crater, but many trails in the area and to overlooks.

When we were there, a portion of the East Rim road was closed due to an ongoing maintenance project.  The Cleetwood Trail, which is the only hike into the crater to the water is also closed for maintenance, as of June, 2026.  There is so much to see, we didn't mind this at all.  Unforgettable!