Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park protects one of the most stunning and singular natural wonders in America — Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet, a vast, impossibly blue body of water filling the caldera of an ancient collapsed volcano high in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon. Ringed by sheer cliffs rising up to 2,000 feet, fed only by rain and snow, and renowned for the extraordinary clarity and intense, sapphire-blue color of its water, the lake is a scene of breathtaking, serene beauty unlike anywhere else.

The lake was born of catastrophe: some 7,700 years ago, the great volcano Mount Mazama erupted cataclysmically and collapsed, forming the deep caldera that slowly filled with the purest of water over centuries. Today the iconic Wizard Island, a volcanic cone, rises from the lake, and the 33-mile Rim Drive circles the caldera with breathtaking overlooks. Oregon’s only national park, established in 1902, Crater Lake offers rim drives and overlooks, hiking, boat tours to the island, and some of the bluest water and clearest skies on Earth. Deep, blue and serene, Crater Lake is a treasured icon of Oregon and the natural world.

Crater Lake National Park offers spectacular recreation — driving the 33-mile Rim Drive around the caldera with its breathtaking overlooks, hiking the rim and the trails down to the lake (the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only legal lake access) and up to viewpoints (Garfield Peak, Watchman Peak), taking a boat tour to Wizard Island, swimming in the chilly lake (from Cleetwood Cove), cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the long snowy winter, wildlife watching, and stargazing under dark skies. Taking in the impossibly blue lake from the rim is the signature experience. The combination of the deep blue lake, the caldera and the rim drive makes the park unforgettable.

Summer (July through September) is the prime and most accessible season, when the full Rim Drive and the trails are clear of snow (which is deep and lingers very late at this high elevation), the boat tours run, and the weather is best for the lake’s vivid blue. Crater Lake is one of the snowiest places in America, and much of the park (including most of Rim Drive) is snowbound from fall through spring, making winter a world of deep snow and cross-country skiing. Summer for full access and the bluest water, and winter for the snowy beauty, are the highlights; the season is short, so plan around it.

Crater Lake was sacred to the Native peoples of the region, especially the Klamath, whose ancestors witnessed the cataclysmic eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama some 7,700 years ago and preserved the memory in their stories; they regard the lake as a place of great spiritual power. The lake’s extraordinary beauty drew advocates, and through the efforts of William Gladstone Steel and others it became the nation’s sixth national park in 1902 — Oregon’s only national park. The park preserves the deep blue lake, the caldera and the surrounding forests, a treasured and sacred natural wonder of Oregon.

Crater Lake fills the caldera left by the catastrophic eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama, a great Cascade volcano, some 7,700 years ago — one of the largest eruptions in North America in the last 10,000 years, which emptied the magma chamber and caused the mountain’s summit to collapse, forming the deep basin. Over centuries, rain and snow filled the caldera with exceptionally pure water (no rivers flow in or out), creating the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,943 feet. Wizard Island is a later volcanic cone. The collapsed volcano, the deep caldera and the pure water created the singular, intensely blue lake.

The forests and high country of Crater Lake National Park host black bears, elk, mule deer, foxes, pikas and marmots, and a rich community of birds, including the Clark’s nutcracker, raptors and high-country species, while the lake — naturally fishless until stocked — supports introduced fish. The high-elevation Cascade forests and the caldera rim support varied wildlife. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding amid its forests and the spectacular lake, with the high-country birds and mammals among the wildlife around the deep blue caldera.

Crater Lake National Park protects a high-elevation Cascade ecosystem of old-growth forests (mountain hemlock, fir, pine), subalpine meadows, and the unique caldera lake, set in one of the snowiest regions in America. The lake’s extraordinary purity and clarity — among the clearest waters on Earth, fed only by precipitation — make it a scientific treasure and a sensitive ecosystem. The surrounding forests and meadows support diverse mountain life. Protecting the lake’s pristine water, the forests and the high country sustains both the ecology and the singular beauty of this treasured Oregon park.

Crater Lake, the deepest and one of the bluest lakes in America, filling the caldera of a collapsed volcano, holds a treasured and sacred place among the natural wonders of Oregon and the nation. Sacred to the Klamath people, whose ancestors witnessed its violent birth, and beloved by the millions drawn to its serene, impossibly blue beauty, the lake embodies both the power of the volcano and the purity and stillness of the water that filled it. Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake is a cherished icon of the state and one of the most beautiful and singular lakes on Earth.

Crater Lake National Park is in southern Oregon in the Cascade Range, reached via State Routes 62 and 138, about an hour and a half north of Klamath Falls and Medford and four to five hours south of Portland. An entrance fee applies. The park offers the Rim Drive (and the rim village with a lodge and visitor center), overlooks, trails, the Cleetwood Cove Trail to the lake and boat tours (seasonal), and campgrounds. The high elevation means deep snow and a short summer season — most of Rim Drive is closed by snow except in summer. Check the National Park Service for road status, the season and conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service protects Crater Lake’s extraordinarily pure water, the caldera, the forests and the wildlife of the park, Oregon’s only national park. Visitors help by protecting the lake’s pristine clarity (accessing the lake only via the Cleetwood Cove Trail, and never introducing anything to the water), staying on trails (protecting the fragile high-country meadows and slopes), keeping their distance from wildlife, packing out everything, preserving the dark skies, and following Leave No Trace. Protecting the lake’s pure water, the caldera, the forests and the wildlife sustains both the singular beauty and the sensitive ecology of this treasured park.

At Crater Lake, the caldera rim has steep, dangerous cliffs — stay on trails and at overlooks, keep back from the edges, and supervise children closely (falls into the caldera are fatal). The only safe, legal way to reach the lake is the steep Cleetwood Cove Trail (a strenuous climb back up); never try to climb the caldera walls elsewhere. The lake water is very cold (swim with caution). The high elevation and deep snow bring altitude, cold and changeable weather even in summer; carry layers. In winter, be avalanche- and snow-aware. Respect the cliffs, the cold water, the altitude and the snow.

An entrance fee applies. Stay on trails and at overlooks; keep back from the caldera rim’s dangerous cliffs. Access the lake only via the Cleetwood Cove Trail; do not climb the caldera walls. Do not introduce anything to the pristine lake. Backcountry camping requires a permit. Camp only in designated areas. Keep distance from and never feed wildlife. Pets are restricted (not allowed on most trails). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Most of Rim Drive is seasonal (snow). Check the National Park Service for the season, permits and current rules before visiting.

The towns of Klamath Falls and Medford/Ashland (with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) lie within reach, with the Cascade Range, the Rogue and Umpqua rivers, the Umpqua National Forest, and the high-desert and forest country of southern Oregon in the region, and Portland four to five hours north. The Cascade Range defines the region. Crater Lake, Oregon’s only national park, anchors a singular and beautiful region of the southern Oregon Cascades, a centerpiece of an Oregon and Pacific Northwest journey to the deepest, bluest lake in America.

Drive the 33-mile Rim Drive (open in summer) around the caldera, stopping at the overlooks to take in the impossibly blue, deepest lake in the U.S., and hike up to a viewpoint (Watchman Peak, Garfield Peak) for the grandest views. To reach the water, take the steep Cleetwood Cove Trail (the only legal access) for a chilly swim or a boat tour to Wizard Island. Come in summer for full access and the bluest water (the season is short; deep snow lingers), carry layers for the high elevation, keep back from the caldera cliffs, and stargaze under dark skies.