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Crater Lake, Oregon
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| Set in a dormant volcano called Mt. Mazama, its last eruption around 5700 B.C. Rain and snow accumulated forming a lake 1,900 ft. deep. |
The trip to Crater Lake was well worth the long drive from Washington.
We got lucky and hit some warm sunny days, and it was magnificent.
The lake is located at 7,000 feet altitude, and it was a spectacular
drive
up.
Lots of switchbacks and steep climbs, but the vanagon
handled it very easily.
Up at the rim, you are stunned by the view of
the deep translucent blue water
of Crater Lake.
(apparently it's one of the cleanest and deepest lakes in the
world).
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This is a view down from the rim into the lake. This deep blue was the true color of the water on that day. |
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Telephoto view of Wizard Island |
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View from the rim road down into the valley below.
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On the tour of the rim road, you see patches of fragile wildflowers in
palettes of colors,
and stunning views of the lake and also of the valley
below. Growing along
the rim are alpine hemlock trees twisted by violent
forces of nature into the most
abstract shapes among patches of snow.
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Bizarrely shaped tree ravaged by storms. |
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Wizard Island, a classic cinder cone. Named for its resemblance to a sorcerer's hat. |
There's only one place with water access, and it is a steep 700 ft. hike
down to the shore. The boat tour was still closed at that time, but opens
during high
season.
Mazama campground has about 200 sites.
No reservations accepted, but
usually
availability is not a problem.
Mazama had just opened a week ago due to
late
snowfall that year.
There were many tourists, and actually it was enjoyable to
meet people
from other countries and states, whom traveled all the way to
Crater
Lake. On the way back down, we had a picnic at Diamond Lake,
14 miles from
Crater Lake. There's also a huge federal campground with
many sites along the water's edge,
and a 11 mile walking/biking path
completely around the lake, and boat docks,
etc.
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