Crater Lake National Park

Located 80 miles north of Medford is one of the most incredibly beautiful pieces of land encompassing the global environment with the deepest azure blue lake in the United States. Crater Lake can be reached by car on scenic route 62 north and passing small beautiful towns like Prospect on the river and following as the highway winds east to the parks west entrance. The roads are open rear round barring any exceptional weather phenomena. The trip from Medford takes approximately one and a half to two hours. The drive is windy but, naturally pretty and studded with quaint towns and lush green groves of pines and glimpses of creeks and river views.. There are picnic tables on the way in a grove of beautiful old growth pine trees where you can enjoy a break from the drive or have lunch before heading into Crater Lake National Park.

Crater Lake is one of the deepest lakes in the world. The last sonic reading of the lake gave it a depth of 1,943 feet or 592 meters. The lake was created by the collapse of the Mt. Mazama volcano. The Klamath Indian Tribe knew about the volcanic activity around Crater Lake and had passed down stories and legends for many years. The Klamath people were the only people to know about the lake until around 1853 when a few gold prospectors stumbled upon it while looking for a place to prospect and named it "Deep Blue Lake". They soon forgot about the lake in lieu of finding gold. The lake once again became the exclusively used by the Klamath Native People until a member of the USGS found it and brought a group of scientists and a boat on a hiking expedition to map the depth of the lake. Captain C Dutton of the USGS surveyed the lake around 1870.William G. Steel Helped fund surveys and spent his fortune and a lifetime developing the Area around Crater Lake. William G. Steel was obsessed with the beauty of Crater Lake and pushed to have it named a national park. In 1902, The beautiful deep blue lake became Crater Lake National Park. William G. Steel named many of the lake’s landmarks, including Wizard Island. A short time later in 1915, Crater Lake Lodge was opened and in 1918, The Rim Road was completed.

Visitors can still stay at Crater Lake Lodge and eat there in the dining room or at the Rim Village Café and then, shop at the gift shop. Most of the places in the Park are open from between May or June through the middle of October. Crater Lake Lodge has 71 rooms. It is recommended to make reservations well in advance if you wish to stay at the lodge. The phone number for Crater Lake Lodge is 1(541) 830 - 8700. The Crater Lake Lodge dining room is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the season. The Mazama Village Motor Inn is another place to stay at Crater Lake National Park. It has 40 units and is open from June through October. The number to contact the inn for reservations is 1(541) 830-8700. If you are in to camping, there is a beautiful campground open from June through October. There are 200 tent campsites available by reservation. The phone number to reach the Mazama Campground is 1-888-774 -2728.

For interesting information and history about Crater Lake and fun activities, visit the Steel Visitor Center. It is open from April through November. The hours are 9:00 am to 5:00pm. And, from November through April the winter hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Steel Visitor Center is closed on Christmas Day, December 25. There are exhibits and short film to watch. There is a post office in the center open from 10:00am to 2:00pm - Monday through Saturday except holidays.

Another information site is The Rim Visitor Center which also has a lot of interesting geological information about the lake and views of Wizard Island and the surrounding area. It is open from June through September from 9:30am to 5:00pm and the Rim Center is closed from October through May.

Before heading out of Medford to go up to Crater Lake National Park, it is always wise to check on road conditions. The Park Dispatch updates daily road conditions, weather and avalanche dangers. This is probably the most important number to remember and to take along on the trip. The number is 1(541)594 - 3000. Information is available from 8:00am to 4:30pm daily. The fee to bring your car into the park is $10.00. This fee is for a 7 day pass and is the only available option. If you are traveling during the winter months, please put extra, warm clothes, shoes, blankets and wood and water in your car as well as first aid supplies and car repair and emergency flairs, etc. in your car in case you encounter and emergency situation. During summer months, extra water is most important. There is some distance between towns and services. Once in Crater Lake National Park, Facilities will be available. There is a wonderful, exciting boat tour of Crater Lake that runs from July through September if the weather allows. It is a hike down to the lake edge to board the boat. Tickets are available in the Cleetwood Cove Trailhead parking lot across the street from the lake access path. Once on the boat, you will be entertained by a park commentator who educates you about sites on the lake and interesting history. You can sit in awe of Wizard Island as you pass by in the boat The trip around Crater Lake is well worth the cost of the ticket. Call Xanterra Parks and Resorts number for current prices and tour schedules before going up to the lake. The number is 1-888-774-2728. Other summer activities are offered by park rangers such as evening programs at Mazuma Campground Amphitheater from July through Labor Day. There are also walking tours around parts of the lake. Call the Steel Visitor Center at the Park entrance Headquarters or stop by on your entrance into the Crater Lake National Park for a list of current activities. Winter programs include snowshoe walks with park rangers. Crater Lake National Park receives more snow than any other spot in the locality and usually gets more than 530 inches a year. Crater Lake National Park is awe inspiring and definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth. It stirs the imagination and promotes a sense of history deep in the conscious mind often resembling what one might have expected to see in prehistoric times.