Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

July 22nd, 2016

Today we went to Crater Lake.  It is the deepest lake in the United States and started when Mount Mazama erupted about 5700 B.C. The eruption was so forceful that it created a huge caldera.  Rain and snowmelt accumulated over time to form Crater Lake.  It is well known for its brilliant blue color.

We drove about 45 minutes before we reached the park.  We have discovered that The National Parks are vast, and take hours to drive around even after you reach the entrance.  This was quite a shock at the first one we visited, as it makes for a long day by the time you reach the heart of the park, explore and then start the long trek back, but they are well worth visiting and each have a natural unique beauty.  This one was no different.  We had read that it gets very crowded during the summer, and so expected the crowds.  The park hadn't been fully open for long, as it takes a while for the snow to melt and roads are cleared manually, to enable cars to access the whole perimeter of the lake.

We had to make our way to Rim Village, as we had booked a trolley ride that did a 2 hour, 33 mile, circular tour around the lake.  We felt that this would be the best way to see it all and allow Bryan to look at the scenery, and not have to concentrate on the road.  We had also read that the many viewpoints got very crowded and parking was difficult at times, so it relieved that as well.

We stopped at the first view point that we came to which was Discovery Point.  There were only a couple of cars there, as it was relatively early, and we knew the trolley would bring us this way but couldn't resist getting our first view of the lake.  It didn't disappoint, although wasn't quite as breathtaking as I had anticipated. I think we have been spoilt in our travels by all the marvelous things we have seen. Everything I had read had built up the vision I expected, and so took the surprise element away.  Anyway, it was still beautiful.

 There were several ground squirrels here who were very tame and looking for food.  You are told not to feed the wildlife as they don't want them to rely on being fed, and retain their natural instincts.  It was fun watching them though, as they were putting a show on for us.

Wizard Island is shown below in Crater Lake.  It is the highest of many cinder cones formed by small eruptions, and the only one to be visible above the lakes surface.  You can take a boat trip out to the island, but to get to the boat involves a steep trek down to the waters edge, and then back up at the end of the trip.  It was just too difficult for us.  Oh to be young again!!!!

There was still some snow hanging around.

Wild Flowers

We finally realized that we had missed the turn for the rim and where we were supposed to get the trolley.  We asked two cyclists if they knew which way it was, and after we all looked at the map, they showed us where we were.  We had gone a lot further than we thought and so had to backtrack.

We had already waited at some roadworks where they were repairing a road and knew we would have to wait to be led back through this section. We were getting worried that we wouldn't get to the trolley in time for our tour.  Bryan took this picture of the snow while we were waiting to go back through the roadworks.

Eventually we got to the lodge and fortunately managed to find a lone parking space.  Quickly asked someone where the trolley buses were, and headed in that direction.  We both needed the restroom, so we quickly used those, and made it to the trolley with some time to spare.  Phew!!!

Off we went.  A Park Ranger was giving the tour and it was very interesting and worth the price. Past Crater Lake Lodge where you can stay, if you book far enough in advance, and where you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was very crowded as we passed.

The trolley stopped at different places around the lake, all with beautiful scenery.

That's Wizard Island just behind me

This guy was driving around with his bear for company.

Our trolley driver with the bus.

The ranger told us there was an eagle nest in these trees but we didn't see it.

The snow is still around in places

The formation shown in the picture above and below is the "Phantom Ship" It is said to resemble a small sailboat.  The island though is as tall as a 16 story building, made of erosion resistant lava 400,000 years old.  The oldest exposed rock in the caldera.

Our next stop was Vidae Falls,
                           

Here is a short VIDEO.

As we were going around the ranger told us some places that they didn't go that might be of interest.  

The tour ended and we bought some sandwiches at the rim.  I really wished I had made our lunch as the place was crowded, overpriced and not that great. Oh well, can't be helped.

We had intended to drive around the rim again, and stop at other places, but we decided due to time that we would just go back to the east rim and visit "The Pinnacles".

 The Pinnacles are 100 foot tall spires that have been formed as canyon walls around them eroded away.  They each mark a spot where volcanic gases rose up through hot ash deposits, cementing the ash into solid rock.  Fascinating.  There was a trail that went down through them but we didn't do it due to time and elevation.

The last place we stopped at was the Castle Crest Trail which was a short hike through meadows with wildflowers and a creek.  We didn't get very far as I was exhausted and the mosquitos were quite bad and I didn't want to get bit.

There is a lot to see here and we didn't see everything but covered quite a bit.  Here is a LINK to the park visitor guide which gives you a very detailed description of everything here.

Tomorrow we will have a quiet day in before heading on to our next location.

Finally, here's a picture of Trystan sleeping like a baby!!!!