Vicki and I visited Crater Lake National Park as part of our Cascades Volcano Tour. We hiked along the rim trail and enjoyed the deep snow and beauty of the park near Rim Village. We eventually camped in the nearby national forest as most of the park was closed due the excessive snow from the Winter of 2023.
Well, it wasn’t the first cascades volcano on the tour, but it was the first one in Oregon. The tour’s first volcano was explored earlier that morning, just across the border in California, at Lava Beds National Monument. After some final hiking and sightseeing, we drove north to Crater Lake. An internet search indicated that most of the park, and essentially all of the rim road, was still closed. The only way in was via the south entrance, and the road had only been plowed to the Rim Village Visitor Center. When we arrived, we showed the ranger our senior pass at the toll booth and drove on up. And the snow along the roadside got deeper and deeper as we climbed.
There was quite a bit of traffic up at the visitor center, with too many cars trying to park in too few spots. A tour bus even dared to drive up there! Parking was tight as the snow was piled deep, but we eventually snagged a spot. We grabbed our hats and cameras, and headed out. The air was surprisingly warm for such a snow-covered world, but that’s what happens during the Spring Melt. We went into the Visitor Center, and it was busy. There was only one bathroom open and the lines were long. Hoo boy! We had no choice, but as for buying gifts, we gave up on that idea and headed across the packed snow toward the lake. The lake was the main reason that we were here.
Crater Lake was beautiful, as always. The addition of snow along the crater rim was different, but the lake itself was the main attraction. Such a deep blue! I was certain that my photos wouldn’t do it justice. But I took a ton of them anyway. It’s what I do.
The main sidewalk/path along the lake’s rim was mostly beneath the snow, making footing difficult. We decided that getting an injury was a bad idea, so we went back to the road and headed north. The road wasn’t open very far, only to the next gate, so we decided to walk there rather than drive. We needed to stretch our legs, anyway.
Discovery Point was just down the road, and we checked it out. There was a locked gate and too many people hoping to park, so we were glad we hiked. Then we spent some time taking yet more photos and videos. Wizard Island was in a fine spot (but it usually is, from almost anywhere on the rim) and the clouds were fairly good for photography that day.
Although I don’t want to admit it, there were only so many photos that I could take. Eventually, we knew that it was time to head back to the car. Somebody surely wanted our parking spot, and the afternoon was getting on. We hiked back to Rim Village and over to the car. Goodbye Crater Lake! We swore to be back another day, when there was a bit less snow.
We drove down the long winding road and headed south. Along the way, we checked out the snow, and also parked for some photos along Annie Creek, where there were some interesting fossilized steam vents. This is one of those volcanic features that are important to see on any volcanic road trip.
As we drove by, we saw that the park’s main campground was still full of snow! We probably wouldn’t have stayed there anyway, as it was usually too noisy and crowded, but we liked to have the choice. We already knew that we would be staying just outside the national park, along a dirt road in the Winema National Forest. This is what we did the last time we came through here heading south out of Washington. I got out my CalTopo app and kept an eye out as we got near the park boundary, and signaled Vicki when the dirt road was due to intersect the highway. Down there, it was smooth and flat and there was no snow whatsoever. We drove along it until we found a likely camping spot, and pulled off the road.
Unfortunately, we let the car idle for a bit too long while parked, and the carbon dioxide from the exhaust must have attracted every mosquito for miles! Or so we discovered when we got out to get the car ready. Nope! This was crazy! We both dove for the car and jumped inside. We killed a bunch of bugs that snuck in, and then sat there wondering what we were going to do. A big snow year also meant a big mosquito year! We had no intention of camping anywhere else, so we got out our books and read for a while. And that was when I noticed these weird marks on the back window. There was a fresh coating of dust from the dirt road, and lots of odd-looking double-patches of missing dust. What was making them? It took me some time, but with careful observation, I saw that mosquitoes were making them! The buzzing of their wings produced just enough breeze to dislocate the dirt particles. Amazing but true.
We waited around as the sun got lower and the temperature dropped. It didn’t take all that long. Plus, the CO2 drifted away and the bugs got bored. We put on some DEET, just in case, and ventured outside. They were down to a tolerable level, and soon enough I had the back of the car ready for sleeping. Meanwhile, Vicki was whipping up another easy dinner. We sat in our folding chairs and ate our meal like civilized campers.
It got cold quickly as the sun went down, and soon we were snuggling under the puffy down quilt we use when car camping. Yes, life was good up here in Oregon’s Volcanic Country.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
hikingtales.com 