Page Updated: August 7, 2023
Crater Lake National Park
2021 JULY
Sunrise - Crater Lake National Park
As a science geek, it’s astonishing to stand on a hillside of Crater Lake and know that where you’re standing was once a raging volcano. Even more mind-blowing is that the volcano - Mount Mazama - lost nearly 4,000ft when it blew its top and collapsed. The entirety of Crater Lake National Park is spectacular. And watching the world wake up with the sun rising over the pristine lake is a special kind of zen for the soul.
With plans to enter through the north entrance, the Boot Leg/Jack Fire combo (2021) threw a wrench into our travel plans and rerouted us to the park’s south entrance.
We were blessed the detour was the only impact the fire had on our visit. Winds blew in a favorable direction our entire stay keeping the skies clear.
The reroute gave us the opportunity to easily stop by Crater Lake Zipline - outside park boundaries near Upper Klamath Lake - and try our very first ziplines. It was a great experience and one we’d gladly do again.
We spent the rest of the evening, prepping camp at Mazama Campground - where the dirt really isn’t dirt, but a super fine ash that sticks to everything it touches. We took the opportunity to have an early dinner, and in retrospect, should have taken time to walk to Annie Upper Falls and Annie Creek Canyon since we were practically on top of them at the campground.
The following morning, we’d broken camp and were starting our first hike of the day - Garfield Peak Trail - by 5:30am. It lived up the hype. We had the summit completely to ourselves and enjoyed the stunning views while we ate breakfast.
On the advice of a retired NPS Ranger we passed while leaving the summit, we shuffled the rest of the day’s itinerary to immediately head for our next hike. Since our next trail was the only lake access point in Crater Lake, it’s one of the most popular in the park - and parking for Cleetwood Cove Trail fills quickly. Since we’d adjusted, we had no problem finding a parking spot; had we kept to our original schedule we wouldn’t have found a park at all. We spent an hour at the cove. When we left, the lot, the trail, and the cove were overflowing.
Finding a picnic table in a National Park at meal time is a challenge. We lucked out and finally found one available at the Crater Peak Trail trailhead - and since it was close to noon, even luckier that it was the last shady table in the area. After two elevation hikes in the same day, we made quick work out of our cold fried chicken and mac & cheese before heading out.
There’s never enough time when we’re in National Parks. We try to cram too much in our visits that are already brief, and there’s always more to do. By the time lunch was over and we were leaving, we’d completely driven the scenic Rim Road. But, we didn’t have time to stop at any of the overlooks.
Also on the list for a later date is a visit to Wizard Island. Since boats weren’t running in the park the time of our visit due to a COVID resurgence and staff shortages, we couldn’t even consider exploring it. Fingers crossed we make it back one day to check it out.
scenes from Crater Lake
-b&b
Crater Lake Zipline
Garfield Peak Trail
