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  • Oregon's Only National Park

Crater Lake.

No photograph has ever accurately captured the blue of Crater Lake. That’s not hyperbole — it’s something every visitor discovers for themselves the first time they step up to the rim. The brain doesn’t have a reference point for it.

1,943 ft

Deepest Lake in USA

33 mi

Rim Drive Loop

40+ ft

Annual Snowfall Avg.

Sep

Best Month to Visit

Important · Updated March 2026

2026–2028: What's Different Right Now

The Cleetwood Cove Trail — the only legal access to the lake’s shoreline — is closed for a major rehabilitation project beginning summer 2026. Construction is expected through 2028, with the trail reopening in 2029. No boat tours. No swimming. No walking down to the water’s edge for the 2026, 2027, and 2028 seasons. Everything else is fully open: Rim Drive, all rim-level hiking, Crater Lake Lodge, Mazama Village campground, both visitor centers, and ranger programs. The iconic, breathtaking views that make Crater Lake famous are all from above — and the rim is fully open. For current updates: nps.gov/crla.

 
  • Rim Drive — Open
  • All Rim Hiking — Open
  • Crater Lake Lodge — Open
  • Mazama Campground — Open
  • Cleetwood Cove Trail — Closed 2026–2028
  • Boat Tours — Suspended 2026–2028

$30

Vehicle Entrance Fee

90+

Miles of Trails

30+

Rim Drive Overlooks

7,700

Years Old (Caldera)

700K

Annual Visitors

  • The Science Behind the Color

Why the Blue Is Impossible

The lake sits inside the collapsed shell of Mount Mazama, a volcano that erupted catastrophically 7,700 years ago and left behind a caldera five miles wide. Rain and snowmelt filled it to 1,943 feet — the deepest lake in the United States. No rivers feed it. No rivers drain it. The water is so pure, so free of sediment and particulate, that sunlight penetrates to extraordinary depths, absorbing every color except the deepest blues and reflecting them back. That’s what creates the color. It’s not a trick of the light. It’s physics and geology conspiring to produce something that looks like it shouldn’t exist in nature.

1,943

  • Getting to Crater Lake

It's Remote.
Plan Your Drive

Crater Lake is in southern Oregon’s Cascade Range, and it’s not close to anything. That remoteness is part of its character, but it means you need to plan your approach.
From Portland

4.5–5 hrs

Portland

Via I-5 south to Highway 58 through Oakridge, or via Highway 97 through Bend. The Bend route adds 30 minutes but lets you combine Crater Lake with Central Oregon. Our road trips guide has the full Southern Oregon loop.
From Central Oregon

2–2.5 hrs

Bend

South on Highway 97 to Highway 138 or Highway 62. The most common approach for visitors already in Central Oregon. Gas up in Bend or La Pine — services thin out quickly heading south.
From Ashland / Medford

75–90 min

Medford / Ashland

Via Highway 62 to the park’s west entrance. The closest major city access point. If you’re combining Crater Lake with Ashland and the Shakespeare Festival, this is your route.
The Scenic Approach

4–5 hrs from coast

Highway 138 — Waterfall Route

From the Oregon Coast via I-5 or Highway 138 through Roseburg. Highway 138 follows the Umpqua River past Toketee Falls and Watson Falls — two of the best waterfalls in Southern Oregon — making the drive itself a highlight.
⛽ Practical Notes Before You Drive
Gas up before entering the park. There is a gas station at Mazama Village (seasonal) — don’t count on it. The park has gone cashless at entrance gates; bring a credit or debit card. Cell service is limited to nonexistent throughout the park — download offline maps before your drive. The south entrance (via Hwy 62) is open year-round. The north entrance (via Hwy 138) is seasonal, typically June through late October.
  • When to Visit

Two Seasons.
Summer and Buried in Snow.

The park averages over 40 feet of snowfall per year. The landscape doesn’t fully emerge until late June or July, and it starts getting covered again by October. See our Best Time to Visit Oregon guide for the broader context.

Winter (Nov–May)

A gentle loop through a meadow that erupts with wildflowers in July and August. Good for families and a nice warm-up. Pet-friendly. Peak bloom: late July.

Late June – July

Rim Drive opens (usually early July). Wildflower meadows erupt — Castle Crest is exceptional. All trails accessible. Crowds building. Remember the temperature drop: the rim can be 35–40°F cooler than the valley you drove in from. Bring layers.

September

Our Pick
Summer crowds thin dramatically after Labor Day. Weather typically stable and clear. The light turns golden in a way that makes the already-impossible blue even more intense. A weekday mid-September visit means the rim largely to yourself.

October

A gamble. Early October can be spectacular — fall color, clear skies, almost no crowds. But snow can arrive at any point and Rim Drive can close with little notice. Reward risk-takers who check conditions the morning of.
🗺️ Which Direction & When
Clockwise from Rim Village gives you the classic Wizard Island views early and puts the sun behind you for morning photography along the west rim. Starting before 9am means thinner crowds at popular pullouts and better light. A Trolley Tour is also available if you don’t want to drive yourself.
  • Rim Drive

33 Miles.
30+ Overlooks. Don't Rush It.

You can drive the loop in an hour without stopping. Nobody should do that. Budget two to three hours for a relaxed drive, and a full day if you want to add hikes.
🗺️ Which Direction & When
Clockwise from Rim Village gives you the classic Wizard Island views early and puts the sun behind you for morning photography along the west rim. Starting before 9am means thinner crowds at popular pullouts and better light. A Trolley Tour is also available if you don’t want to drive yourself.

Sinnott Memorial Overlook

A stone observation platform built into the caldera wall in the 1930s, below Rim Village. This is where most visitors get their first real look at the water — and the reaction is almost always the same: stunned silence, then “oh my God.” Interpretive exhibits about the lake’s formation.
Stop 01

Discovery Point

Where gold prospector John Wesley Hillman became the first known Euro-American to see the lake in 1853. Clean, unobstructed views of Wizard Island. The Discovery Point Trail (2.6 miles RT) leaves from here — one of the better sunset walks in the park.

Stop 02

Watchman Overlook

The best viewpoint for Wizard Island, especially in afternoon light. The Watchman Peak trail (1.6 miles RT, moderate) climbs to a historic fire lookout with panoramic views — many consider it the single best viewpoint in the park.
Stop 03

Phantom Ship Overlook

Views of the Phantom Ship — a small rocky island whose jagged spires look like a ghostly sailing vessel, particularly in fog or low light. Best seen in the morning from the east rim. Named accurately.
Stop 04

Cloudcap Overlook

The highest point accessible by car on the rim at 7,960 feet. Sweeping views to the east toward the high desert. This is the closest you can get to looking straight down at the water — and the perspective is humbling.
Stop 05

Pinnacles Overlook

Not a lake view — a short spur road off the east rim — but worth the detour. Volcanic spires formed by hot gas venting through ash deposits thousands of years ago. Unusual and photogenic. A completely different landscape from the rim views.
Side Trip
  • Hiking

90+ Miles of Trails.
Here's What's Worth Your Time.

Most trails accessible July through October only. For more trail options across Oregon, see our Oregon hiking guide.

Easy Hikes

Easy

Castle Crest Wildflower Garden

  • 0.4 mi loop
  • Minimal elevation
  • Near Steel Visitor Center
South entrance open year-round. Rim Drive buried under 10–15 ft of snow — becomes a ski and snowshoe trail. Free ranger-led snowshoe walks on weekends. Extraordinary solitude. Prepare for serious winter conditions and bring chains.
Easy

Godfrey Glen Trail

  • 1 mi loop
  • Flat
  • Pet-Friendly
An easy walk through old-growth forest above Annie Creek Canyon with views of volcanic spire formations. Flat, accessible, and one of the few pet-friendly trails in the park. Often overlooked.

Moderate Hikes

Moderate

Watchman Peak Trail

  • 1.6 mi RT
  • 420 ft gain
  • 60–90 min
Climbs to a historic fire lookout on the west rim with what many consider the single best view in the park: Wizard Island directly below, the full expanse of the lake, and Cascade peaks stretching to the horizon. Best in afternoon light.
Moderate

Discovery Point Trail

  • 2.6 mi RT
  • Minimal gain
Follows the west rim through forest and wildflower meadows to the spot where the lake was first seen by Euro-Americans. Gentle and scenic. One of the better sunset walks — Discovery Point faces west.
Moderate

Annie Creek Canyon Trail

  • 1.7 mi loop
  • 200 ft elevation change
Descends into a narrow canyon lush with wildflowers and fed by a year-round creek. A different perspective from the rim views — useful if you need a break from the lake visuals. Starts from Mazama Village.
Moderate

Plaikni Falls Trail

  • 2 mi RT
  • 100 ft gain
  • Best early summer
A forest walk to a waterfall fed by snowmelt from the crater rim. Best in early summer when water volume is highest. Not a rim trail — gives you a break from lake views with a different kind of beauty.

Strenuous Hikes

Strenuous

Garfield Peak Trail

  • 3.4 mi RT
  • 1,010 ft gain
  • 2–3 hrs
The most rewarding hike at Crater Lake. Climbs from Crater Lake Lodge along the south rim to a summit with 360-degree views of the lake, Wizard Island, Phantom Ship, and every major Cascade peak from Shasta to the Three Sisters. Wildflower meadows in July. You’re above 7,000 feet — take your time and drink water.
Strenuous

Mount Scott Trail

  • 5 mi RT
  • 1,250 ft gain
  • 8,929 ft summit
The highest point in the park. Less traveled than Garfield Peak and equally rewarding for the effort. Summit views extend east across the high desert to the Wallowa Mountains on a clear day. A legitimate backcountry experience within the national park.
⛔ Closed 2026–2028

Cleetwood Cove Trail

  • 2.2 mi RT
  • 700 ft elevation drop (steep return)
  • Reopens 2029
The only legal access to the lakeshore — under construction. Steep, strenuous on the return climb, and the most popular trail in the park. When it reopens in 2029, this is the trail that takes you to the water’s edge. For current construction updates: nps.gov/crla.
  • Where to Stay

Book Early.
Options Inside the Park Are Limited.

Summer weekends at Crater Lake Lodge sell out within days of opening. See our Oregon lodging guide for the full Southern Oregon picture.
★ The Best Experience

Crater Lake Lodge

Sits directly on the caldera rim — the rocking chairs on the back terrace, overlooking the lake at sunset, are one of those moments worth every dollar and every month of advance booking. Originally built in 1915, meticulously reconstructed in the 1990s. The dining room and Great Hall fireplace are the heart of the experience. Rooms are comfortable but modest — you’re here for the setting. Open late May through mid-October. Reserve as early as possible — summer weekends sell out within days of opening.
Book via craterlakelodges.com — directly, not through third parties.
Inside the Park · Budget

The Cabins at Mazama Village

More affordable, more basic inside the park. Simply furnished rooms near the campground, camp store, and gas station. No lake views, but a practical base without leaving the park. Open roughly June through late September.

Available through craterlakelodges.com

Inside the Park · Camping

Mazama Village Campground

214 sites for tents and RVs. Fire pits, picnic tables, bear-proof lockers, flush restrooms, dump station. No hookups. Book through recreation.gov — summer dates go fast. Our Oregon camping guide covers this and nearby campgrounds.

Also: Diamond Lake campgrounds, 20 min north of the park’s north entrance
🏙️ Outside the Park

Fort Klamath (30 min from south entrance) and Prospect (45 min from west entrance) are the nearest communities, both very small. Klamath Falls (60 miles south) has the nearest full hotel market. Medford is 75 miles southwest. Bend, 2.5 hours north, is a popular base for combining Crater Lake with Central Oregon.

  • Eating & Practical Logistics

Food Is Limited.
Pack a Cooler.

Food inside the park is limited. Crater Lake Lodge has a full-service dining room (reservations recommended for dinner) and a casual café. Annie Creek Restaurant at Mazama Village serves burgers, pizza, and casual fare. There’s a small camp store at Mazama Village for basic supplies. That’s essentially it.
Our advice: Pack a cooler with lunch and snacks. Eating a picnic at one of the rim overlooks with Crater Lake spread out below you is better than any restaurant meal in the park. If you’re staying multiple days, stock up in Medford, Klamath Falls, or Bend before heading in. For the full picture of dining in the region, see our Oregon food and drink guide.

💳

Entrance Fees
$30/vehicle peak season (May 22–Oct 31), $20 off-season. The America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers all national parks. Park has gone cashless — credit or debit card only at gates.

📱

Cell Service
Essentially nonexistent inside the park. Some spotty Verizon near Rim Village — don’t count on it. Download maps and needed information before you arrive. Check the park webcam for visibility before driving.

🐕

Pets
Allowed on leash on: Godfrey Glen, Pacific Crest Trail through the park, Lady of the Woods, and Grayback Road. Not allowed on rim trails or in buildings. Plan accordingly if traveling with dogs.
  • Oregon's Best Weird Fact

The Old Man of the Lake

A hemlock log roughly 30 feet long has been floating vertically in Crater Lake since at least the 1890s, when geologist Joseph Diller first recorded it. The bottom 24 feet sit below the surface; the top four feet stick above the water, bleached white by decades of sun and ice. The log drifts around the lake with the wind, sometimes traveling several miles in a day.
Nobody knows exactly when the Old Man entered the lake or why it floats upright. The leading theory is that rocks trapped in the root system act as ballast, keeping the heavier end down. In 1988, researchers tied the Old Man to a fixed point for a few weeks to study it. During that time, the weather turned unseasonably bad. Locals joke that the Old Man controls the weather. When they released it, the weather cleared. The correlation is certainly coincidence. Probably.
  • You can sometimes spot the Old Man from the rim with binoculars. Rangers at the visitor centers can tell you where he was last seen.
  • Winter at Crater Lake

Most Guides Skip This.
That's a Mistake.

Crater Lake in winter is one of the most spectacular and least-visited experiences in the national park system — and the south entrance is open year-round.

The south entrance stays open year-round. Highway 62 is plowed to Rim Village. Beyond that, the roads are buried under 10–15 feet of snow and become trails for cross-country skiers and snowshoers. Rim Drive, which carries thousands of cars per day in summer, becomes a silent white corridor with the lake visible through gaps in the snow-laden trees.

Ranger-led snowshoe walks are offered on weekends and holidays from late November through April (weather permitting). Free — the park provides snowshoes. You walk roughly a mile along the rim with a ranger who explains the geology, ecology, and winter survival strategies of the park’s wildlife. Participants need to be reasonably fit and at least eight years old. Reservations required — call the visitor center at (541) 594-3100.

Cross-country skiing along Rim Drive is one of the most remarkable winter experiences in Oregon. Ungroomed and unpatrolled — you need to be experienced and self-sufficient. But the scenery is extraordinary.

The practical realities: the access road can close temporarily during storms, chains are frequently required, the only facilities open are the Steel Visitor Center and a small gift shop, and temperatures on the rim can drop well below zero with serious wind chill. Check TripCheck.com before heading up. But if you come prepared, winter Crater Lake stays with you — the silence, the scale of the snow, and that impossible blue framed by white. See our Best Time to Visit Oregon guide for winter travel planning.

  • Combining Trips

Worth the Drive.
Make It Count.

Getting to Crater Lake represents a real commitment of driving time. Southern Oregon has enough around it to fill several days, and the park connects naturally to several recommended Oregon road trips.

Add 1 Day

The Umpqua Waterfall Corridor

If you’re approaching from the north entrance via Highway 138, you’ll pass through one of Oregon’s best-kept secrets: the “Highway of Waterfalls.” Toketee Falls, Watson Falls, and Clearwater Falls are all within a short drive of each other, with hikes under a mile. The approach we’d recommend for visitors coming from Bend or Roseburg.
Add 2–3 Days

Ashland & the Rogue Valley

Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Rogue Valley wine scene, and the Rogue River’s rafting and fishing combine with Crater Lake for a Southern Oregon trip that surprises everyone who expected nothing below the Willamette Valley. See our Southern Oregon guide.
Add 2–3 Days

Bend & Central Oregon

Drive north on Highway 97 to Bend for breweries, hiking, and the Cascade Lakes. The most popular multi-destination combination — works as either a loop from Portland or a one-way drive. Redmond Airport (RDM) is a convenient fly-out option.
7–10 Days

The Classic Oregon Loop

Portland → Columbia River Gorge → Bend → Crater Lake → coast → Portland. Hits four of Oregon’s eight regions and gives you the full spectrum from volcanic peaks to ocean beaches. Our road trips guide has the complete itinerary. For families: Oregon with Kids.
  • Frequently Asked

Crater Lake Questions.
Answered.

Yes. The park is fully open. The only closure is the Cleetwood Cove Trail and marina, which are under construction through 2028. Rim Drive, all other hiking trails, both visitor centers, Crater Lake Lodge, Mazama Village campground, and Mazama Village cabins are all operating normally. See the construction update section at the top of this guide for full details, or check nps.gov/crla.
1,943 feet (592 meters), making it the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depth, combined with the extraordinary water clarity — no rivers feed or drain it — is what produces the famous blue color. Sunlight penetrates to extraordinary depths and reflects only the deepest blues back to the surface.
Not during 2026–2028 — the Cleetwood Cove Trail (the only legal shore access) is closed for construction. When the trail reopens in 2029, yes, swimming is allowed at Cleetwood Cove. Be warned: the water temperature averages around 38°F at depth, with surface temperatures reaching about 55–60°F in late summer. Cold water shock is a real risk. If you swim when it reopens, stay close to shore and don’t stay in long.
A half day is enough to drive Rim Drive with several photo stops. A full day lets you add two or three hikes — Watchman Peak and Garfield Peak are the two best uses of that time. If you’re combining Crater Lake with the Umpqua waterfalls, Ashland, or the Rogue Valley, plan 3–4 days for the broader Southern Oregon region. Most visitors spend one day at the park itself, which is enough to see the highlights from the rim.
Early morning and late afternoon produce the best light and fewest crowds. The lake can be obscured by clouds, especially in afternoon thunderstorm season (July–August). Morning tends to be clearer. Sunrise from the Watchman area and sunset from Discovery Point are both exceptional. Check the park’s webcam before driving to confirm visibility — it’s saved many wasted drives.
Absolutely. The Cleetwood Cove hike and boat tours are wonderful, but 90% of the Crater Lake experience has always been from the rim — and the rim is fully open. The views, the hiking, the lodge, the geology, and that impossible blue are all exactly the same. Some visitors may actually prefer the 2026–2028 period: the closure of the park’s most popular trail means slightly fewer overall visitors.
Fort Klamath (about 30 minutes from the south entrance) and Prospect (about 45 minutes from the west entrance) are the nearest communities, both very small with limited services. Klamath Falls is the closest city with a full range of services, about 60 miles south. Medford is 75 miles southwest. See our Oregon lodging guide for accommodation options at every price point.
  • Plan Your Crater Lake Trip

Everything You Need.
In One Place.

Southern Oregon Guide →

Oregon Road Trips Guide →

Best Time to Visit Oregon →

Oregon Lodging Guide →

Oregon Camping Guide →

Oregon Hiking Guide →

Oregon Waterfalls Guide →

Oregon Food & Drink Guide →

Oregon Wineries Guide →

Oregon Breweries Guide →

Oregon Fishing Guide →

Oregon Events & Festivals →

Oregon With Kids →

Oregon Wildlife & Nature →

Plan Your Trip to Oregon →

Planning a Southern Oregon Trip?

Ashland, Rogue Valley, and everything in between — the full guide.
Southern Oregon Guide