Crater Lake National Park Guide: Rim Drive, Best Hikes and When to Go

Visit Crater Lake National Park from mid-July to late September, when the 33-mile Rim Drive is usually fully open and the snow has melted from the trails. Spend one full day: drive the Rim, stop at a dozen viewpoints, hike Watchman Peak for sunset and Garfield Peak in the morning, and check whether the Cleetwood Cove Trail is open for a swim or boat tour. Stay at Crater Lake Lodge or in Mazama Village. Outside summer, expect deep snow and closed roads.

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, about 1,943 feet deep, and one of the clearest anywhere. It fills the caldera of Mount Mazama, a volcano that erupted violently and collapsed about 7,700 years ago. No rivers flow in or out. The lake is fed almost entirely by rain and snow, which is part of why the water is so pure and so astonishingly blue. The first time you walk to the rim and look down, the color doesn’t look real. It is. Photos never quite capture it, and most visitors spend their first few minutes simply staring. Plan your trip well and you will have time to see the lake from every side, in morning calm and evening gold, and maybe even touch the water.

The Klamath people, whose ancestors witnessed the eruption, tell stories of the battle between Llao, spirit of the underworld, and Skell, spirit of the sky, that explain the lake’s creation. The lake remains a sacred place to them.

• 1,943 ftDeepest lake in the US
• 7,700 yearsSince Mount Mazama collapsed
• 33 miRim Drive around the caldera
• ~43 ftAverage annual snowfall at park headquarters

The snow decides everything

The single most important planning fact: Crater Lake gets enormous amounts of snow. Park headquarters averages around 43 feet a year. Snow often covers the ground from October into June or July, and parts of the Rim Drive usually don’t open fully until July. Trails at higher elevations may hold snow into August in heavy years.

That means the park’s real season for most visitors is short: roughly mid-July to late September. Outside it, the South Entrance and Rim Village usually stay open year-round, so you can still see the lake from the rim, if the weather cooperates. But clouds and storms can hide the lake completely in winter and spring. If you’re planning a road trip through Oregon in June, know that you may see snowbanks taller than your car and only part of the Rim Drive.

Rim Drive: the stops worth making

The Rim Drive circles the caldera for 33 miles, with more than 30 pullouts. Give it at least three hours with stops; a full day is better. Drive it clockwise, so viewpoints are on the right side of the road. Highlights:

The East Rim Drive is sometimes closed on certain days for car-free events, when cyclists and walkers have the road. Check the park calendar.

The best hikes

Watchman Peak is about 1.6 miles round trip, climbing about 420 feet to a historic fire lookout with a sweeping view of the lake and Wizard Island. It’s the best sunset spot in the park. Bring a jacket and a headlamp for the walk down, and arrive early; the small parking area fills before sunset in midsummer.

Garfield Peak, starting behind Crater Lake Lodge, is about 3.4 miles round trip with about 1,000 feet of gain. Wildflowers line the trail in summer, and the summit view is huge.

Mount Scott, the park’s highest point at 8,929 feet, is about 4.4 miles round trip. On clear days, you can see far across the Cascades.

Plaikni Falls, about 2 miles round trip and nearly flat, leads through old-growth forest to a waterfall fed by snowmelt. Good for families and anyone short on time.

The Pinnacles trail is a short, easy walk past tall spires of hardened volcanic ash.

All trails at Crater Lake are at high elevation, between about 6,000 and 9,000 feet. Go slowly, drink water and give yourself time to adjust. Our altitude sickness guide explains why.

Getting down to the water

The Cleetwood Cove Trail, on the north side of the lake, is the only legal way to reach the shoreline. It’s about 2.2 miles round trip, dropping roughly 700 feet in steep switchbacks. Going down is easy. Coming back up is like climbing a 65-story building. At the bottom, you can swim in the lake, if you dare; surface water is usually only in the 50s or low 60s even in August. People jump from a rock ledge into the deep water.

From the cove, seasonal boat tours circle the lake, and some stop at Wizard Island, where you can hike to the summit of a cinder cone. Tickets are limited and sell out.

The Cleetwood Cove Trail and boat dock have had seasonal closures for reconstruction in recent years. Check the park website before planning around a swim or boat tour.

A one-day plan

Morning: enter through the South Entrance, stop at Rim Village and walk to the Sinnott Memorial overlook. Hike Garfield Peak.

Midday: lunch at Rim Village or a picnic at a pullout. Start the Rim Drive clockwise.

Afternoon: stop at Discovery Point, hike down to Cleetwood Cove if it’s open, then continue to Cloudcap Overlook and Phantom Ship.

Sunset: drive back to Watchman Peak and hike up for sunset over Wizard Island.

With two days, add Mount Scott, Plaikni Falls and the Pinnacles, and stay for the stars. Crater Lake’s high elevation and remote location make for very dark skies.

Winter at Crater Lake

In winter, the park becomes a quiet snow world. The road from the South Entrance to Rim Village is usually plowed, but chains or traction tires may be required. Rangers lead snowshoe walks on weekends in season, and you can cross-country ski or snowshoe along the unplowed Rim Drive. Backcountry travelers can circle the whole rim on a multi-day ski trip. Bring warm layers, check road conditions before driving and expect the lake to be hidden by clouds on many days.

Where to stay

Crater Lake Lodge, opened in 1915 on the rim, is one of the classic national park lodges, with a great hall and rocking chairs facing the lake. It’s open roughly from late spring to early fall and books up early. See our national park lodges guide. The Cabins at Mazama Village, near the South Entrance, are simpler and cheaper. Mazama Campground has tent and RV sites in summer. Outside the park, Klamath Falls, about an hour south, and Bend, about two hours north, have many more options. Smaller towns like Chiloquin, Prospect and Diamond Lake are closer.

Getting there

The nearest airports are Medford, about an hour and a half away, and Klamath Falls, about an hour. Portland is about four and a half to five hours north. Crater Lake fits well into a larger Oregon road trip. Combine it with Bend, the Oregon coast and Portland; see our Oregon coast road trip and Portland weekend guide.

How the lake formed, in plain terms

Mount Mazama was once a tall volcano, probably around 12,000 feet high, part of the chain of Cascade volcanoes that includes Mount Rainier and Mount Hood. About 7,700 years ago, it erupted with enormous force, blasting out so much ash and pumice that layers of it are still found across much of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. With its magma chamber emptied, the top of the mountain collapsed into itself, forming a bowl about five miles across called a caldera. Smaller eruptions followed, building Wizard Island and sealing the floor. Over centuries, rain and snow filled the bowl. Today, the amount of water added by precipitation is roughly balanced by evaporation and seepage, keeping the lake level fairly steady. Standing on the rim, you are on the broken edge of a mountain that once rose thousands of feet above your head.

Photography tips

The lake’s color is best on calm, sunny days around midday, when sunlight reaches deep into the water and the surface is smooth. Early morning often brings mirror-like reflections of the caldera walls, especially from Discovery Point and the west rim. For sunset, Watchman Peak gives the best view as the light turns the cliffs gold and pink. At night, the Milky Way rises over the lake in summer; the dark skies here are excellent. A polarizing filter deepens the blue and cuts glare. And bring a wide-angle lens; the caldera is big enough that even a wide frame barely fits it in.

Fun facts

• A floating tree stump, nicknamed the Old Man of the Lake, has been bobbing upright in the lake since at least 1896, drifting around with the wind.
• Wizard Island is a cinder cone that formed after the caldera collapsed.
• Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902, one of the earliest national parks in the country.
• The lake’s deep blue color comes from its depth and clarity; sunlight’s other colors are absorbed, leaving blue.

Packing list

• Warm layers and a windproof jacket; the rim is often cold and breezy
• Sturdy shoes for steep trails and lingering snow
• Sunscreen and sunglasses; UV is strong at high elevation
• A swimsuit and towel if Cleetwood Cove is open
• Snacks and water; food options in the park are limited
• Binoculars for Phantom Ship and the Old Man of the Lake

Fill your gas tank before you arrive. Fuel is sold at Mazama Village in season, but it’s limited, and the nearest towns are a long drive away.

Wildfire smoke

Late summer sometimes brings wildfire smoke to southern Oregon, which can hide the lake or make air quality unhealthy. Check air quality forecasts and park alerts before your visit, and keep flexible dates if you can. Early to mid-July and September often have clearer air.

What it costs

Entry is $35 per private vehicle in summer, valid for seven days, with a lower winter rate, or covered by the annual America the Beautiful pass. Crater Lake Lodge rooms often cost $250 to $400 a night in summer. Cabins at Mazama Village are cheaper. Boat tours charge extra. Campsites cost roughly $25 to $45 a night.

With kids

Kids enjoy Plaikni Falls, the Pinnacles and the Junior Ranger program. Watchman Peak is a manageable climb for school-age children. Keep a close eye on them along the rim, where drop-offs are steep and some viewpoints have low walls. The Cleetwood Cove Trail is hard on the way back up for young kids; consider skipping it.

Common mistakes

Visiting in May or June expecting the full Rim Drive. Snow often closes it.

Driving the Rim in a rush. Give it a full day.

Assuming you can always swim or take a boat. Check Cleetwood Cove status.

Forgetting layers. At 7,000 feet, mornings are cold even in August.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your visit

1. Choose dates between mid-July and September.
2. Book Crater Lake Lodge or Mazama Village cabins early.
3. Check Cleetwood Cove and road status on the park website.
4. Plan sunset at Watchman Peak.