ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

Crater Lake National Park - Oregon — Crater Lake National Park – Oregon

Did you know that Oregon has a National Park? If you answered “No”, you are not alone. In southern Oregon, just north of the California border, is Crater Lake National Park. And we’re here to tell you, and show you, why this national park needs to be on your bucket list. So here’s our ultimate guide to Crater Lake National Park!

ABOUT CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

If the name didn’t give it away, Crater Lake is named as such, because it is a giant lake that resides inside of a crater that was formed by a fallen volcano. Mount Mazama was a volcano that erupted over 7,000 years ago, and the collapse of the volcano created this crater. The last eruption to occur in Crater Lake was around 4,800 years ago. Over time, due to the climate that Mount Mazama was located in, the crater filled up with rain water, and snow during the winter. We’ll touch more on that later on in the best time to visit section, but let’s just say… It gets A LOT of snow!

WHERE IS CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK LOCATED?

Crater Lake is somewhat remote, and located in the far southern part of Oregon roughly 1 hour from the Oregon/California border. The closest major city is Portland Oregon, and it’s about a 4 hour drive away, or Reno/Tahoe which are also about 5 hours away. This remoteness tends to deter people from visiting. The good news, is there is not only a TON to do in Crater Lake National Park, but also in the surrounding areas.

DRIVE FROM:

SAN FRANCISCO: 6 hours
RENO/TAHOE: 4 hours
PORTLAND: 5 hours

MAP OF CRATER LAKE

ENTRY TO CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

Good news! No reservations or timed entries required! Also good news, no long lines of vehicles waiting to enter the park! Not having to worry about timed entry reservations or lines of vehicles, makes visiting this park so much easier than that some of its sibling parks. There is however still an entry fee, and depending on when you visit, the price may vary.

During non-winter months (May-October), Crater Lake has a standard 7-day vehicle pass for $30. If you plan to visit during the winter months (November-May), the price for the same 7-day vehicle pass is only $20. But there is a very good reason for this, which we’ll touch on below in the best time to visit section. If you are someone who lives in the Southern Oregon / Northern California (or the surrounding area) and would like to visit Crater Lake often, they do have a $55 annual pass that you can get as well. You can view all the entry and pass options HERE.

If you are someone like us who is either on a mission to visit every single National Park in the U.S., or plans to visit more than 2 or 3 U.S. national parks per year, then we’d highly recommend getting the America The Beautiful Pass. For $80, this annual pass gives you full access to all 63 National Parks in the U.S., as well as any federal recreational sites that charge a fee for entry. Stay at 3 National Parks and this easily pays for itself.

CRATER LAKE ENTRANCES

Crater Lake National Park Sign from West Entrance

There are three different areas where you can enter the park, but there is only one official entrance at the southern end of the park. One is the North Entrance which is near Diamond Lake, one is the Western Entrance coming from Union Creek, and the third is the South Entrance coming from Klamath Falls. There are two visitors centers, the Rim Visitor Center and the Steel Visitor Center. The Steel Visitor Center is currently closed for remodeling and is expected to reopen in spring of 2023.

THINGS TO DO IN CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

If you aren’t familiar with Crater Lake National Park, and it wasn’t obvious, Crater Lake is most known for its giant lake inside the crater. While it might seem like there wouldn’t be much to do, other than see the lake, that couldn’t be further from the truth. So let’s get in to all the fun and unique things there are to do in Crater Lake National Park!

DRIVE THE RIM ROAD & OVERLOOKS

If you like driving or roadtripping, then this is THE perfect activity! There are over 30 scenic pullouts and a number of designated overlooks like the Phantom Ship Overlook on this road, all giving you unique views and perspectives of the lake. And some have hikes or even waterfalls to view right from the road. This is about the easiest activity you can do. We’d recommend planning a full day for this. You’d be surprised how long it could take to cover the entire rim.

DIFFICULTY – Easy
LENGTH – 0.0mi / km
TIME NEEDED – Half-day to full-day
PET FRIENDLY – Yes!

WATCHMAN OVERLOOK

This is undoubtedly the best viewing spot around the lake. With a decent sized parking lot, and large overlook platform area, and THE best view of Wizard Island, this is one of the most popular spots along the Rim Road. If you’re an avid photographer, this is also one of the best spots to get some Milky Way or astrophotography shots of the lake.

DIFFICULTY – Easy
LENGTH – 0.0mi / km
PET FRIENDLY – Yes

WATCHMAN PEAK TRAIL

From the Watchman Overlook, there is a short trail which runs up to Watchman Peak where there is a fire lookout overlooking the crater. If you’re looking for a unique view and perspective of the lake, while also getting in some activity, this is the perfect option!

DIFFICULTY – Easy to Moderate
LENGTH – 1.7mi / 2.7km
PET FRIENDLY – No

LIGHTNING TRAIL

View of Wizard Island from Lighting Trail

Looking for a more challenging activity? Here it is. Also from the Watchman Overlook, there is a looped trail called Lightning Trail (signage also calls it Rim Trail) that runs 23 miles long. Don’t feel like spending an entire day hiking, that’s ok. You can hike for as long as you want, and turn back. We opted to hike north as the trail skims the rim of the crater for about 1.5 miles. From here, you’ll also have great views of a number of cinder cone volcanoes scattered around the area.

DIFFICULTY – Easy to hard
LENGTH – 0.00-22.8mi / 0.0-36.6km
PET FRIENDLY – No

PHANTOM SHIP OVERLOOK

In the southeastern portion of the lake, is a rock formation that sticks up out of the water, called Phantom Ship. It is named as such because to many, it looks like the mast and sails of a ship. To us, it looks more like the back of Godzilla than a ship, but it truly is in the eye of the beholder. What do you see?

DIFFICULTY – Easy
LENGTH – 0.00mi / 0.0km
PET FRIENDLY – Yes

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PINNACLES OVERLOOK TRAIL

From the Phantom Ship Overlook, there is a road that runs south called Pinnacles Drive. This is a dead-end road that leads you to a trailhead and overlook to view a canyon full of spires, or pinnacles. The hike is short and easy, but provides some great views of these unique rock formations.

DIFFICULTY – Easy
LENGTH – 1.6mi / 2.6km
PET FRIENDLY – No

SUN NOTCH TRAIL

Speaking of Phantom Ship, as you continue on driving the Rim Road, along the southern part of the crater, there is a pull-off with a relatively short and easy hike called Sun Notch Trail, that gives more incredible views of the Phantom Ship. The hike is less than 2 miles with minimal elevation, making it perfect for all adventurers.

DIFFICULTY – Easy
LENGTH – 1.6mi / 2.6km
PET FRIENDLY – No

CLEETWOOD COVE TRAIL

Wanting to get a closer view of the lake? Maybe even touch the water? Or go fishing? Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only legal trail around the lake that allows you to get down to the lake shore. The trail is roughly 2 miles long, and is incredibly steep. The National Park website notes it as being similar to climbing down and back up a flight of 65 stairs. There are also quite a few rules and regulations for going in the water, so make sure to check the NPS website before going!

DIFFICULTY – Hard
LENGTH – 2.0mi / 3.2km
PET FRIENDLY – No

EXPLORE WIZARD ISLAND

Looking for a more unique experience, or view of the lake? Well this is the activity for you. Crater Lake National Park partners with Crater Lake Hospitality to provide boat tours that not only tour the entire lake, with a Park Ranger as your tour guide, but you can also visit Wizard Island, and even hike to its own crater as well! A few things to keep in mind though, in order to go on the boat tour, you must be able to hike down and back up the Cleetwood Cove Trail as this is the only location with boat access. Tours are also seasonal due to the extreme winters. You can read more about tours HERE.

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

If you own a full-body camera, then Crater Lake is a playground for astrophotography. Because there aren’t any major cities nearby, the night skies absolutely light up with not only stars, but the Milky Way also! You can literally see it with your eyes. But put your camera on a tripod, and set a long exposure, and you’ll get some incredible night sky photos! Even better, do it from Watchman Overlook and get some night-time shots with Wizard Island!

ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES

The above activities are just the things we found interesting, but there is so much more to do and see here. If you are an avid biker or cyclist, biking around the Rim Road would be a great activity! If you’re a wildlife lover, there are a ton of animals unique to this park and area. For the best sunrise or sunset views of the lake, Cloudcap Overlook was recommended to us. And if you’re looking for an intense hike, check out Mt Scott just east of Crater Lake.

And for a full list of hikes in the park, you can check this page HERE.

WHERE TO STAY IN CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

Since Crater Lake is so remote, finding a good place to stay that is both affordable and not an hours-long drive away is key. Luckily there are a number of options.

INSIDE CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

Inside Crater Lake National Park are 3 different forms of accommodations:

Crater Lake Lodge
Cabins at Mazama Village
Mazama & Lost Creek Campgrounds

All 3 of these options close for the winter season, so you’ll want to plan accordingly if you plan on visiting during the winter months. You can find more info about all of these options HERE.

OUTSIDE CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

Staying outside of the park opens up your options a bit, but you are more likely to have a longer drive to and from the park as most of the accommodations are located in towns that are close to an hour or so away. We’ve found the most options to be in the towns south of Crater Lake along highway 62, like Fort Klamath and Chiloquin. You can see what’s available HERE.

FOR VANLIFERS

If you are a vanlifer like us, and looking for a place to stay in or around the park, then we have some suggestions. Crater Lake does not allow for overnight car camping inside the park. That being said, there are a number of “snow-parks” outside of the Rim area, but still technically inside the park boundaries, that you can overnight camp at. We stayed at Annie Creek snow-park south of the park for a couple of nights and were 1 of close to 10 vehicles that parked there overnight. Now this is obviously subject to change at any time, and from what we understand, overnight parking is not permitted here during the winter months. So we’d recommend also checking apps like iOverlander for recent reviews from other nomads.

BEST TIME TO VISIT CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

One of the major benefits of being so remote, is that you don’t have to worry as much about large crowds of people. This applies to lines of vehicles trying to get in, parking lot space, campground availability, and the hiking trails! That being said, there are seasonalities to the park. During the winter, Crater Lake can receive up to 45ft / 14m of snow. And as a result, much of the Rim Road that runs through the park, closes for the winter, which ultimately removes the ability to do many of the activities we noted above.

Our recommendation would be to visit in the spring between late April and June, or fall between August and October.

SEASONS

SPRING

Avg Low temps: 37ºF / -6ºC
Avg High temps: 40ºF / 4ºC

SUMMER

Avg Low temps: 35ºF / 2ºC
Avg High temps: 60ºF / 15ºC

FALL

Avg Low temps: 35ºF / 2ºC
Avg High temps: 60ºF / 15ºC

WINTER

Avg Low temps: 25ºF / -5ºC
Avg High temps: 35ºF / 2ºC

HOW MUCH TIME IS NEEDED

How much time you need to plan for in a place, is one of the most important questions to answer when planning a trip. Luckily in this case, this National Park is not massive, making it relatively easy to cover a lot of ground in a smaller amount of time. Based on our visit and experience, we feel 2-3 days (think weekend getaway) is a perfect amount of time to cover most or all of the activities we mentioned above. If you are looking to make a longer trip out of it, you could either spread out the activities, maybe rent one of the cabins or an Airbnb, and have an easy-going week.

If you are more keen to making a longer trip out of it, we’d recommend venturing further out and doing some activities in the surrounding areas of the park. We’ll get to that below in a bit.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

The main things to consider with this park, are really the climate & weather, and lodging. As you can see above, the temperatures can get very low overnight, making non-lodging camping tough. And with the amount of snow Crater Lake gets during the winter, you’ll probably want to avoid coming during the winter months. Aside from this, Crater Lake National Park is one of the easier parks to visit in our minds.

PLACES TO VISIT OUTSIDE OF CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

We mentioned a couple times above, that there are a lot of things to do outside of Crater Lake National Park. And since it’s in a pretty remote area, there are a number of things that we typically recommend to others that they tack on to their trip to cover some other remote activities in the same trip. Here’s a short highlight of those places and activities.

BURNEY FALLS – CALIFORNIA

Burney Falls is one of the best and most incredible waterfalls you could visit in California. It’s located inside McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, and is very accessible. We’d highly recommend!

DISTANCE FROM CRATER LAKE – 3 hours

MOUNT SHASTA – CALIFORNIA

One of the tallest peaks in California is Mount Shasta at 14,163ft / 4,316m. With numerous places to hike and get incredible views from or of this mountain, it’s a must-visit for sure!

DISTANCE FROM CRATER LAKE – 2.5 hours

BEND – OREGON

One of our absolute favorite places in Oregon, is Bend Oregon. This quaint town is littered with outdoor activities for both humans and pups, tons of breweries (they even have a Bend Ale Trail with a stamping passport!), and so much more. At 2.5 hours, this is a great way to turn a weekend getaway in to a week-long vacation!

DISTANCE FROM CRATER LAKE – 2.5 hours