Our August, 2013, visit to Crater Lake National Park continued with a scenic drive around the 33-mile Rim Drive. We headed clockwise around the lake from the Rim Village area. The picture above was taken from the pullout at the base of The Watchman. Mount Scott is directly across the lake. Crater Lake fills a caldera that was created about 7,700 years ago when the approximately 12,000 foot Mount Mazama erupted and then collapsed upon itself. Wizard Island is a cinder cone crater formed by subsequent eruptions that rises 767 feet above the lake surface.
At 1943 feet deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. With no outfall and very little inflow, the lake is also one of the clearest in the world. The lake is nearly circular with an average diameter of about 5½ miles. Its elevation has remained relatively stable around 6173 feet above sea level for its entire recorded history. The cliff walls surrounding the lake range from 539 to 1,984 feet high. Precipitation in the form of rain and snow fills the lake while evaporation and underground seepage through the porous rock combine to drain it.
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| Wizard Island from Discovery Point |
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| Cloudtop, Mount Scott, and Dutton Cliff from Discovery Point |
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| Mount Scott and Dutton Cliff from Discovery Point |
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| View southwest toward Union Peak from Rim Drive |
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| Dutton Cliff, Applegate Peak and Garfield Peak on the rim and Crater Peak in the distance from an overlook between The Watchman and Hillman Peak |
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| The Watchman |
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| Discovery Point |
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| A 37 passenger tour boat passes 760 foot high Wizard Island |
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| Llao Rock looms 1875 feet above the lake |
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| Mount Thielsen is over 14 miles north of Hillman Peak |
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| Applegate Peak, Garfield Peak and Wizard Island from Merriam Point |
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| Cleetwood trail and dock with Grouse Hill in the background |
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| Skell Head and Sentinel Point from Pallisade Point |
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| Cloudcap Bay, Skell Head, Timber Crater and Mount Thielsen from Victor View |
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| The smaller island in the lake is called Phantom Ship |
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| Ridges recede into the distance |
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| 100 foot Vidae Falls from the roadside - taken by my daughter |
A $10 vehicle pass is valid for seven consecutive days at Crater Lake National Park. Another option is to purchase the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass valid for one year for $80. A lifetime Senior Pass is available for $10 for those 62 years of age or older.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm.
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