During our August 2013 visit to Crater Lake National Park, we decided to take a two-hour boat cruise around the lake. The 2013 cruise prices were $35 per adult and $21 for children ages 3 through 11. Children under three years of age are not permitted. The cruises are operated by Xanterra, the park concessionaire, and have a park service ranger or trained volunteer on board to point out geological features of the caldera as well as provide scientific and cultural background to broaden the visitor's experience. To access the boat landing, all visitors must hike the 1.1 mile Cleetwood Cove Trail as described here. Advanced reservations are recommended and may be made online. Paid reservations for same day or next day excursions may be purchased at one of the kiosks at the Crater Lake Lodge at Rim Village and Annie Creek Gift Shop at Mazama Village. The reservations are converted to tickets at the ticket booth in the Cleetwood Cove parking lot. Tickets are verified before boarding the boat. For an extra fee, some excursions drop off passengers on Wizard Island for a couple of hours.
Our trip started on the "Rouge", but we immediately turned around and headed back to the dock due to a bad fuel filter. All of the passengers and the park naturalist transferred to the "Klamath" to restart our journey. The excursion proceeded around the lake in a counter-clockwise manner.
The short video below shows a portion of the excursion from Pumice Point toward Llao Rock.
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| Llao Rock from the northeast |
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| Llao Rock from the east |
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| Llao Rock from the southeast |
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| Devils Backbone |
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| Another view of Devils Backbone |
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| Hillman Peak |
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| The Watchman |
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| Wizard Island is over 750 feet tall |
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| Skell Channel and Hillman Peak |
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| Llao Rock behind Wizard Island |
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| Dutton Cliff, Applegate Peak and Garfield Peak |
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| Garfield Peak |
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| Hillman Peak and Wizard Island |
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| Llao Rock from across the lake |
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| Eagle Cove and Crater Lake Lodge |
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| Eagle Point |
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| Eagle Crags |
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| The Watchman, Hillman Peak and Wizard Island |
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| Eagle Crags |
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| Waterfall in Chaski Bay |
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| Chaski Bay |
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| Waterfall below Sun Notch |
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| Another waterfall in Chaski Bay |
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| Dutton Cliff from Chaski Bay |
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| Dutton Cliff |
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| The top of Dutton Cliff at elevation 8,106 feet |
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| Phantom Ship with the Watchman and Wizard Island in the left background |
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| Phantom Ship is an island 500 feet long, 200 feet wide and 170 feet tall |
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| Dutton Cliff from Danger Bay |
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| Kerr Notch |
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| Phantom Ship below Applegate Peak |
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| Pumice Castle above Cloudcap Bay |
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| Closeup of Pumice Castle |
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| Sentinel Rock |
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| Redcloud Cliff |
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| Palisades |
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| Palisades from the west |
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| Palisade Point |
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| Rugged Crest |
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| Cleetwood Cove Trail |
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| Cleetwood Cove Dock |
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| Sentinel Rock, Kerr Notch and Dutton Cliff |
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| Cloudcap with Mount Scott in the background |
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| Each of the fiberglass boats in the fleet seats 37 passengers |
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.
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