Awesome! Thrilling! Hardly words to describe how beautiful Crater Lake is in person! The excitement of seeing this lake with water so richly blue it is difficult at best to describe. Crater Lake offers dramatic views and is worth spending a little time.
A trip to a National Park is always a treat, or we seem to think, and we look forward to our stays in the parks as very special. We love the dramatic scenery you find nowhere else on earth. Although we find some of the campsites a little tight, we always find some that will accommodate our home on wheels. Most National Park campgrounds only offer “dry camping”, however we found that at Mazama Campground at Crater Lake they have a limited number of campsites with 30-amp electricity available.
The best way to “see and feel” a National Park, or any place, is to get out and investigate and walk the place (so to speak). Our ambitions being high, we took a look at the park newspaper we were given when entering the park and marked out the trails we felt best suited for, considering our time line and ability. So excited were we after first arriving, we couldn’t wait and took the Annie Canyon Trail from our campground down to the stream where we so fondly remembered seeing the little “dippers” when we visited here back in 2001. We did not see any little birds this time, but we did see plenty of ground squirrels and chipmunks and the walk was just as lovely. It seems to me there was more water this time, but there is not way to know that for sure.
After a night with a full moon and a sky full of stars above, we awoke very early anxious to take our picnic lunch and hit the rim road around the lake with a few trails marked for this days exploration. First stop was the Visitor Center to see the film on the park. This is always a good place to go first to get any additional information on trails, wildlife, and a history of the park. Then off to the Lodge since that is a great gathering place and we have found them to be historical and rustic in their beauty and charm. They usually offer one of the most striking views of the park.
First hike of the day took us up to Watchman Overlook at 8013 ft! This was a 420 ft elevation change from the road and total distance 1.6 mi. The starting point looks a little dreary with the falling rock on the north side of this peak, but the south side offered wildflowers, forest, and stunning views. Lovely walk really and of course the view from the Overlook (a historic fire lookout still used today). There are grasshoppers here that click… they sound just like a rainbird rotating sprinkler head. Fun to listen to them and watch them flitting here and there, clicking all the way.
After continuing on the ride around the rim and more lookout points, we arrived at Cleetwood Cove for the 2.2 mi walk to the water. This was an elevation change of 700 ft from the road and I can say the walk down offered stunning views of the sunlight dancing on the water. The walk down seemed easy enough and there appeared to be little benches placed strategically along the way. There is a rocky beach where many cooled their warm dusty feet. A few brave soles jumped in for a little dip! Earl tried to pick up a crawdad that had other ideas and nipped his finger! The walk back up was what took all the time of course, and the dust, and what happened to all those little benches strategically placed? The benches were still there, just being used by many others who found the way back up a little breath taking (in the literal sense). The clouds were gathering, with threats of thunderstorms, but it was very warm and we had the same threat the night before with such a small pattering of rain there was no evidence we had even had any moisture. So we trudged up the trail with so many others and were so thankful for the water we had taken on our walk!
After such a long day of two good hikes, we stopped at Grotto Cove for a view of Wizard Island from the eastern side of lake, and enjoyed our picnic lunch! Afterwards headed for home with a stop at Phantom Ship overlook. Had a bit of a thrill by seeing Clark’s Nutcracker land on a white bark pine tree and hammer away at a pinecone looking for his evening meal.
National parks are unique in so many ways and one of people’s most desired sights is of wild animals. There is nothing quite like seeing a deer in the meadow or a mountain goat munching away on the trail you have chosen to hike. No such luck here, however we were thrilled to have a big fuzzy brown bear come dashing out in front of us as we were rounding the bend towards our campground! He took off in a big hurry and knowing we were so close to our campground reinforced the signage of bear country so beware!
The outside thermometer read 80 degrees when we arrived home. The clouds gathered strength and before we knew it we were hearing thunder in the distance. As we listened we could hear it coming nearer and before long noticed the lightning strikes. Always a thrill to see small hail coming down and the ground flooding, although our door mat doesn’t look as if it will recover soon. The temperature dropped to 55 in a hurry! Sort of fun except for the real threat of lightning started fires and that sort of thing. Whoever heard of a beautiful red sunset during a rainstorm, but that is what we have experienced! Looking out one side of the rig we see pinkish sky and the other side is bright orange.
The following morning brought bright blue sky with the sun shining in all its glory, and a few little cloud bursts here and there blowing by as if to say we are still here although not threatening today.
The East Rim of the Crater Lake drive is different in terrain in that there are more meadows and I do believe it is more dramatic. There are clusters of trees, but more meadows and sheer drop offs, which add to the drama and excitement of that part of the rim drive. Sun Notch hike is very easy and should not be missed. Here you get a wonderful view of the Phantom Ship as well as a distant view of Wizard Island. The colors in the water on this day were a wonder to behold and varied from light turquoise to near navy/purplish blue hues. This was a pretty stop just walking through the meadow, although the views of the lake were well worth the time too.
The Pinnacles are another ‘oddity’ here at Crater Lake that should be seen. They are chimneys that were formed from the volcanic eruption and now that the dirt from around them has been eroding away, you can see each smoke stack (so to speak) and their funny formations. They look more like a sand castle with a good imagination and huge hillsides of these all in one location along the Sand Creek. A walk to the end of the trail will bring you to the East Entrance of the parks boundary line. It is an easy walk and level, which helps after climbing up and down hillsides on other trails. They are a marvelous sight to behold and although not overly colorful as perhaps the Utah and Arizona National Parks they have a beauty of their own and certainly something we have not seen anywhere else or even heard of before seeing them here.
At the Phantom Ship overlook there is a lovely view again of the Phantom Ship, but here we were thrilled to watch Clark’s nutcracker in action. That’s right, a lively little bird a bit larger than a jay that is gray with black on his wings and a pure snowy white rump. He is a friendly curious bird and one who oddly enough has helped in the planting of trees here at this park. He hammers away at the pinecones of the white bark pine tree and gathers about 100 seeds in his throat that he then buries to eat later on in the year. If you look at these trees you will notice it looks as if there are several trunks growing from one, but no, it is just places where the bird forgot his stash and the seeds grew.
Cloudcap is the highest peak along the rim and the coolest, or was the day we visited that spot. It was so windy it about took your breath away, but yes, another truly lovely view of the lake and of Mount Scott nearby. Mount Scott doesn’t look like much, but it is the highest peak in the park and offers a truly stupendous viewpoint of the lake and its surrounding area.
One should never miss the Ranger talks these parks offer. We have found whenever we visit a National Park and are fortunate enough to partake of a ranger talk we always learn more about the park than we would have ever known otherwise. The talks are informative and the atmosphere is always friendly. These people must love their occupations because they certainly give a colorful story of the area they are portraying.
One of our goals is to visit most all the National Parks and thus far we have not been disappointed in any of them. They are all unique in their own way and some have similarities and some are as different as night and day and so far all are worth going to. Do we have our favorites? You bet, but then we are west coasters too and raised in this wild land where so many of the National Parks are located. If you are looking for serenity, natural beauty and a place that is unique, then you are probably looking for a National Park.
A trip to a National Park is always a treat, or we seem to think, and we look forward to our stays in the parks as very special. We love the dramatic scenery you find nowhere else on earth. Although we find some of the campsites a little tight, we always find some that will accommodate our home on wheels. Most National Park campgrounds only offer “dry camping”, however we found that at Mazama Campground at Crater Lake they have a limited number of campsites with 30-amp electricity available.
The best way to “see and feel” a National Park, or any place, is to get out and investigate and walk the place (so to speak). Our ambitions being high, we took a look at the park newspaper we were given when entering the park and marked out the trails we felt best suited for, considering our time line and ability. So excited were we after first arriving, we couldn’t wait and took the Annie Canyon Trail from our campground down to the stream where we so fondly remembered seeing the little “dippers” when we visited here back in 2001. We did not see any little birds this time, but we did see plenty of ground squirrels and chipmunks and the walk was just as lovely. It seems to me there was more water this time, but there is not way to know that for sure.
After a night with a full moon and a sky full of stars above, we awoke very early anxious to take our picnic lunch and hit the rim road around the lake with a few trails marked for this days exploration. First stop was the Visitor Center to see the film on the park. This is always a good place to go first to get any additional information on trails, wildlife, and a history of the park. Then off to the Lodge since that is a great gathering place and we have found them to be historical and rustic in their beauty and charm. They usually offer one of the most striking views of the park.
First hike of the day took us up to Watchman Overlook at 8013 ft! This was a 420 ft elevation change from the road and total distance 1.6 mi. The starting point looks a little dreary with the falling rock on the north side of this peak, but the south side offered wildflowers, forest, and stunning views. Lovely walk really and of course the view from the Overlook (a historic fire lookout still used today). There are grasshoppers here that click… they sound just like a rainbird rotating sprinkler head. Fun to listen to them and watch them flitting here and there, clicking all the way.
After continuing on the ride around the rim and more lookout points, we arrived at Cleetwood Cove for the 2.2 mi walk to the water. This was an elevation change of 700 ft from the road and I can say the walk down offered stunning views of the sunlight dancing on the water. The walk down seemed easy enough and there appeared to be little benches placed strategically along the way. There is a rocky beach where many cooled their warm dusty feet. A few brave soles jumped in for a little dip! Earl tried to pick up a crawdad that had other ideas and nipped his finger! The walk back up was what took all the time of course, and the dust, and what happened to all those little benches strategically placed? The benches were still there, just being used by many others who found the way back up a little breath taking (in the literal sense). The clouds were gathering, with threats of thunderstorms, but it was very warm and we had the same threat the night before with such a small pattering of rain there was no evidence we had even had any moisture. So we trudged up the trail with so many others and were so thankful for the water we had taken on our walk!
After such a long day of two good hikes, we stopped at Grotto Cove for a view of Wizard Island from the eastern side of lake, and enjoyed our picnic lunch! Afterwards headed for home with a stop at Phantom Ship overlook. Had a bit of a thrill by seeing Clark’s Nutcracker land on a white bark pine tree and hammer away at a pinecone looking for his evening meal.
National parks are unique in so many ways and one of people’s most desired sights is of wild animals. There is nothing quite like seeing a deer in the meadow or a mountain goat munching away on the trail you have chosen to hike. No such luck here, however we were thrilled to have a big fuzzy brown bear come dashing out in front of us as we were rounding the bend towards our campground! He took off in a big hurry and knowing we were so close to our campground reinforced the signage of bear country so beware!
The outside thermometer read 80 degrees when we arrived home. The clouds gathered strength and before we knew it we were hearing thunder in the distance. As we listened we could hear it coming nearer and before long noticed the lightning strikes. Always a thrill to see small hail coming down and the ground flooding, although our door mat doesn’t look as if it will recover soon. The temperature dropped to 55 in a hurry! Sort of fun except for the real threat of lightning started fires and that sort of thing. Whoever heard of a beautiful red sunset during a rainstorm, but that is what we have experienced! Looking out one side of the rig we see pinkish sky and the other side is bright orange.
The following morning brought bright blue sky with the sun shining in all its glory, and a few little cloud bursts here and there blowing by as if to say we are still here although not threatening today.
The East Rim of the Crater Lake drive is different in terrain in that there are more meadows and I do believe it is more dramatic. There are clusters of trees, but more meadows and sheer drop offs, which add to the drama and excitement of that part of the rim drive. Sun Notch hike is very easy and should not be missed. Here you get a wonderful view of the Phantom Ship as well as a distant view of Wizard Island. The colors in the water on this day were a wonder to behold and varied from light turquoise to near navy/purplish blue hues. This was a pretty stop just walking through the meadow, although the views of the lake were well worth the time too.
The Pinnacles are another ‘oddity’ here at Crater Lake that should be seen. They are chimneys that were formed from the volcanic eruption and now that the dirt from around them has been eroding away, you can see each smoke stack (so to speak) and their funny formations. They look more like a sand castle with a good imagination and huge hillsides of these all in one location along the Sand Creek. A walk to the end of the trail will bring you to the East Entrance of the parks boundary line. It is an easy walk and level, which helps after climbing up and down hillsides on other trails. They are a marvelous sight to behold and although not overly colorful as perhaps the Utah and Arizona National Parks they have a beauty of their own and certainly something we have not seen anywhere else or even heard of before seeing them here.
At the Phantom Ship overlook there is a lovely view again of the Phantom Ship, but here we were thrilled to watch Clark’s nutcracker in action. That’s right, a lively little bird a bit larger than a jay that is gray with black on his wings and a pure snowy white rump. He is a friendly curious bird and one who oddly enough has helped in the planting of trees here at this park. He hammers away at the pinecones of the white bark pine tree and gathers about 100 seeds in his throat that he then buries to eat later on in the year. If you look at these trees you will notice it looks as if there are several trunks growing from one, but no, it is just places where the bird forgot his stash and the seeds grew.
Cloudcap is the highest peak along the rim and the coolest, or was the day we visited that spot. It was so windy it about took your breath away, but yes, another truly lovely view of the lake and of Mount Scott nearby. Mount Scott doesn’t look like much, but it is the highest peak in the park and offers a truly stupendous viewpoint of the lake and its surrounding area.
One should never miss the Ranger talks these parks offer. We have found whenever we visit a National Park and are fortunate enough to partake of a ranger talk we always learn more about the park than we would have ever known otherwise. The talks are informative and the atmosphere is always friendly. These people must love their occupations because they certainly give a colorful story of the area they are portraying.
One of our goals is to visit most all the National Parks and thus far we have not been disappointed in any of them. They are all unique in their own way and some have similarities and some are as different as night and day and so far all are worth going to. Do we have our favorites? You bet, but then we are west coasters too and raised in this wild land where so many of the National Parks are located. If you are looking for serenity, natural beauty and a place that is unique, then you are probably looking for a National Park.
1 comment:
Early and Cyn,
I enjoyed your Crater Lake National Park write-up and I'm glad you had such a good time. Thanks so much for posting your trip experience.
Rob Mutch
Executive Director,
Crater Lake Institute
www.craterlakeinstitute.com
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