Crater Lake is 1 of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. It is the deepest lake in US and it is the cleanest lake in North America. The lake does not have any inlet or outlet. Thus it does not get polluted easily. Crater Lake is about 4 hours away South of Portland, but it is the place that you must visit when you are in Oregon!
Getting to Crater Lake from Portland is quite easy. Simply take I5 South all the way down to Eugene. Once you get to Eugene, you will switch to highway 58 and then merge onto highway 97. At the Diamond Lake Junction, make a left turn onto highway 138 and follow the sign to Crater Lake. Highway 138 is a very very straight road! It is a pretty cool view with such straight road! At the entrace of Crater Lake National Park, the admission fee for each car is $15. Unfortunately Northwest Forest Pass does not work here.
You will not see Crater Lake yet after you enter the park. You will have to drive for around 5 minutes to get to Rim Drive. At the junction of Rim Drive, there is Merriam Point overlook where you can stop by to take the first peak of Crater Lake! The first time we saw Crater Lake, we were overwhelmed by how blue it is! The water seems so calm that provides some kind of mysterious feeling!
Now you can drive our car along Rim Drive to go around Crater Lake and stop at each look out point. First I recommend you to take South Rim Drive first. You will pass by Crater Lake lodge. If you are staying here for a night, you don't have to stop here yet and you can keep on driving along Rim Drive. At each look out point by Rim Drive, there are board signs explaining the history of Crater Lake. Each look out point also provides magnificent views of Crater Lake from different angle. Also, don't just get attracted by Crater Lake! There are look out points at the opposite side of Rim Drive as well! You get a great view over the forest and the wilderness of Crater Lake National Park!
The only on site lodge at Crater Lake is the Crater Lake Lodge. If you don't like to camp and only want to stay at the hotel, make sure you book early! The rooms at Crater Lake Lodge get booked very fast! The rate of the hotel room is about $200 per night. The room itself is quite small and a bit old, but you can't expect too much from it. There is also a fine dining restaurant on the first floor of the lodge. You can enjoy your dinner and wine while enjoying the view of Crater Lake.
At night, make sure you do head out and have a walk around Crater Lake. The sky is very clear and you will be able to see milky way with your naked eye! For photo enthusiast, it is the perfect opportunity to take some photos with stars! You can even see the reflection of the stars on the surface of Crater Lake! How amazing is that? Just remember to dress properly and keep yourself warm since the temperature at Crater Lake can get quite cold at night!
While you are at Crater Lake, make sure you take the boat to the Wizard Island. Wizard Island is a small island in Crater Lake that looks like a wizard hat. In order to get to Wizard Island, you have to make reservation at Crater Lake Lodge the day before the boat departure. (note you can only make reservation the day before) Then you will hike down to the shore of Crater Lake and take the boat to Wizard Island. Also make sure you are physically fit to climb back up! Once you are at Wizard Island, there are 2 trails that you can take. First trail is to hike up to the top of the Wizard Island and you will get the view of the lake and the crater at the top of Wizard Island. The second trail is along the rocky shore. You should have enough time to do both trails. When you do the rocky shore trail, make sure you stay on the trail and don't get lost! Once you are at the shore, you can get a feel of the water. It is so clear and yet so cold!
Other than visiting Wizard Island, there are several other hiking trails along Crater Lake. If you are lucky, you might see groups of deer wondering around in the forest or on the road! The landscape around the Crater Lake is also very unique. You will see Pumice Formation at the end of one of the trails. There are also several trails that lead you to the top of the hill and give you a gorgeous view of Crater Lake.
Lastly, if you are worried about food and water supplies, there is a shop beside Crater Lake Lodge. It sells various souvenirs and food supplies.
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