When Carl and I were planning our trip back in May, we came across Crater Lake National in our research. Neither of us had heard of the park but thought it was a decent midpoint between Portland and Lake Tahoe. As soon as we saw photos, we knew we had to go.
To summarize a long and complex geological history, Crater Lake was formed when a volcano, Mount Mazama, collapsed into itself. For 7,700 years, rain and snowmelt accumulated to form the deepest lake in the United States, famous for its deep blue color. After a 4-hour drive, we caught our first glimpse.
To summarize a long and complex geological history, Crater Lake was formed when a volcano, Mount Mazama, collapsed into itself. For 7,700 years, rain and snowmelt accumulated to form the deepest lake in the United States, famous for its deep blue color. After a 4-hour drive, we caught our first glimpse.
The beautiful Crater Lake
For our first activity, we decided to hike to Cleetwood Cove, an inlet located along the northern coast. The lake is surrounded by steep walls of volcanic rock and Cleetwood Cove is the only area where park visitors can visit the lake on foot. We hiked the 1.1 mile serpentine trail, descending nearly 700 ft, and basked in the glory of Crater Lake. I had never seen water so blue or so crystal clear.
Carl relaxing by Crater Lake
Our hike back to the top wasn't nearly as easy but we eventually made it to the car and left for Steel Visitor Center. There, we watched a great 22-minute film that gave plenty of background information on the park. After stretching our legs, we decided we still needed more time to recover and went to set up camp. We then had no more excuses and went to see more of the park.
The first trail we visited was called the Sun Notch Viewpoint. As you might expect, the trail had amazing views! It was really just a short walk, made special by massive trees and a great number of birds flying overhead. Although a bird nearly soared right into Carl's head, we had fun goofing off and attempting to climb trees.
Carl chasing after a mean bird
For our next adventure, we decided to hike to Plaikni Falls. When snow or rain falls on Crater Lake National Park, it either flows into the lake or down the outside of the crater. Plaikni Falls is formed by the latter. The hike began pleasant as ever. We strolled and talked until all of a sudden, thousands of mosquitos swarmed on us. We literally started jumping around, swatting until Carl remembered he had insect repellant on him. After being sufficiently doused, we realized the waterfall must be close and found it right around the corner. Plaikni Falls cascaded from 30 ft above us into a stream of icy cold water.
Carl admiring the majestic Plaikni Falls
It was time for dinner so Carl and I headed back to the campsite. We had a quick dinner at the nearby Annie Creek Restaurant but decided it was too early to just go to bed. We could continue listening to Harry Potter or perhaps watch a TV show. No! What do hardy mountain men do at the end of the day? Build a fire and drink beer. So that's what we did. Armed with fire starter, kindling, a lighter, matches, newspaper, and a pile of firewood, we set out to make fire. It was actually really easy and we felt stupid for being so over-prepared, but we had fun burning everything anyway. After dousing the fire, we were off to bed.
Drew enjoying a cold one by the campfire
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