Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake National Park, Oregon)

Not long after I moved to Reno several years ago, I took a long drive up through the Black Rock Desert of Northern Nevada and eventually came out not far from Crater Lake. It was early in the season, but not knowing the snow conditions, I decided to go ahead and visit the park. While I was unable to camp on that trip due to the snow, I was overwhelmed by the magnificent blue vastness of this natural wonder. As my wife and I have been on number of trips over the last couple of years, I wanted to share this beauty with her.

Leaving Lava Beds, we made our way to the city of Klamath Falls and while we had intended to camp this night, the extreme heat and my wife’s lack of sleep from the night before prompted us to get a hotel room before continuing on into the park. We had a wonderful dinner and rose early to finish the drive to Crater Lake, an hour or so beyond Klamath Falls.

Entering the park, it’s a very steep road up to the ridge of the collapsed volcano, which has filled with snowmelt to become one of the deepest lakes in the world. We stop at the visitor center to get a map and try to figure out exactly what we want to do, and then make our way up to the lodge, which sits on the ridge of the lake.

Upon one’s first viewing of Crater Lake, the extreme blueness cannot be over stated. Living near Lake Tahoe for many years now, I have some basis for comparison and there really is none. Crater Lake, as we are later told by a ranger, has been scientifically proven to be the clearest lake in the world, which also means that on a day like today the blue sky above gives the lake the most amazing color known. While always somewhat reserved, it’s pretty obvious that my wife is enthralled by the wonder in front of her eyes. We walk casually around a paved trail at the lodge and then down a steep path to the man-made Sinnott Memorial Lookout, which offers an unobstructed view of the lake. It is truly awe-inspiring.
After reviewing the map, we decide to take the short drive around the rim trail to the East to a spot called Sun Notch. It is our hope that we will be able to see the smaller of the two islands, Phantom Shop, from this vantage point. A short hike uphill puts us at a terrific altitude and looking down directly onto the Phantom Ship, which while small from this perspective is actually something like 5 stories tall above the surface of the water. How it got is name is obvious, as it has the general shape of a pirate ship sailing on the calm lake currents. Unlike the much larger and obvious at first glance Wizard Island, this little feature is tucked back into a quiet cove, which probably adds to it’s mystery.

We head back to the campground and begin to set up camp in the hopes of catching a quick nap before meeting some friends at the lodge’s dining room for a late dinner. We awake after an hour or so and drive back up to the lodge to enjoy a wonderful meal and some cheerful company.  After dinner, we chat in the fire-warmed lobby of the lodge until nearly 1:00AM. Finally looking at the clock, I suggest we should head back to camp. We wish our friends a safe journey home and walk out of the warmth of the lodge. We are all immediately awestruck by the lack of artificial light outside and the multitude of stars above us. The Milky Way is clearly visible in the heavens over our heads, and with the lake in the foreground, I can’t imagine a more divine image. Truly, truly amazing to see with human eyes. If only, I had the camera equipment to capture the image . . .

Arriving back at our campsite, Cass and I bundle up for what will prove to be a fairly cold night in a tent. We awake the next morning, break camp, and begin the long drive back home. The trip was definitely worth it.