Unreal! Like quite honestly felt like another world. Steep going down and back up, but so worth it. We drove the loop first and stopped off way too many times lol! We thought the Tamolitch pool was blue but heck this blew it away! It is so vast and so mesmerizing. We took pics of all the must see things like phantom ship and pumice castle. We also caught shots of the smoke from the wildfires in CA. Our favorite though was Watchman Point. We went early in the evening and had it mostly to ourselves. People came and went but super cool because you are the closest to Wizard Island which is pretty awesome! I was able to use a super zoom on my camera and could see the volcano top and everything! We really loved this place!

This was our annual snowshoeing trip to Crater Lake. There was about 6 feet of snow at the Rim. Many other couples were snowshoeing. The favorite "trail" is to follow the snow covered road to Discovery Point, about 1.3 miles each way. Dogs are only allowed around the parking lot. It was a clear day, warm for February.

Your visit to Crater Lake will vary greatly depending on the season. I visited in early May. During this time, you drive up through tunnels of deep snow to a sparsely visited park on the south side of the lake. You can more or less just get some views near the gift shop and down by the lodge. Most everything is snowed in. For example, the snow pack you walk on is up to the third floor observation deck on the restaurant. This does offer some beautiful snowy views that you cannot get in the summer. It also offers the benefit of driving up free of snow on the roads, despite the snow pack being all around you. The lake is lovely, but I simply cannot recommend it on the same tier as other great National Parks like Olympic or Rainier to the north and Redwoods to the south. Even in the summer, I can't imagine there is enough here to meet the level of those other nearby parks. Lovely views, but limited scope of variety here.

If you’re going to see Crater Lake, then that’s what you get. Spectacular natural feature and worth seeing. The geological explanation graphics at the Rim Village were a little sparse and could use a creative update. Before and after effects with a map of ash flow depths and extent would be nice-get on it USGS.

Unless you stay in the national park, you may be traveling more than an hour to get to this national park. But it is well worth it. The views at and near Rim Village are spectacular. The lake itself and its backdrop are simply stunning. Entrance fee is $30 or you can buy the annual pass to all national parks for $80. Most likely there will be a traffic jam and you may take 30 minutes or more to gain entry into the park. But once again, it is well worth it. Probably best to bring a picnic and your own supplies because the shops and restaurants are quite expensive. Even in late June, there was snow on the ground and some of the rim roads around the lake were closed. Also, bring insect repellent, especially to deal with the annoying mosquitoes.

We came to the park in late June and the boats were not open year and the rim road was not open to car travel yet. But, we were still about the hike the rim and just enjoy relaxing while taking in the lake. It’s just so peaceful and relaxing here.

My husband and I absolutely loved our visit to Crater Lake NPS. We did the Cleetwood Cove Trail so we could go down and touch the water (no way was I jumping in, it was way too cold even in July) and that was probably the busiest section of the park. Our first arrival day we got there about 4:30 PM and the entire park was empty. We did encounter a TON of mosquitos though and they were REALLY bad. We got a lot of bites so please wear layers and bring bug spray. When we went back the following morning it was busier but still not too bad compared to other national parks we’ve been to. I think it helped that we were there during the week and went the day after the 4th of july.

Crater lake national park is very nice. The lake is stunning. So many colors of blue and reflections. They have two different areas with general stores. Bathrooms and parking. There are a few nice drives just follow the maps. And enjoy the views.

There was no line to get into the park. We paid $30 entrance fee. The views are amazing on all stop. There are a lot of apportunity to take a postcard like photo. The best part was our hike down to Cleetwood Cove Trail. It took 15 min to go down and 20 min to go back up. There are bedrocks to sit on and lots of area to dip in the water. The water was really cold but we are able to take a swim. Be ware of slippery rocks. We saw lot of people slipping and falling. A must see when your in the area.

There are no words to accurately describe the beauty of this lake. The blue color of the water is unlike any blue I have ever seen. Parking at the visitor center can be tricky, but if you get there early, you should be ok. We only had 1 day in the park, so we drove around the rim and stopped at all the view points. Sadly, they were not running the boat tours yet.