Guide To Visiting Crater Lake National Park In A Day
Oregon is well known for its unrivaled natural beauty, and nowhere truly captures this statement better than Crater Lake National Park.
This deep blue lake is famous for its scenic vistas, surrounded by meadows with wildflowers sprinkled on the mountain sides, which seems to slope into the waters.
It’s also a popular fishing spot, has jaw-dropping waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and caves.
We’re so glad we went – it’s spectacular and a worthy stop on your Oregon Road Trip, and easily viewable as a day trip from Eugene or Umpqua National Forest.
In this guide, we’ll share everything you need to know about visiting Crater Lake National Park and how you can spend a day here.
About Crater Lake National Park
Nestled in the remote mountains, this sapphire jewel of South-Central Oregon is a geological wonder
The 1,943 feet deep Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US and the second deepest in North America.
Nearly 8,000 years ago, Mount Mazama blew the lid of its mountain. Rock and lava collapsed into the mountain’s crater, creating a massive caldera in replacement of what was a 12,000 ft. peak
Over time the caldera filled with rain and snow to create the spectacular Crater Lake, which is Oregon’s only national park.
Why is Crater Lake so blue?
Crater Lake is famous for its blue color, and you may have thought it was only photo-shopped by photographers around the world showcasing it, but it’s natural!
Crater Lake holds a no filters needed persona.
The reason it is so blue is because of its purity. Water molecules, just plain water with no sediments, algae, pesticides or pollution, will absorb all the colors of the spectrum except the blues.
There are 4.6 trillion gallons of relatively pure water in Crater Lake, which is why you get this sapphire blue.
Things to Do in Crater Lake National Park in a Day
1. Drive the Crater Lake Rim Scenic Drive (East Rim Drive)
The 33 mile East Rim drive offers beautiful viewpoints and interpretative signs along the way.
Even though Crater Lake is small enough to take in its entirety at every viewpoint (especially Phantom Ship Overlook), each viewpoint offers a different perspective just as beautiful as the other.
My favorite was standing behind Wizard Island and experiencing the different color blues form turquoise to aqua and deep blew.
This is one of those vistas that will stay with me forever.
We could only do a small section of the drive from the north entrance to the south as the east rim was closed still because of snow. Many of the hiking trails were also still closed.
Our trip was very minimal, but still worth doing, especially considering it was only an hour from our campsite in the Umpqua National Forest.
If you don’t want to do the drive, there is a Crater Lake Trolley tour you can take.
2. Admire the views from Crater Lake Lodge
Crater Lake Lodge is a historic lodge that was built in 1915 and is perched 1,000 feet above the lake’s surface.
It offers beautiful views of the lake, surrounded by hemlock, fir, and pine trees, especially if you can grab a swinging chair on the porch.
We ate at the lodge here, although I personally found it overpriced and underwhelming.
My recommendation is that you take a picnic lunch and find a spot anywhere on the rim.
3. Take a Boat Tour to Wizard Island
Wizard Island is a 763-foot cinder cone rising from the within the caldera, created after the volcano collapsed.
During the summer, Wizard Island boat tours combine a tour of the lake’s perimeter with three hours to spend on the island – plenty of time to hike to the summit and take in the panoramic view, fish, swim, and explore this unique part of Crater Lake National Park.
Keep your eyes on the lookout for some of the region’s famous bird life, including hawks, eagles, and warblers.
4. Hike the Cleetwood Cove Trail
We were hoping to do the Cleetwood Cove hike down to shores of Crater Lake, but it was closed. Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only legal access to the shore of Crater Lake.
Cleetwood Cove Trail is a steep and strenuous hike, so make sure you have adequate fitness and strength to handle it, remembering the hard slog comes last.
In 1.1 miles the trail drops 700 feet in elevation through a series of long switchbacks. The trail surface is crushed pumice, which is loose and slippery under foot and the trail is only partially shaded. Walking up the trail is comparable to climbing 65 flights of stairs.
Swimming, wading and fishing are permitted in the lake. It was high on my bucket list to swim in Crater Lake, no matter how cold. Oh, well, next time.
You may also love the mystical and unique Mono Lake in California
5. Go fishing on the lake
Crater Lake is well known for its fishing amenities.
Anglers will find a whole bunch of different types of fish to catch, from kokanee salmon to rainbow trout! What’s more is you don’t need a fishing license and no restrictions on the size of trout or salmon you catch!
You can either fish from the shore or from the boat dock on Wizard Island, but not motor road bridges.
6. Hike to Discovery Point
From Rim Village, you can hike a lovely short hike to a scenic overlook called Discovery Point.
The hike starts from the west entrance of Rim Village is only 1.3 miles and is quite easy, taking roughly an hour to do.
It follows an old miner’s trail and has lovely vistas of the pine forests, Wizard Island, and the west-side of the lake.
Best Time to Visit Crater Lake National Park
Surprisingly the park is open year round, however only the south entrance is plowed during the winter time, so the best time to visit Crater Lake National Park is in Spring until early Fall.
The most popular months to visit are July until September, as this is when you can experience good weather, however the shoulder season of October and June are good times as the crowds are thinner but the weather is still good.
When we visited (mid-June), over half the lake was still closed due to snow, which reached far higher than the beast – our gigantic Ford 250 – could handle.
Crater Lake receives 44 feet of snow annually. Someone was still skiing down the steep mountain slopes on our visit to Crater Lake, in the middle of summer, which was awesome to see.
Where to Stay near Crater Lake
If you want to stay near the lake, we recommend you stay near Mazama Village or Klamath Falls.
Mazama Campground is only open in the summer but it’s a popular place to stay by the lake because it’s surrounded by beautiful forest and has 214 sites, allowing plenty of space for visitors.
Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and bear-resistant food locker.
Running Y Ranch Golf & Spa Resort in Klamath Falls is a popular place to stay and offers comfortable rooms and resort facilities. They have an indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna. See availability and reviews here.
- The Crater Lake Resort, just two miles from Crater Lake, is another popular place to stay. See availability and reviews here.
Car and RV Rental
You will need a vehicle to explore this region. You could do a road trip loop of Crater Lake, but most likely you’ll need to pick up a rental car from Eugene or Portland if you don’t have your own.
If you prefer a campervan, RVshare is the first and largest peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. They can accommodate any kind of outdoor adventure for your Pacific Northwest road trip.
Whether a weekend camping trip or longer tour of multiple states, they have a range of rentals from affordable travel trailers to luxury motorhomes.
Crater Lake National Park Video
More Oregon Travel Tips
Need more inspiration for visiting Oregon? Here are some other helpful guides…
- Don’t Miss Things to do in Bend Oregon (Beer is included)
- Cool Things To Do In Portland Oregon (the non-boring guide)
- Highlights of Columbia River Gorge (Multnomah Falls + Hood River Road Trip)
- Don’t Miss the Beautiful McKenzie River Valley in Oregon
- Adventures on Your Oregon Road Trip Not To Miss!
- Great Pacific Northwest Road Trip Ideas
- 20+ Highlights of an Oregon Coast road trip
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Are you planning to visit Crater Lake? What are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments.
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