Crater Lake

When I was about 13 I came to this magical place with my family. It left an incredible impression on me and now, about 35 years later, I get to share the experience of being here with another truly special person in my life. I think Crater Lake is one of the most stunningly spectacular places I have ever been. So here are lots of photos. Yes, it really is that blue.

Crater Lake lies in the caldera of Mount Mazama formed 7,700 years ago after an eruption. It is the deepest lake in the United States and is known for its blue colour and water clarity. There are two islands in the lake  (Wizard Island and Phantom Ship) and, with no inlets or outlets, all water comes through precipitation. 

On the aforementioned trip to Oregon, Washington and California, we had all been enamoured of the chipmunks and ground squirrels (there is a difference, apparently: the former has strips on its head; the latter does not). Back then we did not have digital cameras, and so we took rolls of film, which we developed when we returned to England, to discover multiple prints of blurred stripes and splotches of colour. Now, I could indulge, and this little fellow was happy to pose for me. 

The Mount Scott trail is at an elevation of 2,342 m (7,683 feet), and the trail climbs approximately 451 m (1,479 feet) to the top of Mount Scott at 2,723 m (8,934 feet). Yes, I was breathless, but with breathtaking scenery like this, who could blame me?

We walked down to the lake  via the Cleetwood Cove Trail - this is the only legal access to the shore and is described as 'a strenuous and steep switchback trail with a steep grade (11%). The trail is recommended only for those in good physical condition. It should not be attempted by anyone with heart, breathing, or walking problems.' It was steep and warm work, but the views were rewarding.

It would be impossible to stop people from immersing themselves in the water (although the pristine blue is easier to preserve if not contaminated with the unguents with which people cover themselves), so there are a couple of spots where folk can so do. There were queues of boisterous and squealing teenagers lining up to leap into the water - and lots more whooping and shrieking when they did. Summer temperatures of the surface water range from 10-16°C (50-60°F), while the water more than 80m (260ft) beneath the surface remains cold all year long at a temperature near 3°C (38°F).

Rim Trail is supposedly the best hike in the park if you're looking for breathtaking vistas. Following the southwestern edge of the cauldron, it does indeed offer superlative look-outs over Wizard Island.

The Watchman

Wizard Island was once the site of elaborate Klamath Indian rituals. It is a volcanic cinder cone which reaches about 230 m (755 feet) above the surface of the lake. The cone is capped by a volcanic crater, which was named the 'Witches Cauldron' by William Gladstone Steel in 1885, who gave Wizard Island its name at the same time. I love the fact that there is another crater lake within Crater Lake.

Witches Cauldron on Wizard Island in Crater Lake

As well as renaming things, William Gladstone Steel was best known for campaigning for 17 years for the United States Congress to designate Crater Lake as a National Park, which they did in 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt made it the sixth US National Park. Steel believed it was important to develop the lake to bring the public to the lake, and he sold the idea of a lodge and a road that would encircle the crater's rim. Rim Drive was completed in 1918. Other projects, however, such as a lift to take people to the lake's surface, and roads around the lake itself and to Wizard Island for cars, were fortunately not so well received.

We then went for a walk along the Pinnacles Trail, which unsurprisingly passes by stacks of pinnacles. These volcanic pumice spires are coloured various shades of grey and brown and they are surrounded by the lush greenery of pine woods, which throws them into graphic relief. Also known as fossil fumaroles, they are formed by erosion along the edge of the Wheeler Creek Canyon. 

At the end of the track, this cairn-like marker reminded me of a stone dalek. 

Exterminate!

According to the National Park Service website, Crater Lake is one of the snowiest inhabited places in the U.S.A. While the park is open all year round, many of the roads (including the Rim Drive) are closed from mid-October to late June. Indeed the roads close for the season 'with the first big October snowstorm, or on November 1, whichever comes first'. An average year sees 44 feet of snow dropped on the park, and it becomes a winter paradise for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobile trails. This makes for spectacular photographs but very tricky access. We were lucky to see it looking so calm and tranquil in the summer sunshine. 

Phantom Ship

Western Tanager (I think) at Vidae Falls