After all the driving that we did the day before it wasn't hard to fall asleep and be ready to go again early the next morning. This was another ambitious day of driving but what lay ahead of us today was something that we were very excited about seeing....Crater Lake.
The Drive to Crater Lake National Park
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| View on the way to Crater Lake National Park |
Ok....here was another drive that looked like it should be shorter when viewed on a map than what it really was. We decided to make the long drive the day before to put ourselves as close to Crater Lake as we could get to make it a little easier drive to get there the next day. Springfield, OR was about as close as we could get and still have a "real" hotel. If you check the driving distance it is approximately 132 miles from Springfield to Crater Lake....however.....it takes about 3 hours to actually drive that 132 miles!! I will say that it was worth every mile of the trip! The Park is really in the middle of nowhere so make sure that you plan your travel accordingly. We fueled up before starting out and packed up some snacks to take on our way.
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| View on the Way to Crater Lake National Park |
The drive itself is not a difficult one but is mostly 2 lane roadways. The scenery varies but there is a section where you travel near a river. That part is absolutely gorgeous and we just had to stop and take some pictures along the way.
Not all of the drive was this beautiful but it was more interesting than most of the drive around Olympic National Park so the time actually passed pretty quickly.
Crater Lake National Park
With an annual snowfall of 44 feet, it is surprising to find that the park is actually open year round. The problem is that you can't get very far into the park most of the year! Much of the year the North Entrance Road and the Rim drive are closed to cars. They usually close for the season around November 1 or earlier if there is a significant snowfall. Crews begin plowing the roads in April but opening dates vary. The North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive tend to open in early June. The East Rim Drive typically opens in early July. Highway 62 is open year-round. The road to Rim Village is also open year-round except for heavy snow storms.
We arrived at Crater Lake National Park on June 29th....and there was still a whole lot of snow around!
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Our Son standing by the plowed snow next to the roadway!
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Never in my life had I see that much snow....especially at the end of June!
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| Snow covered hills surrounded the area. |
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The roadways were clear but evidence of the heavy snows remained.
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One of the strangest things that happened to us on our trip happened at this point on the roadway. Remember those snacks that we picked up before we left Springfield? Well it included a bag of Ruffles Potato Chips. As we entered the park and started climbing in elevation we heard a really odd noise coming from the back seat. My son soon announced that the bag had blown up and looked ready to explode! Obviously the change in air pressure affected the chip bag!
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| Chip Bag expanding with the altitude! |
And the Pretzel Bag too!
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Yep...the pretzel bag blew up too!
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As we drove around a little further onto Rim Drive we came closer and closer to the lake itself.
Some quick facts about Crater Lake
1. This is the deepest lake in the United States. The depth is 1,943 feet.
2. The lake is fed by rain and snow but no rivers or streams. It is therefore considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world.
3. The water is exceptional for it's clarity and intense blue color. Believe me it was the bluest water I have ever seen.
4. The lake is 4.5 to 6 miles wide.
5. The lake rests inside a caldera formed approximately 7,700 years ago when a 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed following a major eruption. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island which is a cinder cone.
6. There isn't a bad view of this lake and it is absolutely breathtaking!
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| Welcome to Crater Lake |
This was the first view that we had of Crater Lake. There are many pullouts along the way and no two are alike. The water really is that BLUE! The first thing that we noticed when we stepped out of the car was,.....nothing. It was so quiet....so peaceful that you heard nothing! The lake is calm and looks like glass!
Here are some pictures of the views around the lake.....they will speak for themselves....
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| The water is bluer than blue! |
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| Panorama of the beautiful view! |
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| Wizard Island |
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| Just a beautiful, beautiful place |
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Even the birds match the water!
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Rim Village
As we made our way around the drive to Rim Village, we made a stop at the village for a restroom break. As well as restrooms, they have a gift shop and cafe where you can buy lunch (prices are pretty steep here but there really is NOTHING else around). There is also a lodge here where you can stay. The gift shop was large and had lots of items to look at and spend some time. The snow here was pretty amazing also. Again....it's the end of June!!!
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| The gift shop at Rim Village |
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The snow piled up as high as the roof! Would have been a great place for a Christmas Card Picture!
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After our stop at the Village we continued on our way and still there were more sights to see....
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| Wizard Island |
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Our last view of Crater Lake
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Boat Tours
Just a quick note on the boat ride across the lake. The boat ride had it's first day of operation the day that we were there. We chose not to do the tour as there is a huge walk to the boat area and back. The Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only legal access to the shore of Crater Lake. The hike is steep and strenuous. It drops 700 feet in elevation in 1.1 miles. Going down would be ok but going back up is the equivalent to climbing 65 flights of stairs! If you are in good shape and feel that you can make the walk, tickets can be purchased over the phone, from automated kiosks at the gift shop and lodge. Tickets go on sale exactly 24 hours in advance. The boat tour takes approximately 2 hours. They do sell 74 tickets per day to visit wizard island. The 9:30 AM and the 12:30 PM boats are the only ones that stop at the Island. The stay is 3 hours at the Island before your return. Boat Tours run between the end of June - the first of September.
Thoughts about Crater Lake
My final thoughts on Crater Lake is that is very well may be the most beautiful place I have ever had the privilege of seeing. It is so quiet and peaceful and just awe-inspiring. It is a bit of a drive to get there but the pay-off is huge. I know the park is open year round but I think it would be a shame to miss being able to go around Rim Drive. As it was, the entire drive was still not open when we were there but the majority of it was. If you can plan a trip here during the summer months, I think you would be able to see a whole lot more than during the winter months.
Back to Portland
After taking our tour of Crater Lake National Park, it was time to head back North to Portland. This was another 5 hour drive. So all in all it was another long driving day. Our stop for this evening was at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport. This was a very nice hotel. Wonderful lobby and beautiful suite. The only thing I will say is that, like all Embassy Suites, this one was extremely crowded and loud on a weekend. We ate at the hotel restaurant for dinner. It was so busy that the servers were noticeably frazzled. Our food was good and service was good considering how busy it was. This Embassy Suites was the traditional set up with the lobby in the center and the floors going around the lobby. The noise carries terribly in these set ups. It's not usually a problem during weekdays when it's business travelers but it is very, very loud on weekends when large families invade the hotels. We had children running around till around midnight going from floor to floor and hiding outside the rooms from each other. The room was comfortable and once the noise quieted down we had a great night's sleep. The employees were friendly and very helpful.
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| Our King Size master bedroom at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport |
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| Dining area in our suite |
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| The lobby of the hotel...after it had cleared out a bit! |
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| The best feature.....lots of outlets!!! No fighting for outlets to charge our electronics! |
One of the things that we enjoy at the Embassy Suites is the hot, made-to-order, breakfasts buffets that they offer. Well this one was extremely stressful.....all those large families invaded the free breakfast area at one time. It was packed. The poor employees couldn't keep up with the food and drink required. I have never seen a feeding frenzy quite like this one. We were able to get some food but it was not a relaxing situation!
I honestly believe that this hotel would be a much better experience on a weekday and would try it again if in the area.
Coming Next: Things to see on the Drive back to Seattle
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