At Sun Notch, there was a great view of Phantom Ship, thus named because 2 layers of volcanic lava caused this protrusion that looked like a ship.

Crater Lake, OR

Felix Wong's avatar
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On my way up to Bend, I decided to camp overnight at Crater Lake in Oregon. Formerly a volcano that collapsed after an eruption 7000 years ago, Crater Lake is the only national park in this state. It also happens to be the deepest lake in the nation—1943 feet at its maximum depth—and 7th deepest in the world. The water, some of the most pristine in the world, is a blue hue a tad deeper than that of the sky, and so placid that the enclosing rock walls are mirrored with perfect symmetry.

When I arrived at the park it was about 6:00 p.m. on a Friday night, and there were just 5 campsites left at Mawama Village. These were RV campsites too, so the Alfa Romeo got to pretend she was an RV tonight. : ) The campsites were relativley pricey ($18 for a tent site; $20 for an RV site) but pretty posh. In addition to having a table and bear locker at each of the 313 campsites, there were BBQ grills at each one, and bathrooms with mirror, running water, and flush toilets were a short walk away. Showers ($0.75 for 4 minutes) and laundry facilities were available at Mawama Village, where a restaurant should be opening up in 2006.

I had a couple of hours to spare before it got dark, so I went for a little bike ride. The roads around the crater have lots of low-to-moderate grade climbing, and were well-maintained. They did, however, were bordered by really steep dropoffs. These were certainly not the roads to be even the slightest bit drunk or careless on as one miscue meant certain death into the precipices below.

After that was dinner… for the mosquitos. On my “to buy list” now are citronella candles–in the meantime, in the late evening, I think I will either have dinner in the car, or in the sanctity of my tent. Nevertheless, I got great sleep (8 hours), and woke up at about 6:10 a.m. to pack up camp and then get to the showers before a whole horde of campers would do so just a little bit later.

There are many good viewpoints. At Sun Notch (a 1/2-mile hike round trip) one can see the Phantom Ship, which is protrusion shaped like a ship and resulted from 2 layers of lava from separate eruptions. Further down the road is a side road that lead to The Pinnacles. This side road is a gradual descent all the way down, and I was able to coast all the way in neutral (in the car) to get down there. In addition to the many overlooks off of Rim Road there is a trailhead that leads down to a boat dock where boat rides are given. I was there a bit too early for a boat ride but I did hike all the way down to the boats (>700 feet below and ~2 miles of hiking round trip).

All in all, this was a worthwhile side trip.

I had a couple of hours at Crater Lake before it got dark, so I went for a 14-mile bike ride. Here's Canny in front of Vidae Falls.
I had a couple of hours at Crater Lake before it got dark, so I went for a 14-mile bike ride. Here's Canny in front of Vidae Falls.
The Mawama Campgrounds were pretty posh, relatively speaking, with showers and laundry machines available. By this time I was able to set up my trusty Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD in 5 minutes flat.
The Mawama Campgrounds were pretty posh, relatively speaking, with showers and laundry machines available. By this time I was able to set up my trusty Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD in 5 minutes flat.
At Sun Notch, there was a great view of Phantom Ship, thus named because 2 layers of volcanic lava caused this protrusion that looked like a ship.
At Sun Notch, there was a great view of Phantom Ship, thus named because 2 layers of volcanic lava caused this protrusion that looked like a ship.
The road around Crater Lake is a [33-mile] scenic route, stated the Crater Lake map. So true. Very steep dropoffs bordered most of the roads, however. This is actually one of the few shoulders.
The road around Crater Lake is a [33-mile] scenic route, stated the Crater Lake map. So true. Very steep dropoffs bordered most of the roads, however. This is actually one of the few shoulders.
There was a 7-mile side road that I coasted (in the car) all the way down in neutral. At the end of it was this view of The Pinnacles.
There was a 7-mile side road that I coasted (in the car) all the way down in neutral. At the end of it was this view of The Pinnacles.
Crater Lake in almost all of its entirety.
Crater Lake in almost all of its entirety.
One can even get boat rides on the lake. I did not, though I did hike all the way down (>700 feet below, ~1 mile) to get closer to the water.
One can even get boat rides on the lake. I did not, though I did hike all the way down (>700 feet below, ~1 mile) to get closer to the water.