Crater Lake Scenic Rim Drive

Crater Lake Scenic Rim Drive Oregon

Crater Lake Rim Drive is a scenic highway in Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It is a 33-mile (53 km) loop that follows the caldera rim around Crater Lake. Because of its unique engineering and the surrounding park landscape, the drive was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. 

Rim Drive is located high in the Cascade Mountains. At its lowest point, Rim Drive is 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level. The road reaches almost 7,900 feet (2,400 m) at its highest point on top of Cloudcap. Rim Drive has eight main viewing areas with roadside parking. Four of these observation points (Pumice Point, Skell Head, Cloudcap, and Kerr Notch) are located just off the road. Short trails from parking areas lead to the other four observation points (Sinnott Memorial, Discovery Point, Watchman Lookout, and Merriam Point). In addition to the main viewing areas, there are 15 turnout vista points along the road

Crater Lake Formation

Crater Lake was formed by a volcano - The history of how this park began is absolutely incredible. Crater Lake sits in the caldera of the collapsed volcano Mount Mazama and is surrounded by incredible old-growth forests, evergreens, and of course volcano remnants. Mount Mazama formed half a million years ago and erupted around 7,700 years ago. 

Crater Lake features two small islands. Wizard Island, located near the western shore of the lake, is a cinder cone approximately 316 acres (128 ha) in size. Phantom Ship, a natural rock pillar, is located near the southern shore. Water quality, Due to several unique factors, mainly that the lake has no inlets or tributaries, the waters of Crater Lake are some of the purest in the world because of the absence of pollutants.

A hike down to the water reveals new wonders. The water is so blue, so deep, it’s no surprise it’s the deepest lake in America, and one of the deepest on earth. That’s why it’s one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

The lake (1,943 feet deep) lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, and was created when the 12,000 foot high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption. Because the lake is filled almost entirely by snowfall, it is one of the clearest lakes in the world.

Crater Lake's West Rim Drive:

Crater Lake National Park's West Rim Drive is a 6-mile section of between Rim Village and North Junction. Along the west rim, we can stop at Discovery Point, Wizard Island Lookout, Union Peak Overlook, and Watchman Peak Overlook.

Crater Lake National Park is comprised of 183,224 acres of mountains, peaks, evergreen forests, and lake. The ranging elevations throughout the park provide diverse habitats for an array of wildlife and make for an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom.

CLIMATE: Most visitors come to Crater Lake National Park during the months of July through mid-September, when the weather is generally mild with little precipitation. Due to the elevation of the park (6,500 ft. at Park Headquarters and 7,100 ft. at Rim Village), weather conditions may change quickly and a warm jacket and wool sweater are always recommended items to carry. During the winter months, from October through June, weather conditions make preparing for extreme winter conditions necessary. Blizzards, high winds, extreme cold and low visibility dominate the weather patterns. Visitors should come with cold weather gear.  

How to Reach : Crater Lake is in Klamath County, approximately 60 miles (97 km) northwest of the county seat of Klamath Falls, and about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of the city of Medford.