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Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is Spectacular!

While visiting Crater Lake NP we chose the north end as a base and camped in a Sno-Park right outside the park for free.  The temperatures are getting a bit chilly these days with nighttime lows in the mid 20s.  The furnace in our little camper is working overtime to make sure we have the time to visit these wonderful places in non-tourist season.

We spent one day driving around the park loop and taking hikes and the second day walking on the Pacific Crest Trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada.  On that hike we were treated to a conversation with a thru hiker who has hiked 2200 of the 2600 miles to this point. Very cool indeed!

This shot of Crater Lake almost shows how vividly blue the water appears when the sun hits it right.
This little island in the lake is called the “Phantom Ship” because, from a distance it is supposed to look a bit like a pirate ship. Check out the blue hue!
Here is a panorama of the lake on a chilly morning.
This is a close up of the volcanic cone called Wizard’s Island. In the summer there is a boat you can take out to it to hike to the top.
First hike of the day took us to the “Watchman’s Tower”. A bit windy up there but the views were awesome.

Check out the rime ice on the pine trees! It stayed around all day long even in the bright sunshine. Rime ice is formed when clouds/fog condenses and freezes on trees and other objects.

Here is a close up shot of some more rime ice. This was taken at 4pm after a full day of sunlight!
Is that winter gear Roy is wearing? It is only October 7 for goodness sake.
This poor tree has been “trimmed” by all the passers-by. The rime ice on it is spectacular.
The little tags on this tree were chemically treated and  put here as a deterrent to pine beetles that try to infest all the pines in the park.
Someone else walked up this mile long hill just to take a picture of us with Crater Lake in the background.
A nice lunch was eaten at the Crater Lake Lodge. Not many visitors this time of year but what a nice old wooden structure.
Hike number two would be to the park’s tallest highest point called Mount Scott. It was a bit of a drive to get there but well worth it.
Almost to the summit of Mount Scott. A nice ridge walk is all it takes from here. Boy what wonderful weather and scenery!
We could not guess at how far we could see toward California?
A different view of Crater Lake taken about half way up Mount Scott.
The rime ice on top of Mount Scott was beautiful indeed!
We were lucky enough to meet one other chilly couple up on the summit of Mount Scott so they could take our picture.
This marker for the Pacific Crest Trail let us know we were on the right path.
It was a bit rainy and chilly but our hike but the trail was very peaceful.
This bridge wins the award for being the most cool design.
Our free campsite was only visited once by another hiker during our two day stay.
On those chilly nights it was great to have a nice warm campfire!

 

4 Replies to “Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is Spectacular!”

  2. Mt. Scott was one of our Crater Lake hikes (for obvious reasons, LOL). Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

  4. We hiked the Watchman’s Tower and Mount Scott too! Early September 2015. I think it’s great when you can be at a beautiful park without the crowds and still be able to hike with your hard off!

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