At 8:15, we set off to Crater Lake 5300 feet. Crater Lake National Park protects the deepest lake in the US. Fed by rain and snow (no rivers or streams), the lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world! The water is exceptional for its clarity and intense blue colour. The lake rests inside a caldera formed approximately 7,700 years ago when a 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed following a major eruption. The lake is 6.1 miles east to west, 4.7 miles north to south. The greatest depth is 1,943 feet and the volume is 4.9 trillion gallons (18.6 trillion litres) of water.
When we entered the park at the north entrance, we were at 6,000 ft. The Rim Drive is a 33 mile road that encircles Crater Lake. More than 30 pullouts offer dramatic views of the park's volcanic scenery.
The first stop was at Discovery Point at 7400 feet. The lake is incredibly blue! The island to the right is Wizard Island, so named because it resembles a Wizards Hat.
Next was Llao Rock. This great mass of dacite (a sluggish lava) was produced from a vent on the upper slopes of Mount Mazama and hardened after moving only a mile or two. The flow preceded the catastrophic eruption and collapse of Mt. Mazama by 200 years. This rock rises nearly 2,000 feet above the water - the highest vertical precipice on the rim.
After being stopped for 25 minutes on the road for "rock maintenance" or scaling, we moved on. There were 5 guys suspended on the rock face, knocking down loose rock. There were tons of rock brought down!
It was a comfortable 25C when we reached the Rim Village, where we had a walk around, totally blown away with the scenery!
Winter shapes the landscape at Crater Lake. Storms from the Pacific drop an average of 45 feet of snow, leaving the terrain blanketed in white eight months a year. Snow-melt formed the pure waters of the lake over 7,000 years ago and maintains it today.
We bought our tickets for the Rim Drive Trolley Tour, which circles the lake on a ranger-narrated tour. The Rim Drive is one of America's most scenic byways, but it is hard to appreciate the views with your eyes on the road. Sounded like the only way to go, since the road is winding, narrow and HIGH!
When we set out, the driver said it was the best day in over 2 weeks, weather-wise. They have had a lot of smoke from the wildfires when the visibility was down to 140 feet..
There we are, in front of Wizard Island
The barren areas are pumice, therefore very little grows there.
If you see the rock on the left with 2 trees growing on it, that rock is 500 feet tall! It is hard to imagine
At the Palisades stop, we saw a research boat on the lake, which looked tiny!
Further along was the formation called the Pumice Castle, one of the many colourful volcanic formations in the walls surrounding Crater Lake.
Next was a stop to look at Phantom Ship.
Anchored near the lake's south shore is an island that seems to be sailing away. Nestled against the shore, Crater Lake's "other island" escapes detection by many park visitors. Though it resembles a small sailboat, the island is as tall as a 16 storey building! It is made of erosion-resistant lava, 400,000 years old - the oldest exposed rock within the caldera. There are 40 trees on the island.
The white dot to the left of the island is a 40 foot long tour boat!
The last stop was at Vidae Falls, a cascading waterfall which is spring-fed and tumbles over a glacier-carved cliff and drops 100 feet over a series of ledges.
The tour ended back at the Visitor Centre, where we watched a video about the creation of Crater Lake, then went on a 1 mile hike on the "Lady of the Woods" trail. Chiseled from a boulder, this unfinished work of art blends almost perfectly into a sub-alpine forest of mountain hemlock.
So ended our incredible day at Crater Lake. We both agree that as awesome as Crater Lake is, it rates a close second to the Grand Canyon.
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