The Savage Traveler: Out West Adventure: Part 2--Beautiful Crater Lake

Wed. May 5: It got down to 44° overnight and was slow to warm in the deep woods where we're camping. I was actually the first one awake for once and I got up at sunrise to take pictures of Mount Baker, looking pink in the early sun. We bundled up in the morning, Marv made a roaring fire, and we lingered over coffee and scrambled eggs with sausage, cheese and lots of veggies.

Sunrise on Mount Baker

A breakfast feast

My manly wood cutter

We decided to take a picnic lunch with us in case the Crater Lake Lodge wasn't open yet or didn't serve lunch and we drove the short way to the National Park. As we rose to 6100ft the woods were suddenly snowy and as we went higher the banks on each side of the road were 4-6 feet deep where the snow plow had cut through. We found out that the East Rim Drive is still closed, not because it’s higher or snowier, but because they clear West Rim Drive, which connects the South and North entrances, first. They are about halfway around the East Rim Drive now and will have it finished in late June rather than the usual July opening because they got less snow this year than the usual 44 feet. The skies were perfectly clear and the sun was blazing at 7100ft elevation so, despite the snow pack, the temperature went up to 70°, far beyond the average June temperature of 58°. At our first stop there were hardly any other cars. We changed into our hiking boots to traverse the snowy hill and came upon our first view of the magnificent blue gem called Crater Lake. At over 1900 feet deep it is the deepest lake in the US and its indescribably blue color is due to that depth and the clarity of the water since no streams or rivers run into the cauldron, which resulted when the cone of Mount Mazama collapsed 6800 years ago. As we made our way around the rim we stopped at every opportunity to look at the lake and read the interpretive signs, and soon realized that most people were coming in from the South, so throughout the day we encountered more and more people. There was a Touring Drive of a group of classic Cadillac owners from Sacramento and at several stops they had a whole line of Caddies parked on display. At one of the stops two young men were strapping on their ski boots and began hiking up the tallest peak along the rim, Llao, with their skis on their backs. It was evident they meant to hike up so they could ski back down. We made our way around to the small rim-side Visitor Information cabin and stamped our Passport and asked some questions. From there we hiked along the rim on the partially cleared but still very snow covered trail to the Lodge. We enjoyed a local draft beer sitting in rocking chairs overlooking the lake before going into the restaurant and having a nice lunch. Afterwards we drove three miles to the larger Visitors Center near the south entrance and watched their film about the Lake. Then we retraced our path, making most of the same stops to see the lake in the afternoon sun.

The hike over snowpack to the first overlook

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Wizard Island

Hiking over the snowpack

The snowdrift beside the road

Wild flowers in the snow

Skiers hiking up to Llao Peak

Enjoying the sun, the view, and a brew before lunch

A bevy of Caddies

Reflections

We got back to the campsite by about 4:00. Marv thought he had read that there was a paved bike trail all the way around Diamond Lake and I had seen on maps that there was a road that went around so we decided to give it a try. We put our lunch that we hadn't needed into Marv’s bike pack and rode on the camp road to the south end of the campground. There we found an entrance to the John Dellenback Bike Trail. It was a wonderful paved trail that did indeed go all the way around the lake, taking us deep into the woods sometimes, when we couldn't see the road or the lake, and sometimes went right along the lakeside. There were a few moderately challenging hills but nothing we couldn't manage. At the north end of the lake we stopped to eat our picnic and then continued the trail, eventually joining back with the camp road and returning to our campsite. It was a fantastic 11 mile trip and a perfect end to a wonderful day. We again sat at lakeside as the sun dipped lower. When the sun was too hot and the glare off the lake too intense Marv built a campfire, which we enjoyed until once again the sunset the wind died, and the mosquitoes came out in clouds, driving us inside to do the dishes and begin getting ready to leave this magical place.