Considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world, Crater Lake is also the deepest lake in United States. The lake fed by rain and snow, rests in a caldera formed 7,700 years ago when the 12,000-foot-tall Mount Mazama volcano collapsed following a major eruption.
There are a lot of things to do in Crater lake with the scenic Rim Drive being the most popular. You can either drive yourself or take the ticketed 2-hour trolley tour that departs hourly from the Rim Village, 10am-3pm (June-September). Boat tours operate from July-September but this requires hiking the steep trail to Cleetwood Cove and back.
We decided to do a self tour of Rim drive and also hit a few trails. Rim Drive is 33-miles in length encircling the Crater Lake and is one of the most scenic drives in USA with spectacular views in all directions. Below is a map of all the overlooks and hikes along the Rim Drive. You can get a copy of this from the visitor’s center which was within walking distance of Crater Lake Lodge.
You will need a whole day to do all the activities on this page. If you want to hike more than a few trails, like the Watchman Peak, Wizard Summit, Cleetwood Cove, boat ride to Wizard Island etc. you will need 2-3 days.
- Sinnott memorial Overlook
- Discovery Point
- Watchman Overlook
- Llao Rock
- Devils Backbone
- Cloudcap Overlook – Closed for construction
- Pumice Castle Overlook – Closed for construction
- Phantom Ship Overlook
- Vidal Falls
- Plaikni Falls
- Pinnacles Overlook
Sinnott memorial Overlook – The Sinnott Memorial is an impressive stone structure built 50 feet below the caldera rim into a steep rock outcrop called Victor Rock. In addition to the dramatic view of the caldera, the Sinnott Memorial houses the park’s exhibits that explain the lake’s formation and its geological features. It is open from 9:30am-5pm when the visitor center is open. Crater Lake Lodge is within 5 minutes walking distance of this overlook.
Discovery Point – Near this spot, on the back of a mule in 1853, gold prospector John Hillman became the first European-American to stumble across what he called “Deep Blue Lake”
Watchman Overlook – This pullout offers unmatched view of Wizard Island, a cinder cone that erupted out of Crater Lake approximately 7,300 years ago. It is 3.8 miles west of Rim Village.
Watchman Overlook, Watchman Peak trail – This trail starts at Watchman Overlook and is a 1.6 mile hike with a 420 feet elevation gain with several switchbacks. You get a spectacular view of the Wizard Island and the lake from the fire lookout at the top.
Llao Rock – Named after a Native American god, 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. This rock rises nearly 2,000 feet above the water-the highest vertical precipice on the rim-and was formed by the most massive single flow apparent in the caldera wall, with a maximum thickness of 1,200 feet.
Devils Backbone – The Devils Backbone is a vertical wall of dark andesite lining the cliff face and measuring about 1,000 feet long by 50 feet across near the top. A dike formed by molten lava that created and filled cracks, as it forced its way up through the rock and then solidified. It has been left standing by the erosion of the surrounding material. Of all the dikes on the walls of Crater Lake, only the Devil’s Backbone, reaches from the water’s edge to the rim.
Cloudcap Overlook – This overlook was closed for construction when we visited in Aug 2024
Pumice Castle Overlook – This overlook was closed for construction when we visited in Aug 2024
Phantom Ship Overlook – This overlook provides a view of the island which resembles a small sailboat. One of Crater Lake’s two islands, Phantom Ship is 170 feet (51.8 meters) high, 500 feet (152 meters) long, and 200 feet (60.9 meters) wide. It is made of erosion-resistant lava, 400,000 years old, the oldest exposed rock within the caldera.
Vidal Falls – This spring-fed, roadside waterfall tumbles over a glacier-carved cliff and drops 100 feet over a series of ledges. There is place to park by the side of the road.
Plaikni Falls – The trail to this falls is between Phantom Overlook and Pinnacles Overlook. An easy 2 mile out-and-back hike leads to one of the most accessible and scenic waterfalls in Crater Lake National Park. It is a peaceful stroll through a wooded area with plenty of benches to stop and enjoy the scenery and we had the trail mostly to ourselves in the afternoon.
Pinnacles Overlook – To get to this overlook, you have to take a 6-mile detour from Rim Drive. The Pinnacles are fossil fumaroles, formed during the cooling of an ash deposit from the eruption that birthed Crater Lake.
An easy 0.8 mile walk along the rim of Pinnacles Valley gives you a great view of the volcanic spires.
Crater Lake Lodge – We had originally booked a room at a hotel in — which was 20 min from Crater Lake as we did not find any rooms available at the Crater Lake Lodge. On the day of our visit, because of road closures and detours, it was going to take us 1.5 hours to go to Crater Lake from the hotel we booked in —-
We decided to drive to Crater Lake and try our luck getting a room in the Crater Lake Lodge. We were in luck as there were 3 rooms still available. Best of all, we were able to cancel the other hotel reservation with no loss.
The historic Crater Lake Lodge opened in 1915 and overlooks the lake at Rim Village. We also were able to a view a portion of the lake from our room.
