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Crater Lake National Park

Photo: Spinner789 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

🌊 Lakes & rivers

Crater Lake National Park

Klamath Falls, OR · Cascade Range, Southern Oregon

About

Crater Lake fills the collapsed caldera of Mount Mazama, a volcano that blew its top roughly 7,700 years ago, leaving the deepest lake in the United States at nearly 1,950 feet. Fed only by rain and snow, its water is so clear it glows an almost unreal sapphire blue, with Wizard Island, a cinder cone, rising near the western shore. Drive the 33-mile Rim Drive in summer or strap on skis when winter buries the road.

Highlights

Deepest lake in the United States at nearly 1,950 feetVivid blue water fed only by rain and snowmelt, exceptionally clearWizard Island, a cinder cone rising from the lake's surface33-mile Rim Drive circling the caldera in summerHeavy winter snowpack makes it a destination for skiing and snowshoeing

Getting there

Crater Lake National Park, OR 97604

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Part of these collections

Curated guides that feature Crater Lake National Park.

The United States National Parks63 places

The United States National Parks

All 63 of America's national parks in one place: the geysers and canyons, glaciers and giant sequoias, coral reefs and live volcanoes the country set aside for everyone. From the Grand Canyon to the Everglades to the wilds of Alaska, this is the complete collection, each one worth building a whole trip around.