We headed into Crater Lake National Park around 8:30 am. Our first stop was the Visitors Center to gather hiking info and our Passport stamps. Note to anyone 62 years old or older. If you plan on visiting any park, get your lifetime pass at $10. On August 28, they will increase to $80. Each park costs at least $25 per car for a 7-day stay. At $10 you will get your money back on your first visit. You may be able to be purchased them on line.

From the Visitors Center we headed to Rim Drive. This road encircles the entire lake. Today, the east side of the lake is closed due to 2 active fires caused by lightening.

We parked at the Crater Lake Lodge and toured the inside. Lovely. Huge porch with rocking chairs overlooking the lake. That is when we first saw Crater Lake. WOW! It is huge and picturesque.

Crater Lake was a 12,000 foot volcano that had grown for almost half a million years. A massive eruption and collapse 7,700 years ago left a deep basin in its place. This mountain is now called Mazama. This basin was a natural location for water to collect. It holds nearly five trillion gallons of water. The average snowfall in the park is 533 inches. The maximum depth of the lake is 1.943 feet.

Because the smoke from Canada is here along with two local fires, the color of the lake was dull when we first saw it in the morning. However, as the morning wore on, it changed and we witnessed a beautiful blue lake with various Caribbean shades of blue along the edges.

We went to a lookout with lots of information about how the lake was created. You will see the lookout in the pictures. It’s a stone structure that sticks out from side of a mountain overlooking the lake.

We then took our first “strenuous” hike “Garfield Trail.” It was 3.4 miles RT. It was an absolutely beautiful hike. Even the trail ground path was scenic lined with stone walls and flowers. The views of the lake were stunning. Everywhere you looked was a photo for cards that say “Thinking of You,” “Dream Large” or “So Sorry For Your Loss.” They were awe inspiring. This hike was the best so far for sure.

We then had lunch at the lodge. Tim had trout and Pat had a smoked salmon salad. Both delicious especially after the hike. From there we drove along Rim Road stopping by for views of the Phantom Ship which is pegged as a resembling “a rock formation that resembles a schooner with furled masts and looks ghostly in fog.” Maybe because it wasn’t foggy but Pat though it looked more like a castle. Took in a couple shorter trails.

The most difficult thing to do today was choosing which pictures to use! There were so many beautiful snaps. As Author Jack London wrote in 1911: “I thought that I had gazed upon everything beautiful in nature as I have spent many years traveling thousands of miles to view the beauty spots of the earth. but I have reach the climax. Never again can I gaze upon the beauty spots of the earth and enjoy them as being the finest thing I have ever seen. Crater Lake is far above them all.”