Crater Lake

ranoodle31
Apr 3, 2018
3 min read

1st thing is 1st……if you are visiting this lovely place in winter, the rim drive is closed…not sure why I thought it would be open lol. You MIGHT be able to make it to the top if the last 3 miles are open, which will allow you to see the lake itself. In my case thankfully it was or I drove a REALLY REALLY long way out of my way to not see anything.

Be prepared that there is nothing out here, a few campgrounds and mini towns but for a good 45 min you are on your own. I would say for 45 min to over an hour I had absolutely no cell service at all. So much if I broke down, since there weren’t many people on the road. As a side bar, if my mom reads this she is going to roll her eyes and sigh at my travels lol

You have to remember that you are driving UP a mountain. I know that sounds logical since this is a dormant volcano, but I didn’t really put 2 and 2 together until the ride down. The drive is long and winding and has a TON of trees, and it starts out with minor amounts of snow in the forest and on the side of the road. Then all of a sudden…..poof! There is snow on the side of the road from the plows that are taller than me! If you haven’t read it before, I am NOT a fan of snow! lol The roads were clear and some of the snow was melting but wow they were high. And as you got closer to the top they just got bigger and bigger. When you finally make it to the top where I guess you start the Rim Road if it is open, go find a parking spot. Since it is winter here, there are things to do but not much for people like myself lol. It was pretty easy finding a spot to park. I put on my big winter coat and trekked outside. GAH!!!! It is cold….dam it, yes yes I know that is what happens in winter but it never fails lol

I take my baby steps in sneakers of course up the mini hill to the top where I should be able to see Crater Lake.

WOW!!!

Massive, beautiful, snow covered mountains, still water, no breeze, absolute calm, breathtaking, stunning, big blue sky to surround it all. I think a picture is the only way to really be able to describe what I saw and felt for those few moments that I stood at the top of the Crater.

This now dormant volcano had the biggest eruption in US history still till this day. The top blew off of the volcano, it used to be over 12 thousand feet tall, and now stands over 6 thousand feet tall. What was left after all was said and done by mother nature and Earth itself, was a crater that is filled with fresh water that comes from rain and snow melt only. It is one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in the world and only has 2 types of fish in it, that were put there on purpose. You can scuba dive in it and only come across the 2 types of fish and tiny living organisms. If I wasn’t so scared of deep dark water, I would love to be able to see what it is like at the bottom.