Native American folklore tells of the clash of two chiefs locked in battle that resulted in the eruption of Mt. Mazama thousands of centuries ago. According to the legend, it caused the mountain to collapse in on itself, thereby creating the natural attraction known as Crater Lake.
Gold miners were the first to discover Crater Lake as they searched for a lost mine. John Wesley Hillman, Henry Klippel, and Isacc Skeeters, came across the stunning vision of indigo colored water in the massive lake. From that discovery, the lake was initially named “Deep Blue Lake”, but was changed by the locals some time later to “Crater Lake”.
President Theodore Roosevelt established the Crater Lake National Park on May 22, 1902 and Crater Lake Lodge was built in 1915 to promote tourism. Highways were built to improve access to the park and the 1929 edition of “O Ranger!” wrote this review:
Crater Lake National Park is reached by train on the Southern Pacific Railroad lines into Medford and Klamath Falls, at which stops motor stages make the short trip to the park. A hotel on the rim of the lake offers accommodations. For the motorist, the visit to the park is a short side trip from the Pacific and Dalles-California highways. He will find, in addition to the hotel, campsites, stores, filling stations. The park is open to travel from late June or July 1 for as long as snow does not block the roads, generally until October.
Crater Lake has been measured to be 1,949 feet (594 m) deep at its deepest point[3], which makes it the deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere and the third deepest in the world.
Today, visitors have a variety of activities to choose from. There are numerous hiking trails around the park. Campgrounds are available for over night camping. Fishing is allowed without a license to catch several varieties of fish, including Kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. Folks are allowed to swim in the lake, without lifeguard services. The summer schedule has daily boat tours. Trails are the only access to the water front. All the boats in the lake were delivered by helicopter.
However, numerous visual vantage points are accessible by automobile around the 33 mile “Rim Drive” route.
Notations from the National Parks Service website: Crater Lake has inspired people for hundreds of years. No place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs, almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, and an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom.
Crater Lake is located in Southern Oregon on the crest of the Cascade Mountain range, 100 miles (160 km) east of the Pacific Ocean. It lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when the 12,000 foot (3,660 meter) high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption.
Crater Lake National Park is one of the most unique places on Earth. It is one of America’s natural resources that should be cherished and preserved for generations to come.
A magical place, where the air is clear, the water is a deep sapphire blue, and chipmunks eagerly take treats from visitors out stretched hands.
Forget the long lines and expense of Disney Land—a trip to Crater Lake is what family memories are made of.
***Copyright Jean Williams 2009
Comments
Just a few minor corrections, Crater Lake is open year round except for the rim drive which is closed during the winter. Winter is spectacular at Crater Lake. Only Klamath Falls and Chemult have rail service
Great story, thanks for reminding us all of how amazing this natural treasure is. However, you did leave out the threats to Crater Lake. There are logging plans right on the edge of the park and a proposal for helicopter tours to buzz around the rim of the lake. Wilderness protection for the area and surrounding wildlands is needed more than ever. Oregon Wild has a proposal to protect the area once and for all that can be found on our website or by googling Crater Lake Wilderness.
Erik Fernandez
Oregon Wild
Thanks for the wonderful article! We are a nonprofit that works to help protect, promote, and enhance Crater Lake. Folks can get help planning a visit, view a live webcam, or sign up for free monthly email news about events at the park on our website, www.craterlaketrust.org. Or follow us on twitter & facebook!
Jeff Allen, Executive Director, Crater Lake NP Trust
Eric, I will be glad to check out your website and do a follow up article. Thanks for the information
Steve Battis, the National Park Service link give Crater Lake seasonal days of operation for all the services and it does not appear to be year round, as you indicated.
Jeff Allen, awesome to hear from you. I have been to Crater Lake twice, and have plans to make another visit this summer.
Keep up the good work!
Relatives came out here to visit from Pennsylvania in Summer 2008. Me, the wife, and the kids went took them to Mt. Rainier, then on a drive down US 101 all the way to Redwood National Park. On the drive back, we stopped at Crater Lake and it was amazing. Everyone was pretty burned out from the trip and was ready to head home. I could have stayed, explored and hiked more, and I plan to take the wife and kids back down there this year.
"Ken Burns: National Parks - America's Best Idea" is a great 6 part DVD series. I have Disc 2 from Netflix right now, but PBS will air it again beginning January 27. Footage from most of the Parks appears in the series.
www.pbs.org/nationalparks/
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