This was our second stop on our volcanic tour of the Cascades. Crater Lake used to be Mount Mazama, a volcano that erupted (7,700 years ago) and then collapsed under its own weight. Snow melt and rain slowly filled the crater making the six mile wide lake, the deepest in the US (1,943′ at it’s deepest). Because no rivers run in or out of it, the water is amazingly clear and a very deep blue.
Wizard Island is a volcano inside the crater. There are usually boat tours to it that leave from Cleetwood Cove, but these were not running due to pier damage. We hiked down to the pier and hiked up just as the NPS crew was going down for repair work. At the top we saw that they closed the trail. Another win for getting up early!
This park gets A LOT of snow, on average 42.5′ annually. The campgrounds and many of the trails were still closed on July 1st due to snow. We hiked through snow to the top of Watchman Peak.
Crater Lake is a park we have wanted to visit but has been hard due to its remoteness. We feel fortunate that our extended trip gives us the opportunity to visit places like this that we may not have otherwise.
It has been an entire month now and looking back Custer State Park and Yellowstone feel like a long time ago. Not going to lie, I’m feeling pretty homesick, but I am still very happy we decided to do this. I appreciate all the experiences we have had so far and I am excited for the next seven months. This trip has allowed me the time to journal, read and see many places we probably would not have been able to see had we not made the leap. It has mostly made me appreciate our home and our super supportive family, friends and neighbors.
Not Sew Fancy Travels 