Stunning. I was there in late June and some of the trails were closed as they were still covered in snow. The gift shop was busy, which is to be expected as it is a national park and when kids are out of school. Even so, the lovely people working the check out desk took their time explaining many things to do and had maps to explain in detail where various visitors could go and would be best for their specific needs. I unfortunately couldn’t explore any trails as I had a van full of dogs with me. I was able to park and get out and take some amazing pictures. I will definitely be back sans dogs!!

Being the deepest lake in the US and its clarity and deep blue color, it’s a must visit national park in the west coast. Breathtaking views on each overlook and hike trails. Cleetwood Cove trail takes you down the lake where you can get a boat tour in the lake, you even get a taste of the lake water as part of the tour!

One of the most spectacular sights to see. We came in early July and were treated to stunning views at every stop. We took the trolley tour which was a fantastic way to see a lot of the lake, especially because it was so busy later in the day and it would have been impossible to see as much with the traffic. Must see!

Crater Lake is absolutely breathtaking — a must-visit destination in Oregon. The views from the Rim Drive are spectacular, with unbelievably clear blue water and dramatic cliffs at every turn. The park is well-maintained, trails are clean and accessible, and the Visitor Center staff were friendly and helpful. We hiked a few rim trails — every viewpoint felt like a postcard. Great facilities, informative signage, and plenty of scenic pullouts for photos. Perfect for nature lovers, photographers, and families. Can’t wait to come back!

7/18/25 Crater Lake National Park -$30 park entry fee for a vehicle. Vehicle reservations not needed and plenty of parking around the lake at look-out sites. 
Crater Lake is renowned for its deep blue water color and dramatic volcanic landscape. 
Rim Drive is a scenic 33 mile drive around the lake with numerous viewpoints and pull-off areas. 
There are several short moderate hikes providing opportunities to explore and enjoy the different views of the lake. The visitor center can provide information. Many beautiful views around the lake!
The park is usually snowed in with limited access through winter and spring. Summer from July 1st - September 30th is the best time for a day trip when the park is fully opened. Consider the potential for fog and varying weather conditions in early mornings. There are 3 primary waterfalls within Crater Lake National Park: Vidae Falls, Plaikni Falls,and Duwee Falls. Another waterfall, Annie Falls, is also located within the park. Vidae Falls 100' tall: Easily accessible, a roadside falls. 
Duwee Falls 100' Plunge: One of the three primary waterfalls within the park. 
Annie Falls 53' tall: Located at the south end of Rim Village Historic District along Annie Creek. Plaikni Falls 20' tall: Accessible by almost a 2mi 45 min. round hike off Pinnacles Road. One of the park's primary waterfalls. 
*The Pinnacles in Crater Lake National Park are located east of the Rim Visitor Center along Wheeler Creek. Take a right turn off Rim Dr. onto Pinnacles Rd and drive south to the end of the road. Look-out site there. It is a .4mi hike -10 min. doing the trail. Enjoy!!

This place was absolutely magical, well worth the 9 hour drive to see it! Amazing what nature has been able to bring to life through many events. Believe it or not, this was created from a volcano inside another Volcano 🌋! I'll definitely come back to see this magical place again! Highly recommend camping nearby, its worth taking your time to see all the view points at different times of the day. Enjoy the trip!

Don't miss seeing this Wonderful place! You will never see a bluer blue or breathe air so clear. It's amazing.

Did the boat tour out to Wizard Island, hiked there, and then came back up Cleetwood Cove Trail. The views of Crater Lake are amazing the whole way, and it’s the only way down to the water. The trail is steep, so some might find the return climb tough, but it felt fine to me, just a steady uphill walk. Totally worth it for the unique chance to hike the island and see the lake up close.

Drop dead gorgeous views from the very top. Hike going down is not too steep. Spent about 2 hours swimming and fishing once we got to the bottom. If you’re not an experienced hiker I’d recommend going at a steady pace. Not slow. Still get a workout in but just steady. Do not stop. You’ll definitely feel the incline. It’s about a 750 ft elevation gain in about 20ish minutes.

The only permitted place to get down to the water of Crater Lake. It's very popular, and hence very crowded. The trail starts out about 700' above the lake, so it's easy to get down, not as easy to get back, so take that into consideration, don't spend too much time and energy in the hot sun and swimming, because you still have to make the trek back up to the parking lot. The facilities down at the docks are old and falling apart, so be aware that this trail will be CLOSED through 2027 from what is published on the NPS website. There are rock outcroppings from which people dive into the water, people more brave than me! The water is incredibly blue and clear, you can see a hundred feet or more down into the water. If you walk along the rocky shore away from the dock, it's possible to find a spot further away from the crowds, we did just that, and took a quick dip into the water. Even on an unusually hot day for mid September, the water was very cold, but also very refreshing. This is one of those bucket-list type things for visitors, to go swimming in Crater Lake, it was something I'm glad we did but I wouldn't do this regularly, as the trail is long and steep to get down to the water.

Yes it’s quite steep and gets crowded in the summer, but well worth it as it’s the only place to access the Crater Lake shoreline. Recommend going for a refreshing swim in the chilly water for the full experience, remarkable how clear it is. However, note that the trail will be closed until 2027 as per the NPS for maintenance - all the more reason to put it on the list and look forward to enjoying the improved hike.

Absolutely incredible trail with views almost the whole way. Once at the bottom, we swam in the crystal waters and were shocked that even up-close, the water is still such a deep blue. We wore our swimsuits on the walk down and up, though there are restrooms at the parking lot and at the bottom so you could change there, but I bet that it is a tight spot to do it and honestly, pit toilets are always a little gross. Do not underestimate the difficulty of this trail. We saw three people who had passed our and another being carted back up the trail by rangers on a special cart that looked like wheelbarrow on tank treads. It is doable, we are two adults, two teens and a 12 year old but be prepared to take your time on the way up, bring plenty of water, and expect it to be hard.

What a wonderful experience. People of all ages can be seen on the trail. I had to come before the trail closes for the next few years. Going down the trail is the easiest part. Be prepared to take twice as long going back up. I went down early am, back up a few hours later. I had a nice little visitor while watching the water. Suggestions: wear good walking shoes. Take plenty of water for the trail back up. Even if it’s not hot, going back up you’ll need it.

This was are first time on this trail. It's the only way to reach the lake's edge and we wanted to do so before the trail is closed for the next three years for improvements. The trail is mostly in the trees. It is rated as strenuous, but is manageable if you take your time on the way back. It is 1.1 miles each way on packed dirt, with benches every so often. The water is stunning blue and cold. Many hikers were testing the water, with some swimming. A large parking lot has valted restrooms. There are some at the bottom of the trail also, but I don't recommend them except as an emergency. It took us 25 minutes to go down and 50 to walk up. We are 70 years old in average shape.

Crater Lake National Park is beautiful. The day I went to there with my family was a little crowded, but I suspect it probably gets worse on the weekend and around holidays. It is unfortunate that the Park Service has had to reduce staff at National Parks. I feel for the struggles this causes in maintaining, securing, and supporting the parks. There is a lot of parking, but it was almost all full when we were there. This particular park will be having a lot of renovation over the next few years until 2029 so we wanted to go before it got even more complicated.

Beautiful and unique place. When we arrived the foggy weather blocked our view of the lake. Important to note that even if the clouds are low it doesn't mean the whole lake is covered. We continued to drive and eventually found a great spot with perfect view.

Not easy to find. It has a sign of park store but I didn’t see any sign of visitor center. It feels like the parking is competitive at the beginning when you enter rim village but it has more parking space inside. It has shades and rest area beside the visitor center and water fountains at the other side. Overall, I would give 5 stars.

Crater Lake is a beautiful place to visit in Summer. But with a pet dog, it’s not a good choice to arrange the visit. We could only visit the paved area around Rim Village visitor center. Next time, hope we could return here in Winter to explore a different sightseeing of snow covered Crater Lake.

Amazing views of the lake from Rim Village. There is a overlook semi enclosed a short walk down from the main walkway along the rim. Great info plaques and views there.

A couple of helpful staff members inside answered questions about trails and whether we could get an official Crater Lake brochure. If you are curious, the funding to print those no longer exists. The other bummer about this visitor center is they were out of the artistic postcard featuring Crater Lake and only had ones with a guy on a bicycle. Annie's Creek gift shop had the good one.

Small visitor center with your usual visitor center items and stamps! Park rangers were friendly and amazing view points right outside the center. If it’s crowded it is tough to look around as it’s a small center.

Came here in early September 2024. Unfortunately the atmosphere was filled with haze/smoke from surrounding fires. The gift shop area had some nice souvenirs available. The food options were standard - good but nothing extra special. There's a second floor in the gift shop building that has a nice cozy area to eat and lounge around. Nobody was there during this trip. I think it may be more popular during winter. The restrooms are in a separate building and are simple but well kept.

The shop opens at 9 AM and has 2 washrooms. There are 2 more washrooms available in the parking lot outside the gift shop. The shop houses a great collection of items like hoodies, beautiful accessories, coffee mugs, tumblers, magents, soft toys, caps, hats, can openers, socks, hiking poles, carry bags, fanny bags, sweatshirts and much more. The top floor has a seating place for dining and is very spacious. There is a fuel station 6mi away and has cheap fuel available at $3.86/gallon.

Mid-May still had a lot of snow but we were able to see the lake from a Vista locates before the parking lot. The souvenir area had a lot of selections at various price ranges. We only got coffee which wasn't very good. Employees were friendly and helpful.

Apart from the very good brisket chili, everything here was perfectly mediocre stadium food: we got both the bean and beef chilis, fries, chicken tenders, and nachos. And two gatorades. About $60 Ordered at 2 PM and they were already out of the wraps and sandwiches Up in Crater Lake they are one of the only food spots, so we’re a captive audience. The line was long and took about 30 minutes to place our order. Not enough places to sit, but we went upstairs to an area with old chairs and a musty carpet. Felt like it hadn’t been updated in decades. Crater Lake is absolutely stunning in every which way, but very disappointed in the food they sell.

I enjoyed visiting the rim center. The restaurant was on the second floor with the gift shop close by. A viewing and seating area was on the third floor where it overlooked Crater Lake. An elevator was available. I visited the gift shop and bought some items. The food smelled delicious but did not try it. The Rim was only steps away from the crater rim with a spectacular view. The staff were friendly and helpful.

The giftshop is fine, lots of selection and the long line moves fast to pay. The food, however, was terrible. Seven of us got different meals, from sandwiches to nachos, to hot subs and all of them were bad. Packing a lunch would have been better. I am not a picky person, but this was sub- standard.

Food was great as we got a variety of things for lunch here since the lodge was closed between 1030 and 1130 and we didn’t want to wait they reopen for lunch. Only issue was the fountain drinks as the taste was off, not sure if the syrup and water mixture not working or needed refilling but all flavours didn’t take right when we were there. Nice selections of gifts also as we picked up a few things including a nice T.

The Watchman Trail is one of the best short hikes in Crater Lake National Park. The trail is well-maintained and not too long, but it does climb steadily, so be prepared for a bit of a workout. The reward at the top is absolutely worth it—panoramic views of Crater Lake, Wizard Island, and the surrounding rim. It’s especially magical at sunset when the colors of the lake and sky change dramatically. A must-do for anyone who wants a relatively quick hike with some of the most stunning views in the park.

Easy hike with wide trails and switchbacks all the way up. The view at the top is worth it and great for photos. Parking available at the base of the hike, but it fills up. Great views of the lake from the base at well and there is a large viewing area next to the parking lot, along with a bathroom. To access this hike and others you do have to pay a $30 per vehicle entry fee, which covered the two days we were here.

This short trail will take you to the cloud and you’ll just be sitting there and enjoying the magnificent beauty.

This is without doubt the best overlook for Crater Lake. Plenty of parking, public toilets and the best views ever. Seeing Crater Lake from this viewpoint is just breathtakingly beautiful. You also get a wonderful vista of the island. We also saw some amazing flowers growing beside the crater.

Great spot for sunset and panoramic views. Hike is fairly easy although may be difficult for less experienced hikers, takes probably 20-35 min depending on pace

Well worth the extra hike up to the Watch,a Station on top of the hill next to the parking lot. The view of Crater Lake is the best here as you can see the whole round lake in its entirety.

There are 317 amazing views of Crater Lake this is one of the more outstanding ones that is also the gateway to one of the very best if you follow the the path to the top of the hill. Is difficult to quantify which view is actually the best it is between the two views and hear the view from Wizard Island the view from the lodge and the view from Lake level if you hike down the trail but definitely a must-see on your trip.

Mother nature at her finest, sharing all her beauty to mankind. If you haven't had the chance check out this are aod the world , bucket list it for sure . Next time I will come back and do the Watchman Peak trail . Unbelievable how hard they worked to build that watch tower. Id love to learn some more history Defintely will be back to explore more and you should to . Thank you mother nature 🤙🌀

Probably the best spot from which to view Crater Lake. The view straight down to Wizard Island, and all of the "sub islands", with all of the different shades of green, blue, and teal water is the most breathtaking of all the scenic viewpoints, IMO. The hike up to the watchtower is just under a mile one way, and about 420' of elevation gain, but it's spread out over several switchbacks, and not very difficult. The trail is in very good condition, and fairly smooth dirt. Not too many rocks or roots or steps, until the final ascent up to the tower. Best time to go is the late afternoon, the sun is mostly as your back, so you aren't looking directly at it. There are some cool objects inside the watchtower building, there is a sign saying NPS personnel only, but my assumption is this is simply for legality reasons, it's completely safe to go up the set of stairs, and you can't get inside the locked building anyway. It is a popular trail, which is another reason to go later in the afternoon once most tourists have started to leave.

Great outlook point that one shouldn’t miss. The outlook is in very high place so it offers a great view to the lake and the island. The tree here looks white. We thought it is covered by snow but actually it is ice.

One of my favorite lookouts over Crater lake. It's a .8 mile trail to the top of Watchman Peak lookout. (1.6 mile roundtrip) It has some elevation gain but that makes the view that much better.

Free parking lot close to the trail. You take the rim trail a little ways south alongside the east side of the road and the hang a left at the sign and start the ascent via a series of varied length switchbacks until you reach the fire lookout. You will get some crater views to the east but do not forget to look west as there are great views too especially at sunset.

The Trail was still closed due to snow and ice when we visited, so we didn't get the full experience from the higher elevation. However, we enjoyed the views from the lookout point and a little higher from the side of the hill.

The trail is very well maintained. It's easy at the beginning and then becomes slightly moderate, but nothing too challenging. Our 5-year-old hiked it easily. From the top, there's a beautiful view of Wizard Island. There is also a fire lookout at the summit, but it's only accessible to staff.

It's a very old lodge, so keep that in mind, but our one night stay was great. The room was comfortable considering its age. The lodge has a great view of the lake and the mountains. Many rocking chairs outside overlooking the lake that are great for sipping a drink and enjoying the view. The bar/sitting area has a big fireplace and lots of comfortable seating. We ate dinner in the restaurant and the food/service was excellent. Prices weren't out of line for the quality of the food. Limited selections, but should appease most appetites.

I stayed here for two nights with my wife and kids, 5 people total. Our room had two queen beds and they brought in a roll away for an additional fee nightly. The room was dated, but clean and comfortable. There is no TV or AC, which we knew when we booked and were fine with, except it was an unusually warm late August, so the room never really cooled down, even with the windows fully open. Fans were provided but did not help much. The location is incredible, right on the rim of the caldera with views that cannot be beat. It was really wonderful to be in the park after the day tripping crowds were gone. Drinks on the patio were wonderful and a great memory. The sunset and nighttime stars were breathtaking.

The location can’t be you’re right on the edge of the crater. The people that work there are super friendly and welcoming. The food is quite tasty. Our room was comfortable. Beds were comfortable. The water temperature in the shower is consistent and good. My biggest complaint is the mold in the bathroom. There’s mold growing on several of the tiles and there is a ton of mold on the shower liner… disgusting!

My family visited here during the fall and we didn’t expect it to snow! ❄️ Because of that, one of the entrances was blocked, and it was almost impossible to see the lake from the lodge. The room was okay, but the dining area was really nice. I especially enjoyed the duck wings — they were delicious! 😋 I’d recommend visiting in the summer unless you prefer a wintery getaway.

No TVs just so you know. But the place is beautiful inside. Romantic, woodsy, warm and inviting. Huge fire place, with a beautiful deck to view the stars and lake. Restaurant on the side has amazing drinks, but gets very busy. So dinner reservation is a must! The hallways and rooms, are old fashioned but not in a trendy type way. We were a little disappointed because down stairs and the outside is so gorgeous and done-up, the room design feels like an after thought. Over all, we loved it! We were able to watch a lightening storm across the lake at night from our room. I can't wait to go back for a long weekend!

Stayed here twice. Once when just reopened. That was great. Then stayed one night during a hot spell in September and our room was stifling. They gave us a fan but fan not really helpful. I haven't been here since 2012 so don't know if there have been any room conditioning changes. Everything else about this place is great. Restaurant, great lounge and views outside aren't bad...

I stayed here for two nights to visit Crater Lake Lodge and to run the Rim Run half marathon. The Lodge is fantastic. My room had a beautiful view of Crater Lake. The room was clean, quiet, and comfortable. I appreciated the K-cup coffee makers in the room and the wifi was reliable enough. It's not like you are going to be spending a lot of time on the computer when you are visiting Crater Lake anyway! I ate at the dining room for both nights. The service was outstanding and the food was very good. All staff I encountered, from the front desk, to the dining room, to housekeeping could not have been more helpful and friendly. There is no better place to stay if you want to visit Crater Lake National Park. I hope to return here again someday.