Crater Lake or Bust!
Place: Crater Lake National Park
State: Oregon
Where We Stayed: Sutherlin, OR
Time of Year: July 2023
How We Got There: Plane, Road Trip
Getting There
I remember the first time I became aware of Crater Lake. Someone I knew had visited and posted pictures. I thought it looked amazing so I added it to my travel list. That was several years ago. Why did it take me so long to get there you ask? Well, Crater Lake is not located in the most convenient place! Especially if you are coming from Portland. Cesar travels to Portland on a regular basis for work and I tend to fly up at least once a year on a weekend. That means we only have Saturday and Sunday to explore and with Crater Lake being over 4 hours away, its not really feasible.
Or so we thought! With this being my 5th trip to Oregon, we have seen a good bit of this beautiful state. In the past we would run into obstacles like rain or winter that would keep us from Crater Lake. This time everything fell into place. The weather was set to be perfect with no misty rain in sight, it was summer and it looked like Cesar could be away from the office for the weekend without problems popping up. So, I booked a last minute flight using our airline miles as flying to Portland isn’t cheap! Cesar picked me up from the airport after work on a Friday and we drove straight to a small town called Sutherlin, OR. It was Crater Lake or Bust!
I planned this excursion just 2 days before and our hotel/Airbnb options were limited. We found this apartment above a bar in Sutherlin and decided to take a chance! It had to be one of the most interesting Airbnb’s we have rented and we have booked many! The bar was hopping at 8:30pm when we arrived. We got the key from the bartender and lugged our luggage through the outdoor patio which was crowded with bar patrons and up a flight of wooden stairs. We definitely looked out of place to say the least!! The room turned out to be pretty spacious and the noise from the bar was minimal. I was just grateful to have found a place and not have to pay over $300 a night.
The next morning we got up early and drove 2 hours along the “Highway of Waterfalls” to the North entrance of Crater Lake! Although it was hard, we passed up the opportunity to stop at all the roadside waterfalls and opted to drive straight to Crater Lake. We did stop at a few waterfalls on the way back! I was so excited to get to the park. I had waited years to see it! After a stop at the Crater Lake sign we headed straight to Merriam Point for our first look! It was pretty spectacular!
This National Park is basically a 33 mile loop around the lake. There are several awesome stops along the way. I usually get pretty overwhelmed when visiting national parks because there is so much to see in every direction and I am afraid I will miss something! I did not get that feeling here and I really felt that one day gives you plenty of time to enjoy the park.
Watchman Overlook
Our first hike of the day was Watchman Peak Trail at Watchman Overlook. It was 1.7 miles round trip with a 400ft elevation gain and moderate climb. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the top. This is pretty much the best view of Wizard Island especially because you can see the crater at the top of the summit of the island. I only wish that we could have done the Wizard Island hike where you can climb to the summit and look in! The only way to get to Wizard Island is by boat from Cleetwood Cove however the boats were not running at the time we visited. I had heard that new boats had arrived but there we not ready for tours yet. Gives me a reason to come back!
Back on the loop drive we stopped at Discovery Point to check out the views from another angel before heading to Rim Village. This was the most congested part of the park because it boasts the gift shop, a cafĂ© and the lodge. It took a minute to get a parking spot but we were patient and it paid off! Besides shopping for Cesar’s national park hat(he gets a hat everywhere we visit!), our main focus was getting to the Garfield Trail. We found it right behind the lodge. Taking a peak at the lodge is always a must and this one was extra unique. The stair case, windows and columns were all lined with tree bark giving a very rustic but modern feel.
Garfield Peak Trail
After our sneak peak at the lodge, we started our trek up to Garfield Peak. This trail is about 3.5 miles round trip and offers panoramic views not only of the lake but the surrounding area. It is listed as s strenuous hike but we found it to be moderate. Along the way we hiked through a hemlock forest, a grassy pumice field, wildflowers and melting snowy patches. The summit displayed spectacular 360 degree views and I didn’t want to turn around and leave! This is also where we got our first look at Phantom Ship which is a rock formation protruding out of the royal blue lake. One of my favorite views!
Phantom Ship Rock, Castle Crest Wildflower Hike & Pumice Castle
We really needed to get a better look at Phantom Ship so we continued on the loop drive to the Sun Notch Trail which gave us access to the Phantom Ship Overlook with just a short 1 mile loop. But before we got there we noticed a small trail called Castle Crest Wildflower Trail. The name itself made me want to check it out. Definitely worth a stop! Babbling brook, wildflowers and a frolicking deer was almost too much for my senses! I could have stayed right there all day but our bellies were starting to grumble and what do you know there was a picnic spot right next to a roadside water fall called Vidae Falls at the next stop. We shared our picnic with a few pushy feathered friends, took a few picture of the waterfall and we were off again to find Phantom Ship! There is something special about Phantom Ship. Besides Wizard Island, it is the only other formation that sticks out of this solid expansion of blue water. We finally got as close as we could get at the Phantom Ship overlook where we were joined by a deer looking for a snack. Back on the loop we made a quick stop to see Pumice Castle which is a volcanic formation made of pumice on the crater wall. You can see the orange colored extension behind me in the last picture below.
Cleetwood Cove Trail
Now this next stop was the highlight of our day! There is only one place in Crater Lake National Park where you can access the water and its Cleetwood Cove. We had been looking at that gorgeous blue lake trimmed in aqua blue all day and I just couldn’t believe that people could swim in it! Not just anyone though! Only those who could make the 1 mile steep hike to the bottom although getting to the bottom wasn’t the problem! It was climbing back out! On our way down I noticed the faces of the people making the trek back up. They were wishing they had kept their feet planted on the rim above!
As we reached the water we could see a small boat dock. This is where the boat tours to Wizard Island would leave from if they were running. So that means anyone wanting to tour the lake by boat would need to hike down Cleetwood Cove Trail and back up! The shore line in nothing but boulders and rocks and is dotted with daredevils looking for a cliff to jump off. We didn’t think we would be one of them but it turns out we were wrong! How could we not get into that stunning blue lake. It is the deepest lake in the United States! So off with the shirts and shoes and in we went. Cesar a little more quickly than me! I had to work my way in that frigid water! Luckily the sun was still out due to the fact that it doesn’t set until 9:30pm here! We were able to lay on the warm rocks and attempt to dry off. We spent over an hour enjoying the water and watching others try to drum up the courage to jump in! Then we started the steep climb out. By the way, it wasn’t as hard as other people made it look!
By the time we arrived back at the rim it was getting late and we were in need of some dinner. We were leaving through the North entrance and remembered that our audio tour app had mentioned stopping at Diamond Lake right outside the park . The lodge there had a restaurant and the food was better than expected. We had a relaxing dinner on the patio overlooking Diamond Lake during the twilight hour. It was quite a beautiful way to end our day at Crater Lake National Park!
Hope you too can make the trip to this stunning National Park! Crater Lake or Bust! Please remember to hike responsibly and leave no trace!
