It was a fantastic day today visiting Crater Lake National Park.
We got an early start and arrived at the north entry station about 9:30 am. The RV park is about 4 miles north of the entry station and it as about 5 more miles before you get to the lake.
The lake was formed about 8,000 years ago when Mount Mazama, a 12,000 ft volcano in the Cascade Range, erupted. After the initial eruption through the top of the volcano, the internal pressure of the magma blew out the sides of the mountain in an almost circular pattern, causing the mountain above to collapse upon itself to create the caldera that was to become Crater Lake. It is estimated the eruption was the largest in North America in at least the last 650,000 years.
Over the centuries the lake gradually filled with melted snow and rainwater. Later eruptions also created Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the SW shore. Today the lake maintains a constant water level through a balance of precipitation, evaporation and environmental conditions. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake and the deep blue water is of unmatched purity and clarity. The average visibility into the depth of the water is around 160 ft. compared to Tahoe's 17 ft average depth visibility. The lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world.
The lake is about 6 miles in diameter at its widest point and 4.5 miles at the shortest point. The deepest point in the lake is 1,943 ft. It holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water; the tallest point along the rim is 1,978 ft., the lowest 507 ft. The annual average snowfall for the area is 43 ft and the last recorded time the lake froze was in 1949.
The lake has been a mystical place for indigenous Native American tribes for centuries. The first recorded visit by a European American was in 1853 gold miner and several companions. A prominent local resident,William Gladstone Steel, campaigned to protect the lake after his visit in 1885. His campaign was successful and the lake and surrounding area was made a national park in 1902.
Today, there is a 33 mile drive around the rim with numerous vista points and pull outs. The only to access the water is by a steep 1/2 mile trail with a 750 elevation grade. A concession offers seasonal boat tours, but you have to hike the trail down and back to reach the boat ramp. There appears to be a conscious effort by the National Park Service to keep access to lake water to a minimum.
We spent most of the day driving around the lake eating lunch at the park village and enjoying the marvelous scenery. There is truly nothing else like it in the world. If you haven't ever been here you should add it to your "bucket list".
After returning to the RV park we ate take out pizza from the resort restaurant nearby and went to bed early.
We got an early start and arrived at the north entry station about 9:30 am. The RV park is about 4 miles north of the entry station and it as about 5 more miles before you get to the lake.
The lake was formed about 8,000 years ago when Mount Mazama, a 12,000 ft volcano in the Cascade Range, erupted. After the initial eruption through the top of the volcano, the internal pressure of the magma blew out the sides of the mountain in an almost circular pattern, causing the mountain above to collapse upon itself to create the caldera that was to become Crater Lake. It is estimated the eruption was the largest in North America in at least the last 650,000 years.
Over the centuries the lake gradually filled with melted snow and rainwater. Later eruptions also created Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the SW shore. Today the lake maintains a constant water level through a balance of precipitation, evaporation and environmental conditions. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake and the deep blue water is of unmatched purity and clarity. The average visibility into the depth of the water is around 160 ft. compared to Tahoe's 17 ft average depth visibility. The lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world.
The lake is about 6 miles in diameter at its widest point and 4.5 miles at the shortest point. The deepest point in the lake is 1,943 ft. It holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water; the tallest point along the rim is 1,978 ft., the lowest 507 ft. The annual average snowfall for the area is 43 ft and the last recorded time the lake froze was in 1949.
The lake has been a mystical place for indigenous Native American tribes for centuries. The first recorded visit by a European American was in 1853 gold miner and several companions. A prominent local resident,William Gladstone Steel, campaigned to protect the lake after his visit in 1885. His campaign was successful and the lake and surrounding area was made a national park in 1902.
Today, there is a 33 mile drive around the rim with numerous vista points and pull outs. The only to access the water is by a steep 1/2 mile trail with a 750 elevation grade. A concession offers seasonal boat tours, but you have to hike the trail down and back to reach the boat ramp. There appears to be a conscious effort by the National Park Service to keep access to lake water to a minimum.
We spent most of the day driving around the lake eating lunch at the park village and enjoying the marvelous scenery. There is truly nothing else like it in the world. If you haven't ever been here you should add it to your "bucket list".
After returning to the RV park we ate take out pizza from the resort restaurant nearby and went to bed early.
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