Crater Lake, Oregon

A massive volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago left a deep basin in the place where a mountain peak once stood.  It was Mount Mazama, one in a line of volcanoes ranging from northern California into British Columbia.  Along this zone two of the earth’s crustal plates collided.  Centuries of rain and snow filled the basin, forming a deep blue lake whose waters are of unmatched color and clarity.  Crater Lake is the deepest lake (1, 943 feet) in the United States.  

We drove the 33-mile Rim Drive that encircles Crater Lake.  There are many scenic pullouts along the route, but sadly most have no exhibits explaining what you are looking at.  Some don’t even have a warning that a pullout is ahead.  Because of the smoke a lot of what we saw today wasn’t very clear. 

One of our stops was Watchman Overlook where we saw Wizard Island, a cinder cone that erupted out of Crater Lake approximately 7,300 years ago.  

Wizard Island

Other stops we made were Cloudcap Overlook which was quite windy.  Pumice Castle Overlook where we saw orange pumice rock that had been eroded into the shape of medieval castles.  At Phantom Ship Overlook we saw another island which is called Phantom Ship because some people think it resembles a small sailboat.  It is made of erosion-resistant lava, 400,000 years old and is the oldest exposed rock within the caldera.

At the Pinnacles Overlook, which is a 6-mile detour from the Rim Drive, we saw 100 feet spires which are being eroded from the canyon wall.  They are ‘fossil fumaroles’ where volcanic gases rose up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into sold rock.  

Crater Lake only occupies 7% of the park that bears its name.  The park is comprised of old-growth forest.  It was established as a National Park in 1902 mainly to protect our nation’s forests.

Pumice Castle Overlook

Phamton Ship Overlook

Pinnacles Overlook

Pinnacles Overlook

During the night it got down into the 40s again, but we slept in comfort.  Today we drove on the part of the road we have never been on, heading away from Crater Lake.  We were heading to see some waterfalls.  Our first was Clearwater Falls.  The Clearwater River cascades 30 feet over moss-covered rocks and logs which look absolutely beautiful.  The walk to the viewing area was short and easy.  Yay!

Clearwater Falls

Clearwater Falls

The second stop was the Whitehorse Falls.  The walk to see these 15 foot falls on the Clearwater River was also an easy walk.

Whitehorse Falls

Next stop was Watson Falls which was listed as a moderate hike .4 miles in length.  It was more difficult than moderate and was much longer than .4 miles, but it was the highest waterfall we saw today.  It is the highest in southwest Oregon and third in the state, plunging 293 feet over the edge of a basalt lava flow.  We crossed a wooden bridge over the Watson Creek to see the falls and then had to hike even more, climbing quite high.  It was a beautiful sight and must be even more so in the spring.  

Watson Falls

Watson Falls

Note: Pix from Owen Rose Garden and Delta Ponds have been added to the Eugene, Oregon Post.  The web service was to weak to handle pictures.