Mazama Village to Rim Village at Crater Lake

This was a very easy nice walk in the forest. We walked to the PCT and to Dutton Creek trail and campground. There were dead trees everywhere. I wouldn't hike here during a strong wind.

Hiked out and not back.. nice awesome pristine nature experience.. no real scapes until making it to the lake.. well maintained and low traffic.. weather was outstanding!

The view at the end of the hike is amazing! The hike itself has a good amount of elevation so be prepared. Well manicured trail and not a lot of bugs or animals that we saw. You can’t see much as far as views on the hike. It’s mostly in the forest. A lot of the trail is in the shade. Good hike overall.

Lots of bugs spoiled our hiking fun. Beautiful trail and crater lake is amazing! We took the shuttle back to mazame campground.

We only hiked the one direction and then hung out at the Lake for the fabulous views! You can take a free shuttle back to the camp ground. We stayed at Mazama Ridge camp ground.

a ton of bugs along the way, but scenic!

This is a beautiful trail through the woods: multiple times throughout the hike I forgot that the real beauty lies at the end when you reach the rim and see the lake. We went in early July 2017 and there was still about 6ft of snow on the higher half of the trail, so navigation without GPS is very tricky. There were quite literally thousands of mosquitos swarming us (a cloud of them followed us most of the way) throughout most of this trail too, so bring DEET and lots of it. Still worth it though!

iconic must do

Good hike to acclimate to altitude. Steady 1.5 miles uphill towards end is challenging for moderately healthy folks. Well marked trail.

Awesome views

Visiting Crater Lake on Labor Day weekend was not my smartest move. The crowds were intense. But like most National Parks, once you leave the "village" and head out on a trail, you can leave the crowds behind.

I hiked from Ashland to the Columbia River on the PCT in July 2015 and the hike in to Crater Lake was spectacular. I walked in during a lighting/rain storm and feel so lucky to experience the lake during a storm. I felt a little culture shock with all the people at Crater Lake but the view is worth the walk.

I absolutely cannot wait to come back! When researching the website, I was ignorant to weather conditions. I assumed it would be sunny and bright! Upon arriving, in my tank top, shorts, and sandals mind you, I was in shock. There was up to 8 feet of snow, and the trails required snow shoes to enter. My mistake completely. Don't go in February unless you are aware of weather conditions...

Beautiful! Also be sure to seek out the Pinnacles. Try to avoid days when there are bike events. I'm not sure how often they're held at Crater Lake, but there is no shoulder and it's slightly stressful trying to drive around the cyclists because there are blind curves. Nothing against them, but when there are several cyclists and several tourists in cars, it was difficult to drive.

Entering from the South Entrance, Crater Lake treated us to a fantastic time over two days - here are some of our activities: Steele Information Center has a nice 18 min video open 9-5, the Rim VC open 9:30-4:30, note there is a 2 hr trolley ride around entire rim drive w/4 stops (we had a rental and stopped where we wanted to). Hiking: 1. Sun Notch Viewpoint - 20 minutes, steep 0.25 miles one way to views watch cliffs! Moderate - TH: 4 miles east of Park HQ on the East Rim Dr. View of CL and Phantom Ship 2. Pinnacles Trail - 30 minutes, 1 mile out to OL and back, Easy - TH: End of Pinnacles Spur Road, 7 miles south of Phantom Ship Overlook/7 miles from Steele Info Ctr, Views of volcanic spires in canyon walls. Not a must see, best probably in early morning as sun hits the spires. 3. Garfield Peak - best hike in the park... Time: 2-3 hours; 1.7 miles one way, Moderate - TH: Follow sidewalk on lakeside of Crater Lake Lodge going east to start dirt trail, Panoramic epic views of Lake. May be closed due to snow. 4. Watchman Peak Sunset Hike with ranger for sunsets; starts 1 hr before sunset to historic fire lookout, check with VC for times. 1.6 mi. RT, 1 hr - TH at Watchman Overlook, 3.7 mi. north of Rim Village on West Rim Drive. we did this on a brilliant sun-drenched Tuesday afternoon. 5. MUST DO: Cleetwood Cove (only lake shore access), 1.5 hours, 1.1 miles one way, Moderate to strenuous, 11% grade, TH: 4.5 miles east of junction of East Rim Road and North Entrance Road, Lake shore and boat dock. Jump from 18-ft rock ledge into 55 degree lake. Other hikes - we did not do, but if we had extra time: 6. Wizard Island hike (take boat over from Cleetwood Cove 1.75 hrs and hike 2 miles to summit. Boats $19-39, see - http://www.craterlakelodges.com/volcano-boat-cruises-8644.html - note you can take 3 hrs to a half day for this). 7. Mt. Scott - 3 hrs, 5 miles RT (90 mins up an 60 mins down steep in spots), Strenuous - TH: 14 miles east of Park HQ on East Rim Dr. Highest point in park with views of historic fire lookout and CL. Overlooks: Cloudcap @ 8,000, Watchman Trail and Overlook (turquoise pools), Pumice Pt. (u-shaped glaciers), Phantom Ship (best is to drive rim road clockwise). Other overlooks Discovery Point (2.2 mi. RT), Pinnacle Overlook, Sun Notch (.25 mile hike to Overlook), Crater Lake Lodge Dinner reservations - call 541-594-2255 x3217 Drive around lake is 33 miles, and don't miss watching the stars at night, you see 'em all - the Milky Way is clearly visible... We had a great time, with great weather (in July) and excellent hiking. Highly recommend this park!

Crater Lake is breathtaking and a must see if you are in Oregon! We went during late summer and didn't experience insane crowds, and brought our dog with no problems!

It's beautiful and like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. The waterfalls and surrounding areas are just as beautiful as the lake itself.

Crater Lake, one of the leading natural features in the state of Oregon, beholds a breathtaking view that no photograph can possibly accurately portray. The colors are deep hues of blue and green, which is beautiful while set against either the summer fauna or winter snow. A must see!!

Crater lake is stunning. Whether you go in the spring, summer, or winter months, be prepared to take alot of beautiful pictures. If you camp in the fall, around late August-September, it can be nearly 90 degree outside during the day, but in the moringing there can be a carpet of snow on the ground (I know this first hand!). There are many trails and wilderness areas to explore, however, during the spring and summer months don't expect to be the only one visiting. IT CAN BE VERY CROWDED!

My family and I were visiting the Ashland area and wanted to see the famous Crater Lake , a couple hundred miles away. The area approaching the national park is heavily pine forested with not many views, but It was well worth the drive! The day was gorgeous and the view of the lake from numerous lookout points were spectacular! The very deep blue of the large lake was especially impressive. The much photographed focal point, Wizard Island, is a collapsed volcanic cone near the south side of the lake.