Crater Lake National Park

Let me preface this presentation by saying that I am extremely embarassed to even do it and offer my sincere apologies. There was so much smoke in the crater from surrounding forest fires that the lake was barely visible. I was really bummed because Crater Lake was one of the primo places I wanted to photograph on my trip to the northwest in 2018. So, consider it a placeholder for the excellent pictures I plan on taking on my next visit. Nuff said.

Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902 and is the fifth-oldest national park in the U.S. It's the only national park in Oregon. Crater Lake, the main feature of the park, lies in a caldera formed 7,700 years ago when the volcano, Mount Mazama, erupted and then collapsed. At 1,949 feet deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, and it's famous for its clear water and deep blue color (like I saw any of that). There are two islands in the lake, Wizard Island to the west and Phantom Ship to the south (southeast).

Park sign

Steel Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Administrative building

Gift shop at Mazama Village

Do you see the lake?

Lake barely visible

Rim Village Cafe and Gifts

Wizard Island

The Watchman

Dumb and dumber - life on the edge

Phantom Ship

The Pinnacles

Super-heated pumice flowed into Wheeler Creek canyon at the time of the Mount Mazama eruption. Steam and gas escaped through vents in the pumice, welding and solidfying the sides of the vents. Thousands of years of erosion eventually wore away the softer pumice, exposing the solidified vents or pinnacles that are seen today.

Trail to the Pinnacles

Pinnacles

One pinnacle

Pinnacles

This concludes my sad little presentation of Crater Lake. Hopefully I'll have much better, smoke free photos next visit.

Background content obtained from Wikipedia and the National Park Service.
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