It was cold last night with a low of 15 degrees under a clear sky. We decided it was too cold to go to the outdoor High Desert Museum, so we decided to take the long trip to Crater Lake instead. Good choice! The sky was clear though there was some haze from nearby prescribed burns. We were lucky with the weather. There definitely was some snow on the ground, but the temperature on rim was in the mid 30s. They generally close the north gate we used and the rim road by 1 November, sometimes earlier depending on snow.
We drove the western side of the rim road first because of the sun direction. Yup, the water really is that blue!
There are lots of color on the rocks from minerals and lichens.
There is a small island the guidebook calls a ghost ship but I think it looks like an abandoned castle.
We had lunch at the old lodge. It is late in the season, and the menu was limited but excellent. I love eating in the old National Park lodges. Most of the time the food is locally sourced and well prepared, just as today’s lunch was. There was a ranger in the main room giving a presentation to a bunch of school kids, and I learned quite a bit from her about the area as I listened along with the kids.
There is another volcanic cone in the lake, Wizard Island. Interesting looking place. In the summer you can ride a boat there, assuming you can walk down the 1.1 mile trail from the rim and then back up again! The boats are all stored for winter this late in the season.
There was a prescribed burn southwest of the lake.
There are other obviously volcanic peaks in the area. Here are two that I don’t know the names of.
We enjoyed the trip, but it isn’t a place to return to in my opinion. We did have an excellent trip to Trader Joe’s as we came into Bend, so it was a truly excellent day! I miss Trader Joe’s sooooo much.