Crater Lake in 2020 Vision

I got another bucket list item completed yesterday: Crater Lake! It was a loooooonnnnnnggg day. Crater lake is a 6.5 hr drive from where I live. My dog and I set out at midnight Friday night/Saturday morning, and got to the park at 6:30 am. I was wide awake with anticipation and not at all sleepy for the ride. Crater Lake is one of the more dog friendly parks I’ve been to, and they allow dogs on certain trails. The lake is super high up, and when we got there at 6:30 Saturday morning, it was 31 degrees (!!!) up top. As I was driving up the park during the last portion of the drive, I watched the temperature steadily drop on my car’s thermometer. Once it reached 32 degrees, I was like “shiiiiiiiiit, it better not be snowy up there! My car will never be able to handle that on this incline.” But the road was snow free, and the only remaining snow I saw was on the trails. AND within the first half hour of arriving, the temp rose from 31 degrees to 53 degrees (also…!!!!)

Crater Lake was formed 7700 years about when the volcano, Mount Mazama, erupted and a large, deep basin remained where the volcano once was. Over the years, the basin filled with rain and snowfall. No streams run into it; precipitation balanced with evaporation keep the lake level consistent. The lake is 1,943 feet deep at its deepest point. It was soooo cool to see with my own eyes, and I’m glad I finally went!

Afterwards, we made the looooong trek back home and were back by late evening. I slept soooooo good last night!

Last updated July 26, 2020