The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: October twenty-ninth, enjoying restoration at Crater Lake.

It's certainly well-named. This sky-blue gem of a lake is set in the Cascade Mountains of south central Oregon, amid many thousands of acres of national forest. The great cavity formed 7500 years ago, when the center of Mount Mazama, a 12,000-foot high volcano, collapsed neatly into a bowl- shaped basin nearly six miles in diameter. Local Klamath indians actually witnessed the eruption and incorporated the cataclysm into their legends. Over subsequent centuries, the huge caldera cooled and filled with water, creating a lake which, at nearly 2000 feet, is the deepest in the U.S. and seventh deepest on earth.

Since no stream flows in or out of it, Crater Lake is essentially a closed ecosystem. Its cold waters, the clearest in the world providing visibility to 130 feet, contained no fish until they were introduced by man a century ago. Because of its great depth, the lake seldom freezes, despite an average of 66 feet of annual snowfall. That provides cross-country skiing up to seven months a year and hard sledding the rest of the time. The hiking, however, is superb.

Designated a national park in 1902, Crater Lake has some 90 miles of trails that wind from peak to peak, though most park visitors sight-see from their cars. The park road meanders for 33 miles around the rim of the caldera, offering dozens of dramatic vistas but, aside from one steep footpath, no access to the lake itself. Camping opportunities abound, and the restored Crater Lake Lodge offers comfortable accommodations for less woodsy travelers.

FMI For information on Crater Lake National Park, 541-594-2211 or www.nps.gov/crla

Back to October 2003 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.