Little House on the Big River: Crater Lake, Oregon

The transition from the lush green of the Umpqua Forest to the blue water and white snow of Crater Lake was remarkable. We drove in through the north entrance (Route 138) and passed through the Pumice Desert.

When Mt. Mazama erupted, it spread a layer of pumice 100 feet deep here. The lack of soil and nutrients have allowed this space to remain a desert for over 7,000 years.

The terrain is beautiful. Rocky cliffs shearing off into the water below.

This is what it looks like when we stop for lunch. Jonah's stroller doubles well as a highchair.

We had gone back and forth a bunch over whether we would camp at Crater Lake or stay over at their expensive Lodge. Ultimately, we decided that with unpredictable weather, camping at 7,000 feet could be asking too much of Jonah and so we booked a room in advance. As we drove up to the rim, it was clear that there was still 30 feet of snow! While we aren't opposed to snow camping, we didn't bring the right gear for that, so we were even more relieved of our decision to stay at the Lodge.

Below is our first view of Crater Lake. The water is a brilliant shade of blue.

This was the first time here for all of us, and it is very obvious why it is preserved as a National Park.

Once you get to the rim, you are at the highest point so your prespective on the landscape is always an epic panorama. This is the southern view of the large cinder cone island named Wizard Island.

The lodge is a beautiful, well maintained hotel situated right on the rim. It opened in 1915 and even though it has been renovated recently, the remodel was done in a tasteful, rustic way.

We checked in and got settled in our suite. There was a loft available so we got an upgrade which essentially gave us two rooms. This was a serious splurge, but several frugal nights of camping evened things out. First order of business was baths for all! Note the retro tub and floor tiles. Some of the rooms have showers, but ours only came with a tub.

The loft was great. There was a space for us to hang out once Jonah went to bed upstairs. Jonah also LOVED climbing stairs. He learned (with considerable trepidation) how to go down stairs too. It was remarkable how acute his perception of danger was without ever having experienced any consequences.

He was really proud of himself once he learned how to get down (by turning around and reverse climbing, feet first).

The best part of our room? The view.

This the view from our window.

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. Because of the caldera of rock, there are no inlets or outlets to the lake. The only source for water supply is rain and snow melt and the only exit is through evaporation and seepage. Remarkably, once the lake filled to a depth of 1943 feet there has been little variation of the water level (16 feet during a particularly dry winter was the most that has been recorded).

The color of Crater Lake comes from the water being both incredibly clear and deep. The only other time I have experienced water this color was while sailing in the Pacific Ocean 200 miles offshore.

The lake can be classified as oligotrophic, which is a fancy way of saying that it lacks nutrients and thus aquatic life is also diminished. While the Forest Service no longer stocks the lake with fish, past practice of introducing fish means you can fish for Kokanee Salmon and Rainbow Trout. Because neither species are native to the lake, fishing is actually encouraged.