Overwhelmingly yet sublimely beautiful. Moody. At times brilliantly blue, ominously somber; at other times buried in a mass of brooding clouds. Crater Lake is magical and enchanting - a remnant of fiery times, a reflector of its adjacent forested slopes, a product of Nature's grand design. Stories of the deep blue lake can never prepare visitors for their first breathtaking look from the brink of this 6 mile wide caldera which was created by the eruption and collapse of Mt. Mazama almost 7,000 years ago. Even seasoned travelers gasp at the 20-mile circle of cliffs, tinted in subtle shades and fringed with hemlock, fir, and pine: all this in a lake of indescribable blue.

Today, the nation's fifth oldest national park serves to stand as a memorial to time. Crater Lake National Park is host to a diverse array of activities. While enjoying the natural scenic wonders, park visitors may hike in old growth forests, participate in a variety of interpretive activities, camp out or stay in an historic hotel, or even cross-country ski during the eight month long winters which are experienced here in the high Cascades.

• Crater Lake National Park -

• Try fishing for kokanee salmon and rainbow trout on Wizard Island and at Cleetwood Cove.
• Drive the Rim Drive scenic roadway. Mid-July through early September is the most advantageous period to drive around the caldera on Rim Drive. Allow at least 2 hours.
• Keep an eye out for wildflowers: The Castle Crest Wildflower trail has a large variety of flora in bloom during late July.