During an excursion up to Oregon in early July, we stopped by Crater Lake National Park. Though it was July and we had driven up through Redding, where it was over 104 degrees, a good portion of Crater Lake’s rim drive and trails were under 4+ feet of snow. Luckily, the road from the Annie Spring Entrance and the West Rim Drive through the North Entrance Road were open. Since the trails were under snow and we didn’t have our snow shoes, there was no hiking. Boat tours wo wizard island don’t start until July 21, conditions permitting.
Crater Lake is one of the deepest lakes (1,943 feet) in the United States fed only by snow and rain (no rivers or streams). It rests inside a caldera formed approximately 7,700 years ago when a 12,000 foot volcano (Mt. Mazama) collapsed. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island, a cinder cone. Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902.
For more photos, check out my gallery: http://cchinstudios.zenfolio.com/craterlake
For more information:
Crater Lake National Park site – http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm