We had wanted to visit Crater Lake National Park for a few years, but every time we started making plans, something got in the way. Finally, everything fell into place. Our fourth wedding anniversary gave us a good reason to book the flights, rent a car, and find somewhere to sleep.

We had a long list of things we wanted to see and do, and we managed to fit most of them into our brief visit. We camped inside the park, drove the entire Rim Drive, stopped at overlooks and waterfalls, hiked Garfield Peak, and made the steep trip down to the shore of Crater Lake.

Camping at Mazama Village

We treated Mazama Village Campground as a practical place to sleep rather than somewhere to spend long evenings around a fire. Our plan was to eat and sleep at the campground, then use the rest of our time to explore the park.

We got lucky at the airport and received an upgrade to a Dodge Caravan. The minivan quickly became our home on wheels. We had packed our REI trekking pads, which we also used when sleeping in the back of our Subaru Crosstrek, along with enough blankets to make a bed.

On the drive from Sacramento to Crater Lake, we stopped at a grocery store for food and other supplies. We also collected a stack of cardboard boxes, which turned out to be surprisingly useful. Layered beneath our sleeping pads, the cardboard helped level the floor and added a little cushioning between us and the hard interior of the van.

When we visited, reserving a campsite at Mazama did not mean receiving a specific site in advance. We checked in at a kiosk and were told to choose an available campsite marked with a yellow post.

We drove through one loop and then another, but everything appeared to be full. By the time we entered the fourth loop, we were getting a little nervous. We finally found a couple of open sites, including one where we could park the van between two rows of trees.

It was a nearly perfect setup for sleeping in the van. The trees gave us privacy, the campground was quiet around our site, and we slept surprisingly well. Although Mazama Village was busy and full during our visit, our little space among the trees felt nicely tucked away.

After a couple of comfortable nights in the Dodge Caravan, we found ourselves becoming a little obsessed with the possibilities of van camping.

Watchman Overlook

We arrived at Crater Lake to find the park covered in smoke from nearby wildfires. Evacuation notices had been issued in the region not long before our arrival, and we had been nervous that the fires might derail the trip entirely.

Rain eventually helped improve the situation enough for us to continue, but the smoke still hung thickly over the lake when we reached Watchman Overlook. Instead of the famously deep blue water we had imagined, we found a hazy landscape with Wizard Island emerging through layers of gray.

The poor visibility was disappointing, but it also created an unusual view of the lake. We tried to work with the conditions and make photographs that captured the strange, muted atmosphere rather than the clear blue scene we had expected.

Watchman Peak Trail was closed because of the nearby fire activity and crews working in the area. We had hoped to hike to the fire lookout for sunset, but we settled for exploring the overlook. Even through the smoke, it gave us a close view of Wizard Island rising from the lake.

After leaving Watchman Overlook, we continued north along West Rim Drive and stopped at several smaller pullouts. At one of them, we climbed a short hill to the edge of the caldera. We stood there for a while, looking through the smoke and trying to imagine how much of the landscape was hidden beyond it.

Driving Rim Drive

The wind shifted overnight. When we woke the next morning, the sky above us was blue and the lake was finally visible.

Smoke still lingered in the distance, softening the farthest mountain ridges, but we could see across the caldera and take in the full blue sweep of Crater Lake. After the hazy arrival the evening before, the transformation felt enormous.

We got an early start on the Garfield Peak Trail, which became the highlight of our visit. Beginning early gave us time on the trail before most other hikers arrived, and the morning views over the lake were outstanding.

After the hike, we ate lunch and stopped at the visitor center for our national park passport stamp. Then we continued around the lake.

Rim Drive is lined with overlooks, trailheads, and small pullouts. We completed the full loop over our two days in the park, stopping often because it was difficult to pass any open view without wanting to see the lake from one more angle.

Vidae Falls

Vidae Falls was one of the easiest stops along Rim Drive. The waterfall was only a few steps from the roadside parking area, making it possible to see without committing to another hike.

Water flowed steadily over the rocky ledges during our visit, with wildflowers blooming around the base of the falls. Restoration closures prevented us from wandering very far beyond the designated area, but we could still enjoy the waterfall and make a few photographs from the nearby trail.

Sun Notch Trail

Sun Notch gave us another short hike with an entirely different view of the lake. From the parking area, we followed the clearly marked loop through forest and open meadow to the edge of the caldera.

The trail was less than a mile long and included several viewpoints. From the rim, we could look across the water toward Phantom Ship, the jagged island whose narrow rock formations resemble the masts of an old sailing ship. Depending on the angle and the light, it seemed to shift against the darker caldera wall behind it.

For such a short walk, Sun Notch offered a remarkable amount of scenery. The forest, meadow, lake, and Phantom Ship all appeared within a relatively small area.

Hiking to Cleetwood Cove

We continued around the lake after leaving Sun Notch. The early afternoon sun was creating deeper shadows along the eastern side of the caldera, changing the lake’s appearance again as we drove.

Our final hike began at Cleetwood Cove. This is the only developed trail that descends from the rim to the shore of Crater Lake, and reaching the water was a bucket-list experience for Kim.

The trail dropped steeply toward the lake, losing about 700 feet of elevation in a little over a mile. At the bottom, we could touch the clear water and stand beneath the immense walls of the caldera. Swimming was allowed, although the cold water demanded a little courage.

Of course, everything we walked down had to be climbed again. The return hike was a serious workout for our lungs and legs, but being able to stand at the edge of Crater Lake made the effort worthwhile.

Two Days at Crater Lake

Our time at Crater Lake National Park was brief, but those two days gave us two very different versions of the lake. We first saw it through wildfire smoke, with Wizard Island barely visible in the haze. By the following morning, the wind had cleared the sky and revealed the intensely blue water we had traveled so far to see.

Between sleeping in our improvised minivan camper, hiking Garfield Peak, driving the rim, and finally reaching the water at Cleetwood Cove, we packed a great deal into the visit. We would happily return, preferably during a summer when Oregon and California are not surrounded by enormous fires.

A Crater Lake National Park Adventure