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Crater Lake is only a few hours from home. It is a National Park. It is one of the top rated places to visit in Oregon. We haven’t been there in over 20 years. Pathetic, aren’t we?
I’d always wanted to fit it into our itinerary, but hated to deal with the summer crowds, then again there’s riding. If it’s warm enough to hike around Crater Lake, then its warm enough to ride – enuf said! So, it takes a broken wrist and some time off the bikes to finally get around to a visit, and all I can say is, why did we wait so long???
Driving that lonely, impossibly straight road early in the morning, we arrived in the park just as the sun was coming over the rim. We stopped first at the parking area for Watchman Peak, a 2-mile round trip hike that takes you to the old lookout tower on the West rim. The first part of the trail is actually the original park road, it’s interesting to see how skinny and treacherous this road was in places, and a few of the original mileposts are still in place if you know where to look.
The view from the top is spectacular! Early in the quiet morning, everything is dark in the shadows, with deep blue sky and water, and sunshine to dazzle the eyes. We had the whole place to ourselves, never met another hiker the entire time.
View from Watchman
See, it's a sign about Fire Watch, and look, there's fires...to watch...
Vintage binoculars in the lookout tower
That's our car down there.
After coming back down, we hopped in the car and headed around to the lodge, which has been recently restored. I have a love/hate thing with how the government “restores” these old lodges. In some ways, I’m just happy their still around, and that they’ve added fire protection and other updates that hopefully will keep them here for years to come. In other ways though, I’m frustrated by how radically they change things – from new windows to elevators and air conditioning, the old feel of the place has been washed away.
Crater Lake Lodge
That’s not to say I don’t think the lodge is beautiful, the location and design are gorgeous, and I’d stay here in an instant if I could justify the cost.
As we were wandering through the hallways, we crossed paths with one of the workers who asked if he could help us find anything, we said we were just snooping around, he happily told us about the lodge, the renovation, then gave us a special treat – opening up one of the most popular rooms so we could see the bathtub with a view of the lake!
A view of Crater Lake from your bathtub, how cool is that?
After a quick cup of coffee at the little shop next to the lodge, we headed towards our major hike of the day, Mt. Scott, a 5 mile round-trip hike that has an elevation gain of 1,500 feet. The view at the top gives you a great panorama of the lake and the surrounding valley, and is also the highest point in the park.
Look, a sign.
I’d definitely recommend doing this one as early in the day as possible for two reasons, one, it’ll be less crowded and dusty, and two because you’ll have a clearer view. We caught it just as the sky was beginning to get hazy, by the time we started hiking back down, smoke from some small forest fires had started to fill in the valley below, turning an impressive view into something less awe inspiring.
View from the top of Mt. Scott
Even though this was only a 5-mile hike, I can see why they rate it as strenuous, it is a constant uphill pull all the way to the top, and then constant downhill on the way back down. Usually on hikes like this you’ll have some flat sections or up-and-down areas, but this one is just one uninterrupted pull. Whether you’re headed up or down, it’s tiring and tough on your joints. Still, it’s worth every ache!
Uphill slogging.
Tired feet rest at the top
Pain with a view.
After gratefully arriving back at the car, it was on towards Medford, with a quick stop at Natural Bridge of the Rogue. This is a geological oddity that really has to be seen to be believed. The entire Rogue river is flowing along naturally, when it suddenly just disappears underground, re-appearing in a thundering rush a few hundred yards beyond.
Water disappearing under Natural Bridge
Although Mike was unimpressed, I thought it was very cool, and it’s worth stopping and hiking the short and easy trail to take a look.
Medford Super 8 tonight, Ashland tomorrow!
