Crater Lake National Park Mazama Campground

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a hazy view of Crater Lake. Fires in the surrounding area dampened our enthusiasm to view the lake in pristine form. We were scheduled to take a boat ride around the lake and stop at Wizard Island, but it was canceled due to the poor conditions. We wandered to the Crater Lake Lodge, built in 1915 with lake views. Inside are magnificent fireplaces, and some of the walls were natural tree bark. Afterward, we toured Rim Drive, a narrow road around the lake with more than 30 scenic pullouts. We felt we had covered enough and didn’t complete the entire rim.

The next day, we hiked to Pinnacles Valley. Its unique, colorful spires reminded us of Bryce Canyon. These spires were formed when the ash deposit from the eruption that formed Crater Lake cooled. We then hiked to Vidae Falls, which is spring-fed and drops 100 feet. Its spray helps nourish the summer wildflowers.

While this was a bucket list item, we are eager to get to Bend.

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