Crater Lake in the Snow


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Welcome to Crater Lake National Park!  In the winter when the snowpack is thick, park entry is free.


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The road was mostly snow and ice-free (with a few notable exceptions) but there was quite a bit of snow piled up on all sides.

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Heather enjoyed driving her Audi through the winter wonderland.

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Crater Lake in all its winter glory.  This is the first time I ever went to the lake in the winter.  The last time I visited was sometime in middle school or early high school.

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The restrooms were still open via a crazy steel tunnel.

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Inside the tunnel.  This contraption allows access to the restrooms even in the deepest of snow.

IMG_5822The building door is sighted!

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It was a wee bit chilly up on the rim.  We didn’t have our snow survival gear with us but we did have a few layers and some warm hats.

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Wizard Island.  In the summer, you can ride a boat out to the island and walk to the summit.

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The snack and gift shop lodge under the snow.  Surprisingly, it was actually open and staffed.

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The Crater Lake Lodge boarded up for the winter.  Only a couple of maintenance people go inside off-season.  The right portion of the photo looks south toward Klamath Lake and Klamath Falls.


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Lots of snow piled up around the lodge.

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Heather sitting at the edge of forever.


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It was very difficult to keep my eyes open for this photo.

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Heather’s car was getting pretty dirty from all of the winter road grime.



STA_5891-STG_5897What a beautiful lake!

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In spite of the snow, the gift shop and cafe was open.

IMG_5931It was a good thing because we were cold and wanted something warm to drink!

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Another long snow tunnel leading to the front door.