Crater Lake View from Rim Drive

Our first stop was the Steel Information Visitor’s Center named for the "Father" of Crater Lake. It so happens that a young Kansas schoolboy by the name of William Steel read about Crater Lake in a newspaper that was wrapped around his lunch. So impressed with the description, his life became devoted to its preservation. All was realized in 1902 when President Roosevelt signed legislation to create Crater Lake National Park…small world!  

Crater Lake View showing Wizard Island (upper left of picture)

A film on the creation of Crater Lake included the Klamath Indian lore about a war between two deities Lloa, god of the underworld, and Skell, god of world of light. Violent eruptions of a 12,000-foot volcano Mt. Mazama 6,850 years ago and its collapse created a closed caldera, which now contains the lake. This lake is renowned for its brilliant blue color. At first sight we were simply awestruck! We drove along the rim, lava cliffs that rise 500-2000 feet above the shoreline, to take most of the pictures below. If only we could share the true color of this awesome lake!

The Pinacles at Crater Lake

East of the lake, pinnacles loomed like giant sandcastles from the canyon floor. They are slender spires of cemented pumice and scoria. Once fumeroles, they remained when soft volcanic material eroded around them. Some of them rise to height of 200 feet. 

Phantom Ship at Crater Lake

Other phenomenal sights were "Phantom Ship" and "Wizard Island". Phantom Ship is actually a remnant of an ancient volcano that preceded Mt. Mazama called Phantom Cone. Its name also depicts its tendency to "disappear" into the rock rim behind it. It is thought to be more than 400,000 years old!

Closer View of Phantom Ship 

Wizard Island (sorry no picture) is a cinder cone that was formed after the fall of Mr. Mazama. It is an unusually symmetrical cone because the formation occurred within the protection the crater. Passengers were allowed to get off at the island for fishing and exploring. Since Crater Lake is a closed ecosystem, the fish actually do not belong there but were first stocked around the turn of the century. In fact there is no limit to what can be harvested, as the park would like to rid the lake of them.

For centuries people have come and gone from Crater Lake, each for different reasons. Some seek spiritual healing, and some seek adventure. But we know of one man who has been here for at least a century, and will probably remain for another. He’s called "The Old Man of the Lake", a nomad, drifting along in an upright position with the aid of rocks entangled in his roots. We envy the old man a bit…what a beautiful place to be adrift!

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[Lava Beds National Monument] [Crater Lake National Forest]