Crater Lake NP

Crater Lake National Park has a lake that formed over thousands of years in the crater of a collapsed volcano. About 7700 years ago the force of the magma was so strong that it released in a perfect circle around the top of the volcano and blew off the entire top of the mountain. The top then dropped into the void and plugged it like a cork. The resulting hole was filled over time from rain and the 40+ feet of snow this area receives each year. The result is the deepest freshwater lake, over 1900 feet deep. It is the cleanest, clearest lake in the continental US because nothing flows into or out of it so it has no impurities.

We had many opportunities to view the lake from every angle, from water level to high above the lake. Since this park is on a mountain top, the views of the nearby Cascade Mountains were glorious. We even had the opportunity to see everything in sunny, cloudy and with large rain clouds. They appreciated the much-needed rain. We are here during this short 2 months of summer. The short, mangled pines, shrubs and low-lying flowering plants that make this area home are tenacious, quirky looking and beautiful. As we hiked the paths, butterflies and bees were busy doing their work among the small flowers.