A lot has been said about the first sight of the deepest lake in the United States of America. Cheryl Strayed in her memoir ‘Wild’ said that her first look at the lake had been one of disbelief, just as her guidebook had told her it would be. Even the Nat. Geo. guide to the National Parks of the United States says, “Few forget their first glimpse of Crater Lake on a clear summer’s day…”
It was on a summer day that I was there but what was supposed to have been MY first look at Crater Lake was nothing but a thick cloud of fog. I saw little else.
It was one of those odd days in the summer when it wasn’t what you called a ‘clear day.’ Hubby had looked up the weather forecast and we had known that it was going to be a foggy day but we decided to go ahead with our plans because it was too late to make changes. We had our hands full for the days that followed, and a few bookings (even re- bookings) had already been made. We hoped against hope that the fog would give way to a quick glimpse at the blue lake that we’d seen in pictures. But luck didn’t favour us that day. The fog was literally hugging the lake and blocking the view of all those who were near the rim of that crater.
Crater Lake is technically a crater lake. I remember the first time I had heard about this lake in Oregon. That was a few years ago and it got me wondering if it was a just a name for a lake or a real crater lake like the one Ms. Nalini had taught us about in Geography class back in school. She had told us of volcanic craters that get filled with water and turn into ‘crater lakes,’ in due course. And this lake, dear tripper, is just that — a proper crater lake.
Volcanic History of Crater Lake
Almost 8000 years ago, there was a huge mountain called Mazama. It was volcanic. One time it had a monstrous eruption. As a result, large amounts of pumice and ash were flung several hundreds of miles away and a big depression came about in place of its summit. The magma chamber below is also thought to have been emptied, adding to the depth of the depression. The caldera of that volcano eventually got filled with rain water and snow-melt and came to be called just what it is — Crater Lake.
Crater Lake sits on the Cascade Range in Oregon. If you are not familiar with this mountain range, let me tell you that this chain-of-mountains begins in northern California and runs into the states of Oregon and Washington and even into the western part of Canada. It is one of the most well known lakes on the range not only because it is a crater lake but because it is the deepest lake in the Unites States and one of the bluest lakes too.
Given all that, we couldn’t give it a miss. We decided to go on with our planned trip to central Oregon and try very hard to take a detour to the lake on our way back to California, a couple of days later.
And we did. And look what we saw:
Pictures from different points around the Lake:
The native story
The legend of the land says ‘the spirit of the mountains,’ Llao, would often c0me up from the below-world and sit on the top of Mount Mazama. One day he happened to see a chief’s daughter and took a fancy to her. But she refused to go with him to his world. As such, an angry Llao from his seat at the top of Mt. Mazama is said to have begun throwing fire down, in order to destroy her people.
The story goes on to say that ‘the spirit of the sky,’ Skell decided to side with the people of the land and from his place on the top of Mount Shasta, battled with Llao. The two kept throwing hot rocks at each other till Skell succeeded in driving Llao back into the below-world.
It is believed that then, the top of the mountain fell upon Llao and what remained at the top was a large hole.
What you need to consider for your trip to Crater Lake
- Make sure you look up the weather forecast before you plan your trip.
- Look up the fog forecast specifically. There could be fog/snow on a summer day too.
- Make sure you carry some warm clothes
- Crater Lake Lodge on the rim of the lake may not have last-minute rooms for you. You could consider camping or look for accommodation in nearby towns.
- While you are at Crater Lake National Park, you might not want to miss a quick stop at the Pumice Desert a few miles north of the rim of this lake. The Pumice Desert was also born out of the eruption of Mt. Mazama.
You might also want to visit —
>Other Volcanic Sites on Tipsy from the TRIP
Linking to Our World Tuesday
Oh you are so lucky. I haven’t seen it this blue and clear in the 2x that I visited. It probably wants me to visit a third time.
Worth a Thousand Words
Yeah? Next time — I’m certain.
Make sure there’s no fog in the forecast, M. 🙂
Have a lovely week. 🙂
Wow – that blue is heavenly!
Isn’t it?! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Lady Fi.
Wonderful shots of Crater Lake. Yes, it is amazingly blue.
True — Crater Lake has a blue unique to it.
Thank you for coming this way. 🙂
This place is so gorgeous! It reminds me a bit of Tahoe. I would love to visit.
This is bluer than Tahoe.
You have to go see it, Ruth. You’ll fall in love with the place. And that blue is unforgettable. 🙂
That is so beautifully blue
It is something, is it not?
This lake is known for that deep blue. 🙂
After opening this post i am sharing views almost after five minutes…i could not resist myself to cherish the beauty through the pictures.
It is such a special sight — this lake. The colour of the water is one of its main attractions. And then there is the fact that it is a ‘crater lake.’
I found it’s volcanic history also very interesting.
I’m glad you enjoyed these views, Jyotirmoy.
Thank you. 🙂
what a gorgeous place and beautiful photography!
Absolutely gorgeous.
Thank you, Carol. 🙂
fabulous place beautiful pictures thanks to sharing
Thank YOU, Pushpendra.
It looks incredible, definitely on my must-visit list.
Oh! it is Al.
It’s a photographer’s dream. I hope you’ll get to see it sooner than later.
The pictures are spellbound. And a really great and interesting post. I didn’t knew so much about it.
Thank you so much, Mansi.
I’m glad you found the post attractive and interesting.
Truly awesome. Stunning pics.
This is a truly awesome place.
Thank you so much, Rupam.
Magnificent captures of the awe inspiring lake.
Thank you, Magiceye.
Beautiful 🙂
I totally agree with you, JD. 🙂
Beautiful lake. That blue is a stunner! Lovely frames, Nambiare.
That’s quite an unbelievable shade of blue, is it not?
Thank you so much, Nomad. 🙂
Lovely hues of blue!
Aren’t they?!
Beautiful places. Envy your eyes! 🙂
Truly beautiful.
Welcome here, Maheshwaran. 🙂
Beautiful pictures and thanks for sharing information about the Deepest blue lake. Div
Thank you Richard for visiting and for leaving me a comment. 🙂
Beaytiful
🙂
would have loved to see it myself 🙂
You should, Monica. 🙂
Nice capture.
Thank you, Aditya.
This lake is incredibly gorgeous! I didn’t know anything about the Crater lake until I read your blog, so thank you! It’s quite an informative post.
I swear this lake not only looks good but has a very interesting story too. I’m happy I got to see it and that I was able share the story (and the sights from there).
So glad to know you learnt something from this post, Renuka.
Thank you so much for stopping by. 🙂
Beautiful photos – this area is definitely on my list of places to see.
Thank you, Al.
And you will not be disappointed. 🙂
Indeed very blue and to think of it that all this happened due to a Volcano makes the Crater Lake irresistible to visit….
Oh yeah — very. 😀
It is an unforgettable sight, Prasad. And that colour really is an unbelievable blue.
Wow!! Awesome lake and clicked by yourself which are looking very cleared.
Thank you, Kalpana. Welcome here.
Wow. That blue. Is it for real? I am glad you guys could make it with the uncertain weather and all…
Seriously Param. For real. THAT blue. 😀
It’s bluer than Tahoe. And to think that we missed it the first time we were at the crater! I’m glad we returned on our way back. 🙂