Crater Lake

Well, I promised to post some more pictures from our camping trip, and now I will finally deliver. We spent one day up at Crater Lake, one of the most spectacular, spiritual places I have ever been.

Crater Lake is the remnant of a mountain that erupted about 7700 years ago. After the eruption, the mountain collapsed and the lake formed. Wizard Island is a cinder cone that rises up from the floor of the lake, which is almost 2000 feet deep. Wizard Island is on the western edge of the lake.

The water in Crater Lake is extremely pure. It is an absolutely brilliant blue color, as you can see in the picture above. Access to the lake is limited to protect the water purity. The color and clarity of the water is amazing.

The water was smooth and clear in the morning, reflecting white fluffy clouds in the sky. As a rain front began to move in, the lake formed ripples in the breeze, making it less reflective. The blue color became more grey.


The sheer scale of Crater Lake is amazing. In post places, the rim towers about 1000 ft above the surface of the lake. The lake itself is 4 to 6 miles across.

To see something so pure and beautiful on such a large scale is sublime. Very inspiring!

These last few pictures show one of my favorite features on Crater Lake - the Phantom Ship. These rocks are actually the remnants of of a very old lava dike that survived when the mountain collapsed. They are the oldest rocks visible above the surface of the lake.