Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [129]
Garfield Peak
3.4 miles RT. Moderate to strenuous. Access: East end of Rim Village parking area.
Sure, the view from the Rim Village borders on sublime, but this is even better. You'll leave most of the crowds behind, get in a good hike, and treat yourself to an even more breathtaking (literally— the hike starts above 7,000 ft.) view of the lake. This hike leads to the summit of 8,054-foot Garfield Peak, which lies just east of the Rim Village. The route gains all of its 1,010 feet of elevation in a short 1.5 miles of nearly constant switchbacks. From the summit, the entire lake is visible below, including the island called Phantom Ship, which is hard to see from the Rim Village. To the south, Mount Shasta is visible.
Mount Scott
5 miles RT. Strenuous. Access: 14 miles east of park headquarters on East Rim Dr., across the road from Cloudcap Junction.
If the trail to Garfield Peak had a few too many other hikers on it for your tastes, try this trail to the top of 8,929-foot Mount Scott. This is the highest point within Crater Lake National Park, and the trail is longer and steeper and entails more elevation gain (1,480 ft.) than the trail up Garfield Peak. The views from the summit are the most far-reaching in the park, encompassing not only the entire lake but also such surrounding peaks as Mount Thielsen, Mount Shasta, and Mount McLoughlin, as well as the vast expanse of Klamath Lake to the south.
Pacific Crest Trail Section
33 miles one-way. Moderate to strenuous. Access: Approximately ¼ mile west of Mazama Village, trailhead is on the left.
For those who want to chalk up this particular section of the Pacific Crest Trail to their list of accomplishments, which stretches along the West Coast from the Mexican to the Canadian border, there's a lot to chalk up. The trail essentially bisects the park, with only one section that follows the rim and allows views of the lake. Otherwise, you're pretty much out there in the flatlands.
From the trailhead, the path follows the base of the mountain's curve to the west, with views of the mountain's slow climb to its rim to your right, and the rolling high desert plains to your left. At the northern end of the walk, before crossing into the vast Pumice Desert, there is an opportunity to circle back to the rim at North Junction.
Pumice Flat
6 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: 3 miles south of Mazama Village on Ore. 62.
This is the southern equivalent of the park's northern Pumice Desert area. The dusty trail takes you through gently rolling pumice and ash plains littered with sharp volcanic rocks, before intersecting the Pacific Crest Trail for the loop to Mazama. You can also return on the shorter route back to the trailhead where you started.
Stuart Falls
11 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: 3 miles south of Mazama Village park entrance on Ore. 62.
Stuart Falls is outside the park's boundaries, but the trailhead isn't. You'll experience a nice contrast as you climb down to the dusty, volcanically beautiful Pumice Flats before heading into the Red Blanket Valley after the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. You'll begin to notice a bare trickle of water turning into a creek turning into a much bigger creek that ends up as a fine crashing mist of spray known as Stuart Falls. Folks have been known to take a rest in Stuart Falls' fine white spray before heading back up the steep and often parched trail.
Other Summer Sports & Activities
Biking. The 33-mile circuit of Crater Lake is one of the most popular road-bike trips in the state, despite the heavy car traffic. Although it seems like an easy trip at first, numerous ups and downs (especially on the east side of the lake) turn the circuit into a demanding ride. Keep in mind that there are more hills on the east side, but also more views. An alternative is to do the 21-mile out-and-back ride from the Rim Village to the Cleetwood Cove trailhead (and maybe add a boat tour