About 7,700 years ago Mount Mazama erupted in one of the largest and most violent blasts in North America in the last 640,000 years. Pumice, rock, and ash rocketed many miles into the sky as new vents opened on the side of the mountain and lava flowed out. When the magma chamber was empty the mountain, unable to support itself, collapsed inward creating a huge, deep caldera. This caldera, over many centuries, filled with water and eventually became Crater Lake National Park (the people who named it apparently were not clear on the difference between a caldera – leaking and collapsing, and a crater – everything blown to bits). The lake has no inlets or outlets; snow and rain maintain the lake levels.
Crater Lake is 1,943 feet deep, 6 miles long, and 4 1/2 miles wide. It holds 4.9 trillion gallons of the purest, cleanest lake water on earth. Scientists in research submarines have determined that there is still geothermal activity at the bottom of the lake and that the water is so clear that light is able to reach the bottom of the lake, something thought impossible until it was observed.
The Pinnacles were formed during Mount Mazama’s eruption 7,700 years ago. These tall needle-like formations of rock, called fossil fumaroles, were formed under layers of volcanic pumice that preceded Mazama’s collapse. As the surface of the hot pumice cooled over the years, steam and gases were released by the hot rocks underneath. The steam and gases escaped through vents and tubes, welding their sides into cement hardness. Erosion of the surrounding softer materials left these ancient vents now standing alone. The Pinnacles are found a short walk from the road along a gravel path.
We hiked the Castle Creek Wildflower Trail, a half-mile loop that went through the meadow below. It was a beautiful meadow with a small creek winding through it and tons of butterflies and bees among the flowers.
Crater Lake is a beautiful place to visit. We usually take our own truck to enjoy the scenery, but this time we took the Crater Lake Trolley. It is a 2-hour ride around Rim Road, which circles the lake. During the ride the trolley stops several times for pictures and sightseeing. A Park Ranger on the trolley provides a lot of great information about the park. We really enjoyed it and will do similar things in the future.
Most visitors go to Rim Village, the easiest place to look at the lake, get a souvenir, and then leave. Some others drive the Rim Road around the lake, and then a few of us also add several hikes away from lake. When you get a chance to visit beautiful places like Crater Lake, give yourself the time to slow down and get away from the crowd and you will be rewarded!