While shopping at REI in preparation for the trip I told the employee that was helping me that I was going to Crater Lake and she said she got goosebumps just thinking about that place. It was also a stop on the trip that I was really looking forward to. As soon as I arrived and unhooked my camper I couldn’t help but want to drive down and see the lake. That evening and all the next day, my view of Crater Lake was the smoke cloud you see behind me in the second picture. Some of the largest wild fires were burning nearby on the Oregon and California border and the winds were sending all of the smoke my way. Where was that beautiful blue water?
With smoke blanketing the lake, I decided to checkout other areas of the park. I drove to the eastern boundary of the park to hike The Pinnacles. The trail features pinnacle-shaped volcanic spires along the rim of a valley. It was a nice and easy morning hike. I followed that hike with a hike to Plaikni Falls (two miles roundtrip). The smoke provided a spooky atmosphere for the forest hike to the waterfall. It was probably the best place to be on a smoke-filled day.
The best way to see the water on a smoky day is to hike down to it. I took on the challenging hike of Cleetwood Cove which is a 1 mile straight down to the water level and then the not as enjoyable one mile hike straight up to get back to the rim of the caldera. This was one of my top ten experiences on this trip, getting the opportunity to swim in Crater Lake. It was so beautiful and so amazingly clear. The disappointment of a hazy day was washed away.
The winds shifted and my second day was so much better. With improved air quality I took on many of the overlook hikes to get some amazing views of the beautiful blue waters of the lake. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US (1,943 feet deep) and the cleanest large body of water in the world. Climbed to the top of Garfield Peak which was an enjoyable 3.6 mile hike. I then took in the view of the Phantom Ship at Sun Notch. And I ended the day hiking up to the view of Wizard Island from Watchman Peak. Pictures can’t do it justice, the water is the most amazing shade of blue that I’ve ever seen.
With my last remaining day in the area I figured I needed to check out the amazing waterfalls that I kept hearing about in Umpqua National Forest, which was the area my campsite was in. First up was a hike through an enchanted forest to get to Toketee Falls. Despite all of the waterfalls that I had seen up until this point, I couldn’t help but say ‘Wow’ when I finally caught a glimpse of it.
I continued down the road and stopped and hiked to one waterfall after another. Whitehorse Falls was another beautiful one just off the road. I enjoyed another enjoyable hike through the forest to get to Watson Falls. Watson Falls is the tallest waterfall in Southwest Oregon with a 293 foot plunge. I couldn’t even capture all of it in a picture at one time. Ended up my waterfall tour at Clearwater Falls which emerges and flows through logs and rocks giving it its own unique look.
My time here was a wonderful retreat as it was so remote that there was no cellphone coverage in the area. I stayed at Diamond Lake RV park which was like being at summer camp. The lake resort had a wonderful pizza restaurant near the RV park which I frequented most nights while enjoying watching the sunset over the lake each evening.
