OR National Park Crater Lake National Park

Re: Crater Lake, Oregon

Yes, you are right, the most incredible color of blue... We live close by and I ride my BMW around the Rim in the summer (if you go be sure to take the Rim drive) and we snowshoe to the top in winter, especially fun when the road is closed and you're the only ones up there. Crater Lake is a jewel and must be seen.

 

Stunning!!!

 

Jenn wow beautiful. We have made it out west 3 times with Crater lake on our “possible list”. Next time it will be on our “must do list”.

 

Beautiful pictures Jenn! Wow - and a great geological history lesson too. I remember that there are spots in Oregon and N. Cal and Nevada where 6 to 7 feet of ash accumulated from that eruption. We have been to the park (on bikes) but RMBL-INN has not - need to remedy that soon.

 

Jenn, check out the Ape Caves near Cougar, WA. They are old lava tubes near Mt. Adams and you can climb down into them. Well worth the trip.

 

Geology!

Lava River Caves southeast of Bend is a 1.5 mile long lava tube. It looks like they’ve developed the access and parking and is now only open Memorial Day to Labor Day - Och. Pretty spectacular. Probably overrun with people now:
Deschutes National Forest - Lava River Cave Interpretive Site

IIRC there is a smaller tube in that area as well that you can get info on from a local ranger station, unlikely to be crowded.

Paulina Lake is like a mini-mini Crater Lake that’s part of Newberry Volcano. Unlike Crater lake, there are developed campgrounds at the water’s edge.
Deschutes National Forest - Paulina Lake

Then there’s Little Crater Lake in the Mt. Hood national forest - I’ve not been there, but it’s on the list!
Mt. Hood National Forest - Little Crater Lake Campground

Another geological oddity within striking distance is South Prairie Lake in southern Washington. It’s a disappearing lake that fills every winter and empties every summer due to an ice plug on its outlet. I’ve not been there either, but maybe in spring...?
Disappearing Lake

 

As working stiffs in Portland, we’ve gotten to a lot of the places one can visit on a weekend trip from here! Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Indian Heaven, Mt. Hood, and Central Oregon are all very accessible and great weekend or long weekend trips with many charms.

I don’t think we have a copy, must have gotten it from the library, but I recall a book: “Roadside Geology of Oregon” that was a great intro to how these areas came to be what we see... and what we *can* see just by pulling the car over on some familiar highways if we know what to look for.

Looks like the author has gone on to write about Washington & Northern California:
https://www.amazon.com/Roadside-Geology-Oregon-Marli-Miller/dp/0878426310

Something to ponder as the landscape is whizzing by...