Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for May 23, 2024. This week’s park oversees the deepest lake in the United States.
Crater Lake National Park
Location
Oregon, United States
Claim to fame
Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when a volcanic eruption collapsed Mount Mazama, turning it into a massive caldera. Over thousands of years the cavity filled with rain and snowmelt, creating one of the most pristine lakes in the world. At over 1900 ft (590m) deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It is also the fifth-oldest US national park, established in 1902.
Reason to visit
Crater Lake is not just a geologic wonder; the park offers some of the most beautiful and unique scenery of any US national park. The clarity and striking blue color of the water draw photographers from around the world. The 33-mile Rim Drive (open seasonally) provides visitors with views of the lake from all angles, and the lake also has 90 miles of hiking trails.
Wild Fact
Visitors to Crater Lake might spy the Old Man, a 30-foot mountain hemlock log that floats upright through the lake. The top three feet of the Old Man is exposed as he floats, and legend has it that he controls the lake’s weather. Carbon-dating has shown that the Old Man is over 450 years old, and he was first spotted traveling across the lake in 1896.
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