Day 128 Crater Lake – The hike

Day 128 Crater Lake
11.7 miles
From the trail camp, just before Mazama Village (mile 1817, elev 6422)
To Lightning Springs Camp
Through a couple of obstacles and road hikes to reach the headquarters and the edge of Crater Lake

When I first joined my current scout troop in 2012, Regina was an assistant scoutmaster. Regina had a way of working with teenagers that I found incredible. He had a very positive view of everything, but he also understood children in such a way that he could talk to them in a way that they knew was intended to help them, not criticize them. He also used what has become one of my favorite expressions: “If you don’t grow up before you turn 50, you’ll never have to.”

Regina moved to Oregon several years ago and I hadn’t spoken to her in over five years. So I really wanted to meet her, even briefly (she had a family commitment and had to leave at 9:00 am).

So I hit the trail before 6am to hopefully cover the last five miles of the trail around 7:30. (In fact, I did it at 7:45).

We drove the short distance from the trailhead to the entrance to Crater Lake. Annie’s Creek Restaurant was accessible from outside the entrance station, so we had breakfast there. It was a fun 90 minutes of catching up with each other and our families.

I sent a resupply box from Ashland to Mazama Village at the entrance to Crater Lake. I knew Mazama Village was near the park entrance, but I hadn’t had a chance to look closely at any maps to know exactly where. I was pleasantly surprised to walk to the back of Annie’s Creek and find that the Mazama Village parking lot was only 50 feet away.

After collecting my resupply box and putting the food in my backpack, I began planning my visit to Crater Lake. The PCT doesn’t actually go to the edge of Crater Lake, but in my opinion, that’s the most interesting part of the park. Additionally, there is a backpacking campground just a mile from the edge, but it requires a separate permit that can only be obtained in person at park headquarters.

But the logistics at Crater Lake are really bad for a hiker to do this. While I had to obtain permission in person, there is no trace from Mazama Village to the headquarters. Getting the permit involved simply filling out a form and placing it in a metal box. There was nothing that couldn’t be done from anywhere in the park. And once the permit paperwork is filed, there are no trails to the edge. They have a tram that runs three times to take people from Mazama to the edge for $10, but that doesn’t help you get to the venue. Staff at the Mazama Village store were unable to answer any detailed questions about the cart.

I was a little surprised at how difficult it was to get transportation to get to the park headquarters and then to the crater rim. Traffic waiting to enter the park was backed up out of sight at the entrance station. Since there is only one road, which runs along the edge through the park headquarters, almost all the cars entering the park were going where I wanted to go. But over 100 cars passed me trying to hitchhike from inside the gate.

I finally walked back to Mazama Village and started asking people for rides in the parking lot. It was there that I met Subra. He offered me a ride once his wife returned from the store. They were visiting from the Seattle area and we had a great conversation about the park and trail on the way to the headquarters.

With Subra at the park headquarters

After getting my camping permit, I visited the visitor center. I watched the 20-minute film above the park, shifting on a seat to make room for a woman and her young children.

When I finished the movie, I returned to the parking lot with the intention of asking people to take me to the edge. A man saw my backpack and started talking about hiking. I had hiked up the AT. We found out that he had lived in the same town I grew up in. His family left the visitor center and I discovered that his wife and children were the ones I moved the seats for. To narrow things down in terms of where we lived, his wife talked about walking to the same supermarket as me.

Unable to get a ride from the parking lot, I began walking the winding road to the crater rim. I continued trying to hitchhike, but there weren’t many places where the road was wide enough for a car to pick me up. Finally, a few curves from the edge, a car passed and then stopped at a turnoff in front of me. Jacob came out and explained to me that he and his partner saw me at headquarters, but they walked along the wildflower trail near headquarters before driving to the edge. Seeing me walking down the street, they stopped to offer me a ride the rest of the way.

This was a shorter trip than getting to the headquarters, but it was still long enough to talk about some fun topics. Jacob and his partner were on a short road trip from Salem, Oregon, sleeping in the back of the car. He also expressed that he really likes Lake Olallie, which is miles from the nearest paved road. I added Olallie Lake Resort to my list of places I want to visit on the trail.

I visited the historic Crater Lake Lodge, which is a beautiful building. On the back porch, overlooking the lake, they had a chat with the rangers. The ranger described the geological formation of Crater Lake, its characteristics, and the people who investigated the geology. It was a fun and really informative talk.

Exterior of Crater Lake Lodge

Entrance to the hostel

Hostel hall

Ranger talk outside the lodge.

It’s Labor Day weekend and most of the Rim town seems to be overrun with people. I wanted to take a break from food prep and grab some dinner at Rim Village. But there were so many people it seemed like a 45 minute line at their grill. I satisfied my desire for “city food” by purchasing an ice cream bar before I started walking along the edge. While charging devices in the hostel, my USB AC cable broke. I also looked, unsuccessfully, for a USB cable at the store/gift shop. It was really just a gift shop. Since one of my battery packs only has USB-A output, this greatly limits my ability to recharge my devices while on the road.

It was already late and I headed along the edge to reach the backpacking camp. My legs were quite tired.

The views of the lake were great, but it was a little smoky today.

The trail is not completely disconnected from the road around the rim. Go to regular parking areas. This allows visitors in cars to look at the lake and walk shorter sections of the trail to enjoy different views. While walking towards one of those parking areas, I ran into Subra and his wife. We talked a little more and they asked me for a photo with me in the hoop. They wanted a more picturesque backdrop than the headquarters parking lot.

I also ran into another family visiting Crater Lake who was interested in my hike. They live near the trail in Washington and gave me contact information in case I needed anything while I was there.

I am constantly pleased to meet all the amazing people I meet while on the road. People like Subra, his wife and this family are fascinating, friendly and generous. I hope you get as much as I do from our conversations.

I finally arrived at the backpacking camp at dusk. I made dinner and fell asleep as quickly as I could. I hoped to be able to move early enough in the morning to finish the mile hike back to the crater rim by sunrise.

My Lightning Springs Campground

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