Crater Lake National Park - January 2008

We returned to Crater Lake for the fourth time in a little over a year. This place is definitely growing on us. Seeing it in winter while on skis is a particular treat.

We arrived at the park on Saturday, January 19th around 1:00 PM. Last year the gift shop and restaurant was closed for remodeling, but the building was open for business this year. We headed to the second floor's observation room and ate our lunch looking out over the lake. It was here that I noticed that Crater Lake's webcam was back in action.

After lunch, we headed out from Rim Village, clockwise along Rim Drive. The wind was pretty strong, but it didn't deter the crowds. Many people were out on skis and snowshoes. After a few miles, though, we were on our own. A storm was rolling in from the west, bringing with it some more snow. After a while of skiing into horizontally blown snow, we decided it was best to return to the car.

The Watchman and Hillman Peak

Hillman Peak

Dutton Cliff

Greta skiing on a snow drift along Rim Drive

Wizard Island

View to the south of Mt McLoughlin and Union Peak

Storm descending into caldera

Wizard Island with Lhao Rock in background

We spent the night at Jo's Motel in Fort Klamath. This was a perfect spot for a Crater Lake base camp. The motel was recently purchased by a couple who added some natural and organic grocery items to the facility. They had mentioned the possibility of adding a deli in the near future. Our room was nice, clean and warm.