2025-08-04: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Milestones

• 11th U.S. State Camped (SHOW ON MAP)
•  8th time camping in a National Park (SEE THE 7th)
• Part of my 4th Annual “Bike-A-Palooza” (SEE the Whole Trip)

The Views

In 2023, I went bike riding along the Deschutes River Trail which is near Bend, Oregon. Driving south, I saw the sign that pointed to Crater Lake. Ever since then, I have wanted to go camping and ride my bike there. So, I did.

The lake partly fills a caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. No rivers flow into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated by rain and snowfall at a rate so that the total amount of water is replaced every 150 years. With a depth of 1949 feet, the lake is the deepest in the United States. I think this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. These pictures don’t do it justice. You have to see it for yourself. The island in the middle is called “Wizard Island”.

I parked my car at the visitor’s center and unloaded my bike. I pulled out on “Rim Drive”, and just started riding. The 2-lane road had 6 inches of shoulder, but there wasn’t much traffic. I kept looking behind me and as soon as any car came near me, I pulled over into the dirt and waved them on. It seemed to work OK. Nobody honked at me or were rude. I think everyone was “chill” about driving slow along the rim because it was so pretty.

Funny thing… the next day I drove the exact same road on my way out of the park. Seeing the clearance from a “car’s point-of-view” was a bit shocking. It looked a lot narrower in the car. Had I driven my car on the Rim Drive before riding my bike, I would have had second thoughts.

I asked a nice lady to take my picture.

I was in such a hurry to get on the road and ride my bike, I decided not to wear extra clothes (sweatshirt, beanie, etc.) It was a little warm in the sun at the visitor’s center. But, riding the rim was a lot colder. I would have been in trouble if it had been 5 or 10 degrees cooler. Why am I sooooo impatient all the time?

It was early August, and there were still patches of snow.

There were thousands of butterflies around the lake. Several hit me while I was riding my bike. Based on the time of year, I think they were California Tortoiseshell butterflies (Nymphalis Californica).

The way back to my car was mostly downhill. I could easily keep up with traffic, but I still pulled over a few times to let cars go by. When I was loading my bike into the back of my car, a nice guy started talking with me. He was from Indiana, and by the styling of his beard I assumed he was Amish. The Amish associate mustaches with the British military and thus they shave their mustaches (but not their beards) to show they would never serve in warfare. It turns out that Indiana is home to the third-largest Amish population in the United States. He asked if he could me, and I gratefully accepted his offer to lift the back end of my bike into the car. I always ask people from other states about the best camping locations in their area. This guy said that Turkey Run State Park was the place to go. I will have to remember to include this in my future itinerary.

I drove to my campground, but I had to go inside the visitor’s center to reconfirm my reservation. There was a restaurant/gift shop across the parking lot, so I went over. I enjoyed free WiFi and a cold beer. Doesn’t get any better than that.

My campsite was huge, and I liked having the extra space between me and my “neighbors”.