Discovery Point Trail – Crater Lake

We left the solitude of Mazama campground and headed up to the Rim Village area. This is a very busy area with a couple of gift shops, the visitor center, and lodge, but there are more beautiful views of the lake.

As we walked the Discovery Point Trail we commented that if you walk just 30 feet, the look of the lake changes. Today there was a gentle breeze that altered the surface except in the far side where it was mirror-like. Our hike ended up being about 3 miles as we wandered around the Rim Village to the lodge. David had another picture from 1953 with him and Liz playing in the mud in front of the lodge. The lodge looks the same although with a new roof and paved roads where Liz and David were playing.

Next we drove the East Rim drive as far as the Cloudcap Overlook. The East Rim drive is a bit further from the crater rim but gives spectacular views of the surrounding forest, mountains, and canyons. When we stopped at overlooks, we enjoyed very different views of the lake and the crater sides plus at one stop a tall waterfall. At Cloudcap you can see the effect of the strong westerly winds on the trees — all branches are in the leeward side and point away from the tree, like a flag, hence they are called flag-trees.

We returned to our campsite for a campfire and dinner of squash, scallops, and salad.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)