Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

Andy wanted to go to Crater Lake and I knew nothing about it, but I like lakes so I was like, let’s do it! He handed me the newspaper that the bigger National Parks hand out at the entrance that talks about the history of the park and intersting facts and I read the whole thing.

The crater was formed when a volcanic mountain erupted. If the ash from that eruption had been spread evenly over the entire state of Oregon, it would have been 8 inches thick! This is the deepest lake in the US with one spot over 1900 feet deep. The deep blue color is because the lake was formed by snow melt and rain over thousands of years. Because of that it’s one of the purest bodies of water in the world because nothing can flow into or out of it.

I mean- crazy cool, right!? I honestly could have stared at it all day. And we mostly did- just from different angles all the way around it. The lake makes up only 10 percent of the park in size, there’s a bunch of cool forests all around too. But there’s no misunderstanding how the lake is the main attraction. I mean….

It’s almost impossible to get the whole lake in one shot!

I love this last one because if there weren’t pine trees in the picture, the shifting colors at the edge could almost pass for the caribbean sea and a sandy shore.

Long story short, if you find yourself able to pass through the middle of Oregon, you may want to hit up Crater Lake.

I’ve heard people talk about the first time they see it as breathtaking, I can vouch for that. I don’t think I spoke for a good few minutes other than, “Wow.”