• Oregon Summer 2025
    2Crater Lake and Wizard Island in the middle
    We stopped at Christmas Valley for lunch on our way to the parkOur cabinScreened porch with a view of the riverSeveral years ago we enjoyed Crater Lake wine from this same gift shop with my Mom and Mike.Still lots of snow. They get 50+ feet per year.Another view of the lakeSelfie at the lakeWe ate at the lodge for lunch both days.Rufous Hummingbird at the refuge feeders

    Crater Lake trip

    June 26 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 48 °F

    On our days off this week, Phil and I went to Crater Lake. It was about a 4 1/2 hour drive. We stayed in an overly expensive AirBNB as I could not get any availability on the park, and we decided not to bring the camper. The cabin is on a crystal clear river.

    Our first night, we realized the electricity to the "new" kitchen wiring was not working. The GFIC plug was not working. I notified the owner and didn't get an immediate response.We ate cheese and crackers and went to bed early. As we were falling asleep, someone showed up to look at the problem and promised to return the next day for repairs. We managed to blow the breakers only once the next morning using the only working outlet in the kitchen before heading to the park.

    We could really see the budget cuts in action. There was no one collecting fees at the gate when we entered before 10 am. (although when we left, someone was at the kiosk). We have a senior park pass, but others were supposed to be paying $30 per car. The Visitor's Centers were slammed with only 2 people working (one at the register and one giving info). The bathrooms on the drive around the rim were open at only one place.

    Of course, there were a ton of people visiting. This is the early season, and there is still a lot of snow. The rim drive is open only part way around due to a construction project, but the snow was deeper than our car still at a lot of places.

    It was still beautiful and I can't imagine how busy it will be on a weekend or in July and August. There's really very little parking for all those people. The boat rides on the lake were not going until early July, and after this year, they will be halted for construction projects over the next 3 years.

    The owner of the AirBNB did get the electrics fixed. He told us the cabin (very rustic) had belonged to his mother. It was old, but fixed up nicely and had a screened in porch to keep out mosquitos. Cooking is done on a charcoal grill outside or on a hot plate or electric skillet inside. It is located in a remote area (Fort Klamath) about 20 miles from the park. There's nothing really close to the park at all.

    We're heading back to the refuge today. Before we left on Sunday, we had a rare visitor to the hummingbird feeders. A Rufous Hummingbird is not rare in other areas of the country but is an infrequent visitor to our refuge    Read more