Oregon – Visiting Crater Lake National Park in Winter
With 43+ feet of snow each year, Crater Lake is a snowy, gorgeous wonderland in winter. I decided to visit on a road trip in early March 2022 to see the deep blue lake surrounded by snowy slopes. However, when we arrived at the entrance kiosk, the ranger let us know we might not see the lake due to the cloudy conditions, with clouds often settling into the crater. Eeeks! Driving all that way without the guarantee of seeing the lake would be such a bummer!! Luckily, the clouds began to clear, and we got to see all of Crater Lake with patchy clouds – it was stunning.
While I describe my experience, I want to discuss the variable weather you may encounter at Crater Lake, what to do while you’re at the rim, and share the special little place we stayed on the Rogue River. Don’t stop here – keep reading!
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Crater Lake in Winter, an Introduction
Crater Lake in summer is a sight to behold with deep turquoise water and slopes on all sides. Winter is a bit of a different story as it gets buried under an average of 43+ feet of snow each year. I was super shocked to hear this and wondered what the National Park does to have visitors in winter. They clear one road up to the south rim most days (I read that they close it some days, so check the National Park Website for current conditions). With this in mind, we arranged our trip so that we could visit on Monday, February 28, and Tuesday, March 1.
By driving up to the South Rim, you can visit the “Rim Village.” It’s pretty cute that they call it a village because, in winter, there are only two buildings open – the visitor’s center/gift shop and the bathrooms! There are more buildings around that were boarded up until summer. Other notable facts about Crater Lake include:
- The lake is 1,943 feet deep, making it the deepest lake in the United States and the 8th deepest in the world.
- It’s only about 6 miles across at its widest
- It’s only ever frozen over one time in recent history (in 1949) because of the volume of water in the lake (5 trillion gallons).
- A massive volcanic eruption created a caldera 7,700 years ago—snow and rain filled in all of the water you see today.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars; I would go again!
- Intensity: Winter/snow clothes
- Location: Crater Lake National Park
- Cost: $20/ per car, or get the National Parks Pass for $80/annually (you can even get it at REI!)
- Restrooms: There are bathrooms in the parking area of the Rim Village and one inside the gift shop building.
- Timing: 2 – 8 hours
- Distance: Depends how far you decide to hike/snowshoe – you could walk 50 ft or 2+ miles.
Highlights:
- Low crowds. It’s likely the time we went, but we arrived at the parking area at 10 am and saw exactly two cars on our second day. Amazing.
- Seeing the clouds slowly part to reveal the lake
- Rainbow over Crater Lake!
- Mist through the trees on the drive back to our place
Lowlights:
- The possibility that you will be unable to see the lake due to the cloud cover.
- Most of the area is inaccessible, so there is not as much to do in winter.
Visitor’s Center and Gift Shop
When we arrived on the first day, it was lightly sprinkling and didn’t look promising for clear skies. With the news from the ranger at the entrance, we reset our expectations from “we are going to get great views of Crater Lake today!” to “let’s go see what we can see and enjoy the snow at Crater Lake.” We checked out the visitor’s center and gift shop after using the restroom (which was thankfully heated inside).
The visitor’s center was on the top floor, but didn’t seem like the permanent location. Plastic tables with presentations boards were set up with the history of Lake and were informative. There is also a “viewing window,” which was comical in dense clouds. We couldn’t tell how far we were from the lake and I bet it is a nice view in clear weather. There are some tables on the top floor if you want to eat indoors.
You can visit the gift shop on the floor below, rent snowshoes, and buy food at the cafeteria. I spent a while in the extensive gift shop and walked away with the grey beanie(featured in some of my photos). The cashier let us know that it was a mild winter, and they had only gotten about 18 ft of snow at that point. Interesting!
Exploring the Rim in Winter
We decided to take a walk over to the rim to check it out. We made jokes about beautiful Crater Lake with absolutely no view. When the wind changed, could see a sliver of the lake – it was so much closer than we anticipated! There was a Clark’s Nutcracker bird in the tree, which had a little white head and breast with dark feathers. It didn’t seem to mind the frosty, blitzing wind. After watching the bird and throwing a few snowballs gently at each other, we made our way toward the west rim road. It was socked in, but we decided to take a short walk.
While looking at the lake, we noticed a gap in the clouds to see across the lake. We rushed to take photos with that small gap. Before long, the Wizard’s Island became visible beneath the clouds! We started to see more and more of the lake! Taking photos and freezing, we decided to take a break in the car and eat a sandwich. After a sandwich, we went back out to see pockets of blue sky – the bluest we would see on the trip. We marveled at every new thing we could see, but the clouds over Wizard’s Island never completely disappeared. We vowed to return the next day and take a walk further along the road.
Hiking or Snowshoeing on the Rim Road
We had a better idea of where things were located on our second day and decided to walk the West Rim Road to Discovery Point. We didn’t rent snowshoes as the snow was compact enough for us to walk on the day before without issue, and it hadn’t snowed that night. There are signs to stay out of the cross-country skiing tracks and off of cornices. Chatting along the way, it was slow going with a slight incline until we saw the lake again. Once we did, we got a closer view of Wizard Island. We knew people were around – a couple with snowshoes was far behind – but overall, we had the place entirely to ourselves. Incredible.
We climbed a big hill for our closest view of Wizard Island before turning around. It was an excellent time to turn around because we could see rain in the distance. Sure enough, as we were about halfway back, little raindrops started. Luckily, it never rained harder than that. Once we rounded the corner, we saw something extraordinary due to the light rain – a rainbow over Wizard’s Island!!
I believe we went about 2 miles on the snow-covered road. It was crazy to see areas that didn’t have snow – little patches of ground or road. And it felt out of place to see an informational plaque, but there it was! Although it wasn’t particularly busy at Rim Village, it was still nice to take a peaceful walk in nature.
Other Activities: Cross-Country Skiing and Snowmobiling
While planning the trip to Crater Lake, I had my heart set on snowmobiling to the north rim. The weather wasn’t looking good, so we didn’t pre-book anything from the Diamond Lake Resort, which I found directly on the Crater Lake National Park brochure. You can snowmobile up to the North Rim via a snowmobile route! It doesn’t look like you would be able to get much further around the rim, but I think it would be pretty fun. After our experience on the first day without a guarantee of seeing the lake, we decided to pass on snowmobiling. Perhaps in the future!
The other activity available is cross-country skiing on the rim road. We did some cross-country skiing at the Shasta Nordic Center, but we were not comfortable going off groomed runs. You can get backcountry passes and ski around the rim road over 3 – 4 days. That sounds like such an incredible experience, and I look forward to the day I feel confident enough for this adventure.
Variable Weather Makes for Stunning Photos
It was a shock when the ranger told us we might not see the lake of Crater Lake due to the cloudy weather. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, as the ranger made it sound very common. Luckily, the conditions changed with time, and it was a magical reveal of Crater Lake and Wizard’s Island (pun intended). It made me appreciate the views much more deeply. In addition to the reveal, there were three other moments when the weather made for an even more-stunning scene:
- When we returned from our snow hike, it started sprinkling on us. As we rounded the corner to see the lake again, there was a rainbow for just a few minutes. We were able to snag a few photos before it disappeared.
- On the drive back to our accommodations in Sandy Cover, we noticed pockets of mist on the road. It was likely caused by evaporation due to the light rain in the morning. At one point, the sun was coming through the trees and the mist as soft rays – it was GORGEOUS, so we stopped and took a few photos on the road. Continuing on the drive, I looked in the rearview mirror and couldn’t see the light rays anymore. We were there with the sun in the right direction at the right time!
- And finally, on our drive south toward Klamath Falls, we noticed some rain in the distance across a snowfield. Again, we had to stop to take photos – it all just felt so alive!
Crater Lake Recommendations – Winter
What you plan to do at Crater Lake during winter will determine what you should bring. However, it’s truly winter with blustery wind and deep snow until May! Here’s a shortlist of good things to bring:
- Beanie
- Gloves
- Snowboots
- Warm base and mid-layer
- Wind-resistant outer layer
- Water!
- Lunch and food for the day
- Small tripod for photos
Where to Stay near Crater Lake (in Winter)
Like most National Parks, Crater Lake is remote. The nearest towns (including Shady Cove and Klamath Falls) are about an hour away. We passed some smaller residences on our way into the national park, so if you look early, you might be able to stay a little closer.
We stayed in Shady Cove in the most adorable vacation rental cabin on the Rogue River!! I typically don’t go in-depth on where I stay because I tend to pick economical Airbnbs, but I had to share this one. It’s called “Romantic & private cabin on Rogue River, 1 hr from Crater Lake,” and I found it on VRBO. I think they also have a listing for the cabin on Airbnb. There is a main building with more rooms, but this listing is specifically for the cabin with a patio right out on the Rouge. The cabin was built in the mid-1930s and had many fun vintage appliances, like a refrigerator with a couple of different doors/openings.
Adorably appointed, I loved the little touches like bed warmers! There is shared access (we didn’t have to share because no one else was booked at the hotel) to a hot tub and round sauna. One evening, we sat in the hot tub, and a bald eagle flew through the canyon! The following day, I saw other waterfowl on the river. Such a cool place!
Overall Thoughts: Crater Lake in Winter
Although it would be nice to get blue-bird skies during our visit to Crater Lake, I think the variable weather is more common. It was amazing seeing everything so alive – the wind on the lake, moving clouds, and the rainbow!! For the last nine years, the snowfall has been less than average. They have started plowing Rim Road (not open to cars) as of March 6, which was six weeks ahead of schedule this year.
During our time at Crater Lake, I’m not sure we ever saw more than ten people at a time (and that was in the gift shop). Perhaps it was the weather or the weekday element, but it was quiet and peaceful. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a national park with so few people!! The lake was stunning, and it was so lovely to see it under a blanket of snow. I am looking forward to doing cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, or hiking in the summer.
Would you still visit Crater Lake in winter with fewer things to do? Let me know in the comments if you think I should check anything else out in the area next time I visit! I’d love to hear from you.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
