Crater Lake Or

[brenkco]

Marilyn & I are planning a trip this fall through central Oregon, through Bend, to Bellevue/Seattle, then up to Anacoretes, WA over to Victoria BC.

We were thinking about the trip from Ashland to Bend and wanted to see Crater Lake. Is it worth stopping at a near by campground? I read that some drop their rigs on the way through, check out a portion of the rim drive and continue on. Any suggestions/advise?

Also any other suggestions on our route are greatly appreciated. We have never been north and looking forward to the trip.

Thanks! Ken & Marilyn

[Charlie]

I think you would want to pick a CG nearby and make the drive up to the rim solo. It's gonna take you most of a day to do the trip right. If you have the time, don't miss it although my choice would be in the spring.

[HamRad]

If I remember correctly there is a CG located at the southern entrance to the park. At least I think it is a CG.... I hope I'm not confusing it with just a parking lot! You certainly do not want to drag your Monty up the mountain. They may not even let you up the mountain with a trailer. It was several years ago when we visited and we were not pulling a trailer.

It is certainly worth a stop. Very scenic area. I'd plan at least a day to see most of the sights.

Have fun and enjoy the trip.

HamRad

[Sunshine]

brenkco, If you come up Hwy 97 through central Oregon to Bend and want to meet a fellow MOC member, we are in La Pine, which is south of Bend. You can e-mail or PM when you are in the area.

[toolmanroy]

Ditto for MOC member near Ashland. We are in Jacksonville outside of Medford, also a nice place to visit. Call us if you need any information for this area. We are listed in MOCTAP. A lot of the campgrounds close in the fall, so be sure to check to see what remains open. Emigrant Lake RV park in Ashland closes in mid-October, though there are many private campgrounds in the Rogue Valley that are open year round. Joseph Stewart state park on 62 closes at the end of October. Most of the Forest Service campgrounds close right after Labor Day. I am not sure about the Mazama Campground at Crater Lake. You should check the ODOT cams for information on road conditions. http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/CamerasEntry.asp

[rogue]

There are state campgrounds at Diamond Lake (some Water and Elect) or a Good Sam CG(full hook up). Its about 30 miles to rt97 and close to Crater Lake. But some or all could be closed in the fall due to snow. Please call a head and make sure before you go. Yes drop the Monty at a camp ground and take the trip up to Creator Lake. Medford/Ashland is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours one way from Creator Lake so that is also an option. In the fall they may close the rim drive if they have snow, but its still worth it to go up and view the lake if at all possible.
Bob

[sreigle]

We found Crater Lake to be absolutely stunning. However, we were there in May and the rim road was still covered with 8 to 10 feet of snow. We were advised it would open in July. So in October you'll likely have the same situation. The roads to the visitor center were open and the access to the bathrooms was through snow tunnels. So dress warmly and enjoy!




Those "tunnels" access the bathrooms!

[HamRad]

Steve and Vicki,

Those are stunning pictures of Crater Lake! Thanks for posting them. Looks like it was really crowded the day you were there.

Dennis and Mary Kay

[toolmanroy]

Just a small correction, but the campgrounds at Diamond Lake are US Forest Service (Umpqua I believe), not state parks. The ony state parks in that region are Joseph Stewart on 62 at Lost Creek Lake or over on 97 north of Klamath Falls, Collier Memorial, which closes in early October. Collier is closer to Crater Lake and an interesting park with a logging museum. Though we mention possibility of closures due to snow, there have been years when snow does not start until close to Thanksgiving or after, so you just need to keep advised of conditions.

Steve, those are great photos of Crater Lake in the snow. We went up there one July 4th and there was still considerable snow.

[sreigle]

We stayed at an rv park near Chiloquin, OR, right on US 97. I think it was called Water Wheel or maybe Wagon Wheel. Something like that.

[49merc]

It is water wheel. It's right on the Williamson river. I've never stayed there but it appears to be a nice park.
Bob

[toolmanroy]

Just a few miles north of that park on 97 is Collier Memorial state park, a better choice for camping in that area. The Williamson River runs through that park too. I always recommend our state parks over the private parks because they offer more and charge less.

[49merc]

Be sure and take plenty of mosquito spray.
Bob

[exav8tr]

We stayed at the Diamond Lake RV Park which is across the street from the State campgounds. We enjoyed or stay, although we were a little isolated. Nice country park with a lot of shade.......

[GOFNUTS]

Steve & Viki, great pictures of Crater Lake. We were there during the summer, so no snow. It is very beautiful there. The lodge or hotel there is awesome also. Worth a walk-thru. We stayed on the Rogue River, took about an hour or more to get there for a day trip.

[simonsrf]

We stayed at a state park called Natural Bridge. It was absolutely awesome with several hiking trails that kept us real active.

Beware, you need to practice your driving skills in this federal campground, the road in/out is tight (watch for overhead branches) and the spaces are short, but the price is right. We paid $6 a night for a site right on the Rogue River. From our campsite, we could hear the river, nothing like sleeping with the sound of running water.

Our original plan was to stay 3 days and explore Crater Lake, we ended up staying there 5 days....wonderful experience, very peaceful.