Crater Lake National Park

We could not drive around the whole lake as there was still 20 feet of snow on the road at the higher elevations. They can only clear 1/4 mile of road per day. This lake was created 7700 years ago when the volcano collapsed after an enormous eruption. It then took 800 years for rain and snow to fill the lake. This lake is the deepest lake in the United States and average depth of water is 1148 feet. The maximum depth of the lake is 1943 feet deep. Because of it's depth, the lake provides a beautiful dark blue color. We were blessed with warm sunny weather and temps were in the lower 60's around the rim. The wind was calm and the lake reflected clouds and trees from across the lake on its surface like looking into a mirror. There is only one area in the lake where you can walk to the water as it is a steep 1000 foot drop to the surface of the lake from the rim. The lake is stocked with trout and salmon and fishing is allowed from shore as boats are not allowed on the lake except for a tour boat which was not in operation until later in July.