Crater lake is a far drive from Bend where we were staying. It is well worth it especially if you…read moredrive down early and get there before the parking lot fills up. When we were leaving at 2 pm it was packed so 10 am is perfect for getting parking. There is only two bathrooms at the parking lot, and supposedly one at the bottom of the hike but I didn't see it. We hiked down with kids, my 4 and 8 year old were able to do it. The 4 year old needed some carrying at the end but I was able to carry her up. I am not sure where people see "easy" for this hike. I would consider it medium because it's gradual and not straight up. Yes it's a gravel sand mixture but not slippery, especially on a dry day. The dusty trail got us all covered by a layer by the end. There is some points where you are in full sun and others with full shade. We jumped in the water and it was 61 degrees according to the Apple Watch. It helped the bottom up was in sun and helped keep me warm and drier. When we got to the shade it was a bit cold. The water is rocky so there isn't an easy place to get in but the kids were able to do it. They have boat rides on to the lake at the bottom but we didn't partake in it. The walk up was not difficult because of the switch backs. Had it been stairs straight down I would say that would be difficult. The path allows for people to rest and is wide enough for 3 people wide. They also have benches on the trail which is lovely. The view from the trail is much better than the lookouts from the road.

2.2 mi, 604 elevation gain, 1 hr to complete…read more Trail is well maintained though it appears there is high risk for rock slides. It is very highly traveled and probably one of the busiest trails in the park. There were several people swimming at the bottom. Heading back up there are many benches along the way to take a breather and have a sip of water. It was pretty smokey today so it was difficult to see Wizard island and the other side of the lake from the trail. Though, looking down you can see the bright blue water and boats anchored waiting to take passengers to wizard island and on tours of the lake.

Just looking at wizard island is a five-star experience. Imagine the geology. This enormous volcano…read moreerupted. Then thousands of years later wizard island, a smaller volcano was born from the original. Wizard island is reachable by tour boat at certain times of the year. But most importantly, it is always visible and well worth a whole collection of photos. And be sure to read up on the geologic history of wizard Island and some of its cultural significance.

How about hiking the highest peak in Crater Lake National Park?…read more We drove 15 miles from Rim Village around the East Rim, open July-September, of the park to Scotts Peak. Parking for about two dozen vehicles, at 9am. Both the wife and I were equipped with hiking boots, hiking poles, hats, sun block, 40 ounces of water, and multiple fruit cups with utensils. No need for mosquito repellent, as temperatures too cold at night. Lots of people wearing only running shoes, which can be painful if you hit your toes on rocks embedded in the trail. Ladies, you don't want blackened toes to ruin your pedicures! The trailhead is right on the Rim Drive, at 7680' elevation. The first part of the trail is an open expanse through grassland, with a gradual rise in elevation. In and out of forests of mountain hemlock, west and southwest on the backside of the mountain, with Crater Lake hidden from view. Very little level areas, only unremitting climbing. The trail becomes a series of switchbacks, with glimpses of Crater Lake as a sliver of dark blue, with reflections from the eastern walls of the volcano on the waters of the Lake visible 10 miles away. Up we go, with the switchbacks ending and the trail leveling off onto a ridge leading to a fire lookout tower. The forests recede, and we are left with whitebark pines windblown and twisted in the difficult climate. Marmots and pikas hunt for food, while birds of prey circle overhead. It take us 2 hours to reach the top, and another 90 minutes to reach the bottom, 4.4 miles overall, with a 1250 foot elevation gain. 8934' Scott's Peak. 84 degrees today, September 28. One week from now, rain and snow with temperatures in the 30s. The wife beats me down by a good 25 minutes, with me taking pictures, and she making a beeline for the only restrooms in the area, at a picnic ground 500 feet down the road!

Rolling through South Oregon down long winding road you start to get numb to the environment. You…read morecome up over the hill and encounter a great birding spot. Watch for the river otters peeking up out of the grass along the roadside.

"The Lightning Rod of the Cascades"!…read more This is the steep needle visible from Crater Lake National Park. It looks unclimbable. It's quite doable though! The summit requires a couple hundred feet of 4th class climbing. Most people don't use a rope. Some people *do* take a rope to rappel back down, and avoid down-climbing. The summit contains melted-then-reformed rock from being struck by lighting so many times. So, if the forecast is sketchy, DO NOT go up! It's one of the only summits that you can see crater lake from. Fun Fact: I have no idea how this mountain's name is pronounced. I've heard it with the "th" as in "the" and also just a hard-T. You tell me!

Just showed up randomly on drive to Crater Lake. They were opened but we couldn't find any visitor…read morecenter. Visited at 8:30am and some fish were visible in ponds under roof, but the Show Pond was hard to see due to time of day (not night light). There is fish food to buy but you need quarters. There's an outhouse bathroom but be careful because I locked from inside and it didn't unlock automatically when I left so my wife couldn't use it. Overall disappointed. This place is free so if the time is more like 11am-4pm, stop by. Hopefully, someone will be up to talk to you. No one was around at 8:30am on a Friday for us.

I feed and take care of fish for a living, so when I'm visiting back home on vacation, what do I…read morewant to do....well, go look at and feed more fish!! Our Fish Hatchery out in Forth Klamath is a great place to go for an afternoon, enjoy the scenery, and look at the fish! The best part is they have quarter machines with fish food in them, and you can put your quarter in and get a handful of food to feed the fish! When you drive in, they have lots of parking right in front of some of their raceways, and just to the right of the parking area is one of their quarter fish-food machines. Just beyond the food machine is a nice deck out on Crooked Creek with a deep hole where large trout hang out and you can feed them. When we were there, most of the fish in the creek were Rainbows, and most all were well over 12"...and of course its posted, NO FISHING! These guys were fun to feed, and came right up to the surface for the food. A great place for pictures too, this area is really scenic with the creek running through. Walking back to the hatchery area, they have their "show pond" if you walk farther on up. Another fish feeding machine is here, and this creek area is stocked full of fish about 12" long, again from what I could see they looked like all Rainbows. There were SO MANY FISH here!! Really cool to see, and these guys really went after the food! You could walk all up and down this area and there were fish everywhere, very cool! Coming to the end of the "show pond" area, there were a few other waterways, and in the back there were covered raceways with fingerlings in them, just little guys! It was neat to see all the fish, and walk around the grounds as well. Back in the front by the parking area there is a little information kiosk as well that tells you about the hatchery and the lakes they stock with fish. This is a great place to spend an afternoon, and I highly recommend it. Its really fun to come out here, watch and feed the fish, and learn a little bit about hatcheries as well....educational, informative, and FUN!! A+!!!

So if you are looking for a fancy KOA campground with lots of amenities and things do during the…read moreday, this is not it. But if you are looking for a cute, one of a kind place to camp, come to Heartline Ranch. The camp offers tipis that to stay in, with sleeping bags and pillows provided. You can even have a campfire in the middle of your tipi! If you have horses, you can board them also, or take a guided trail ride. Located 30 minutes outside of Crater Lake National Park, it's a great place to stay if you want to camp without the hassle of setting and taking down your tent There are few things that I would have changed. Instead of the folding cushions they use as mattresses, I would have preferred a real camp mattress. I am also not a huge fan of port a potties, but they do keep them clean as possible. Honestly, the lack of plumbing is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. They have a shower setup and after a day of hiking, it felt wonderful. While I felt it was a little expensive, I would still go back and stay again.

I was skeptical about the Tee Pee village... my son thought it was a bouncy house as we drove up…read moreand the Tee Pees emerged from the trees. Lol. The Tee Pees were really well received by my 4, 9 and 13 yr olds. They have 5ish couch like pillows or mattresses which I slept on great! The hosts delivered wood, opened the smoke hole thingy on the Tee Pee and left is alone! I don't like helicopter hosts so that was great. They give you their phone number and tell you to call if you want any thing or have any questions. I had great cell service the whole time. There were wild strawberry bushes with flowers all over... in a few weeks campers will find a ton of fresh, wild strawberries (June 20). The hosts gave me a mosquito repellant ring to burn for mosquitos but I never used it. We did get attached for about 30-60 minutes which is typical in Oregon woods but it was not overwhelming. Proper long clothing and some good mosquito spray will do the trick. We used organic, natural chemical free bug sticks and sprays because my wife doesn't want to give the kids cancer and of course it didn't help us at all... so we got a few bites and have a low chance of getting cancer! If a few bug bites are a deal breaker camp in a hotel! I'm not a cowboy but I did care for and trail ride horses in high school. I felt like the horse riding was very safe and very considerate of their horses (one horse had a sore frog [rock bruise] so they decided that horse would not be rode). I felt like the horses are cared for like part of the family... which is good. A criticism - It's a family run business so if you have an itinerary that has every minute counted for you'd better free up some time for some inefficient horse prep! I wouldn't schedule dinner with the Crater Lake Lodge for 6PM if you have a 2hr ride scheduled at 3PM.. I'd schedule for 8PM and have a beer/ glass of wine while making up the time difference. Come on - if you are in Chiloquin, Oregon I hope it's to slow it down and relax!! Cowboy bob and Company are a 5 star in https://vimeo.com/350189379

If I could leave zero stars, I would. Hair in the bed sheets and on the towels. The carpet was so…read moredirty, even my shoes didn't want to walk on it. The bathroom window had a hanger wedged in to keep it shut. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. That's it. Very dirty

I intend to stay here every time I visit Crater Lake. This place was a blast from the past in the…read morebest way. It's not a resort, and that's the point. It's old but clean with a hot shower and climate controls. Cell service and tvs work, they've also got a cool selection of VCRs if you want to watch a movie.