August 20-Crater Lake: Bold, Brilliant, Blue!

Pulling up to the southern end of Crater Lake and parking at the Sinnott Memorial Observation Station, I gazed out at the bold, brilliant, blue waters in wonder, marveling at the stark contrast the pop of color made against the dusty light-tan dirt of the upper caldera rim surrounding it.

With a light breeze on my face and the warm sun on my back, I admired the glassy surface beautifully reflecting the scattered white clouds above and the rock walls rising to 2000 feet around it.

Clusters of Mountain Hemlocks stood on the rim, their tops dropping slightly as if to frame the vibrant blue waters stretching six miles beyond and the dry volcanic ash, pumice, dark cinders, and broken bits of hard lava rock in the foreground.

The rim itself is its own visual treat with the jagged cliffs displaying dark andesite lava and ash layers left behind by the collapse of Mount Mazama about 7,700 years ago.

Continuing on West Rim Drive, I stopping at Watchman Overlook and Merriam Point to get different vantage points of Wizard Island, the prominent dark volcanic cinder cone topped with a pine forest located just off the shore.

For me, the single most inspiring feature of the lake is its dark, rich, intense blue color, made possible by its extreme purity and great depth. Because there are no rivers or streams bringing mud, sediment, or agricultural runoff into the basin, it is fed entirely by rain and snowmelt making it the purest such body of water in the world. Its extreme depth (1,943 feet) means that no light is reflected on the lakebed. It’s not every day that you get to visit the deepest lake in the US. What a great day on the road!