Crater Lake

This morning Barbara and I got up at the crack of dawn and headed south to Crater Lake National Park. It turned out to be a really good move because there were no crowds, which made it easy for us to get the views and photos we wanted without a bunch of selfie takers spoiling the views. In fact we were there before the toll gate and the visitors center opened. In my opinion, Crater Lake is by far the most beautiful lake in the lower 48 states.

Approximately 7,700 years ago Mount Mazama erupted in the largest explosive eruption in the Cascades during the past 1 million years. This eruption removed approximately 3,700 feet (ft) of the summit and the subsequent collapse of the new summit created the caldera that would eventually become Crater Lake. Over time the caldera filled with rain and snow melt to form the lake we see today. In fact, the lake receives more precipitation than it looses from evaporation, but due to cracks in the underlying rock the lake level remains fairly steady. The lake originally didn’t contain any fish, but during the late 1800’s trout and salmon were introduced and thrive there today. The last known eruption at Crater Lake occurred when a small lava dome erupted underwater on the east flank of the base of Wizard Island about 4,800 years ago. Since that time, the volcano has remained quiet, allowing as much as 30 m (100 ft) of sediment to accumulate on the lake bottom.