Trolley Tour at Crater Lake
3 / 4
Day 2 at Crater Lake was slower, but no less rewarding. We lingered at Crater Lake Lodge, soaking in the view from the big windows and front porch rocking chairs before hopping on the trolley tour. Normally the trolley loops the entire rim, but part of the road was closed for construction, so our route was cut short. Even so, the guide filled the ride with history and geology. We learned how Mount Mazama erupted 7,700 years ago, then collapsed in on itself to create the giant basin that now holds the deepest lake in the United States. The clarity and color of the water come from that sheer depth and the fact that it is fed only by rain and snow, with no rivers or streams bringing in sediment.
Crater Lake
1 / 9
Along the rim, the tour stopped at the Grandmother Tree, the oldest known whitebark pine in the park, estimated at over 500 years old. Whitebark pine is a keystone species here, but the whole population is under pressure from blister rust and beetle outbreaks that kill trees faster than new ones can grow.
Our guide also introduced us to the Old Man of the Lake, a dead tree that has been floating upright here for over a century, bobbing around the caldera with its top just above the surface. He pointed out where it was "last seen," and sure enough, we spotted a little dot on the water. I snapped a shot on my zoom camera, and after further zooming on the camera screen, I realized it was a buoy. Looks like our guide’s been giving the Old Man a stunt double. Oops!
Even with the road closure and the imposter sighting, the rim stops were breathtaking. Every viewpoint offered a different angle, a new shade of that impossible blue. By the end of the tour, we had seen Crater Lake not just as scenery, but as a story of fire, collapse, survival, and legend.
Our guide also introduced us to the Old Man of the Lake, a dead tree that has been floating upright here for over a century, bobbing around the caldera with its top just above the surface. He pointed out where it was "last seen," and sure enough, we spotted a little dot on the water. I snapped a shot on my zoom camera, and after further zooming on the camera screen, I realized it was a buoy. Looks like our guide’s been giving the Old Man a stunt double. Oops!
Even with the road closure and the imposter sighting, the rim stops were breathtaking. Every viewpoint offered a different angle, a new shade of that impossible blue. By the end of the tour, we had seen Crater Lake not just as scenery, but as a story of fire, collapse, survival, and legend.