Crater Lake NP

We had been told that part of road in the park was under construction, the amount of people visiting was more then the park could handle and the roads were very, and I mean very narrow.  All of this was very true.  Driving from the SP to Crater Lake was quite picturesque, through a lovely little valley with farms and a fish hatchery we had visited the day before.  Regarding the fish hatchery, we visited on Saturday afternoon and no one was around to answer questions but we walked the grounds and viewed the ponds.  There was a lot of rainbow trout in various sizes.  One of the Rangers at Collier told us they no longer distribute the fish in the streams/rivers in this area, because the Native people in the area, put huge nets across the stream right after the release and catch almost all of the fish and none make it down stream.  I guess it is an ongoing battle, so they release near Mt. Shasta, CA and are supposedly reimbursed from that state. 

Anyway, it was a 34 mile drive along Route 62 to reach the entrance to the park.  Now, none of the 2 facilities in the park open until 9 a.m. and we arrived at a bit before 7.  There were no maps of the park displayed for picking up as a guide, so we decided to head toward the east rim drive.  In many many sections, the lanes were barely more then the width of a bicycle path.  Thankfully in the first half of the drive we met no oncoming traffic as I spent that whole section straddling the center line so the dually' right rear tires could stay on the pavement.  There is no shoulder at all, just straight drop off and no railings or rocks for protection.  We drove for miles and all Dave could see were steep valleys of forests.  I was too busy keeping my eyes on the road to even notice.  Finally, we reached a portion where we would get glimpses of the lake and at last some turn outs big enough that we could pull in and view the lake.  I know the color would have been richer and deeper in the afternoon sun, then in the early morning light, but no way we're we staying and risking the heavy traffic we had been hearing about. 

Views from three turn outs.

Now as we approached the north and west sections of the rim drive, traffic started appearing, coming from the north entrance. Thankfully I was in front of them.  Then as we arrived at the western section, the road turned to gravel and the sides were even worse!   On the gravel section I only had one car coming the other direction.  There were a few more turn outs and a few cars in each.  It was now after 8 a.m.   The speed limit is 35 in most sections but I had two cars that rode my bumper and had to speed by when I found pull outs to let them pass.  No way we're they going that slow.  Along this route we passed eight cars and I was glad to be near the end.  The visitor center was still not open as it wasn't yet 9 when we passed, but the restroom and gift shop near the entrance was open with quite a few cars in the parking lot.  We all needed a pit stop. Along the way, there are a few spots for trail heads and a pit toilet.   Traffic into the park was picking up as we left and there was now a ranger at the entrance.   The facilities for this park are really lacking, for the amount of traffic it gets, and the roads are in very poor shape and in my opinion dangerous.  Though we both agreed the lake is beautiful it is a one feature park and the negatives out weigh the positive.  We can now check it off our bucket list, but it doesn't have the draw to call us back again.