Crater Lake Fast Facts
How big is Crater Lake National Park?
Crater Lake covers a total area of 183,224 acres or 286 square miles.
How many people visit Crater Lake National Park?
647,751 people visited Crater Lake in 2021. A table showing all years can be found at Crater Lake Visitation Stats.
When was Crater Lake National Park created?
Crater Lake was made a national park on May 22, 1902.
What are the highest and lowest elevations in Crater Lake National Park?
Crater Lake’s lowest point is 3,990 feet in the southwest corner of the park. The highest point in Crater Lake is 8,929 feet on Mount Scott.
What time zone is Crater Lake National Park located in?
Crater Lake is in the Pacific Time Zone.
How much does it cost to enter Crater Lake National Park?
$30 per private vehicle per week (less in winter).
Five Random Facts About Crater Lake
Crater Lake is 1,943 deep. This makes it the deepest lake in the United States, and is #9 in the world.
Crater Lake’s deep blue color is entirely natural. It is due to both the high purity and volume of the water. Pure water absorbs all colors of the spectrum except blue, which is reflected and causes it to appear blue.
Crater Lake National Park gets an extremely high amount of snowfall. The average per year is 533 inches, or around 44 feet. The record is an incredible 870 inches, or 73 feet. This huge snowfall means the park roads are only reliably fully open July through September, and sometimes even less.
Swimming in Crater Lake is only allowed from the end of the Cleetwood Cove trail, where the boat dock is. The average water temperature at lower depths is 38°F. In summer, the surface can get as high as 60°F, meaning anyone swimming generally doesn’t do it for long.
There are two species of fish in Crater Lake, Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon. They are, of course, not native to the lake and were introduced by man. The park encourages fishing, in the hopes of someday removing the fish and restoring the natural ecosystem.
Where is Crater Lake National Park?
Crater Lake National Park is located in the Southern Cascades of the state of Oregon. It is fairly remote, the nearest town of size being the city of Medford, over an hours drive away. Further directions and maps can be found at Getting to Crater Lake.