Crater Lake NATIONAL PARK • OREGON Ages ago. Mount Mazama was probably a 12,000- FOR YOUR SAFETY PLANTS AND ANIMALS NATURALIST PROGRAMS foot volcano in the Cascade Range. Successive Stay on the trails— especially along the caldera Many animals can be seen in the park. Birds along The National Park Service offers naturalist serv­ flows of molten rock, eruptions of ash, cinder, and rim. Footing can be treacherous on this volcanic the rim include Clark's nutcrackers, gray jays, and ices in summer to help visitors gain a greater ap­ pumice gave the mountain its present form. rock and soil. Descent to the lake is permitted the blue Steller's jay. Eagles and hawks are often preciation of the park. Programs of current inter­ Howel Williams, in Crater Lake, The Story of /ts only on the Cleetwood Trail. In winter, stay off seen. Chipmunks and golden-mantled ground pretive activities are posted. You are invited to Origin, described the tremendous explosion that snow cornices on the caldera rim! squirrels are common. attend the campfire programs held each evening. created the crater. Lava in the form of a frothy On winter weekends, guided snowshoe walks are Please drive slowly—and see more. Remember, these animals are wild; wild animals super-heated pumice was blown out in great quan­ offered, depending on snow conditions. are dangerous. They may bite—and a small nip can tities, and fine dust was carried hundreds of miles Wildlife. Do not get near wild animals even though be serious. Park regulations emphatically forbid to the north and east by the prevailing winds. Other, they may appear tame. Some have become accus­ WINTER VISITS feeding and molesting wildlife. tomed to humans, but they are still wild and may but smaller, eruptions spewed out lava in a series The National Park averages 50 feet of snowfall seriously injure you if you approach them. In camp, At a distance or from the safety of your car, be on of glowing avalanches, cracks opened beneath the annually. Only the South and West Entrance roads keep food sealed in containers to reduce odors so the lookout for deer and bears. Seldom seen are volcano, and several cubic miles of molten rock to Rim Village are open all year. On weekends and as not to attract animals. Bears especially are the Cascade red fox, coyote, pine marten, porcu­ drained away. These ejections and drainings left a holidays, from mid-September to mid-June, light hazards to sloppy campers and campers with pets. pine, bobcat, elk, and very rarely, the cougar. vast cavity beneath the cone which now could not refreshments and souvenirs are available at the support its own weight and collapsed into the void. Early visitors reported that Crater Lake originally coffee shop in Rim Village. There are overnight Thus was Mount Mazama destroyed 6,600 years contained no fish; but several species have been accommodations near the park. Carry towrope, ago. introduced. Recently the practice of stocking has shovel, and tire chains, which may be necessary After destruction, additional volcanic activity with­ been discontinued, but rainbow trout, brown trout at any time. in the caldera produced the cinder cone known as in small numbers, and kokanee salmon are known Wizard Island. to be reproducing. The limited fish population is PROTECT YOUR PARK due to lack of adequate food and suitable spawning Uniformed park rangers are responsible for the Over the centuries the great caldera has accumu­ grounds. The amazingly pure lake water supports lated water from rain and snow; today evaporation management of park resources and for enforcing comparatively little life, but an aquatic moss has park regulations for your safety. Ask them for in­ and seepage are balanced with precipitation, and been found at a record depth of 425 feet. the water level remains fairly constant. formation, direction, or assistance. Help preserve Wildflowers and coniferous forests of the park are and protect the park by observing the regulations The lake was discovered on June 12,1853, by John typical of the Cascades. Principal trees surround­ and by keeping the park free of litter. A permit is Wesley Hillman, a young prospector and member of ing the lake include mountain hemlock, Shasta and necessary if you plan an extended back-country a party in search of a rumored "Lost Cabin Mine." He subalpine fir, lodgepole and whitebark pine, and in trail trip. named it Deep Blue Lake. Sixteen years later, visi­ lower elevations beautiful stands of Douglas-fir Camp only in designated areas. Use only dead and tors from Jacksonville, Oregon, gave the lake its and ponderosa pine. Wildflowers of the high moun­ down material for your campfire. present name. ..CPO 1978-261-217/19 Reprinl 1978 tains appear late and disappear early, but displays Build fires in campground fireplaces only, and Only six lakes in the world are deeper than Crater of phlox, knotweed, and monkeyflowers are bril­ never leave them unattended. Douse them with Lake. In the Western Hemisphere, only Great Slave liant. water before you leave. Be careful while smoking Lake in Canada is deeper—by 83 feet. A sonic on trails; and when you drive, use your ash tray. depth finder has measured the greatest depth of HOW TO REACH THE PARK Please report any uncontrolled fire immediately Crater Lake at 1,932 feet. The south and west entrance roads are open all to the nearest park ranger. ADMINISTRATION year. The north entrance road and Rim Drive are Keep pets on a leash or in your car, to protect closed from approximately mid-October to early wildlife and in consideration for others. Pets are Crater Lake National Park, established on May 22, July, depending on snow conditions. 1902, has an area of 250 square miles. It is admin­ not permitted in public buildings, on trails, or istered by the National Park Service, U.S. Depart­ From mid-June to mid-September, buses of Crater beyond plowed roads in winter. Be sure they do ment of the Interior. Lake Lodge are operated daily from Klamath Falls not venture over the rim wall, where there is to Crater Lake. Klamath Falls and Medford have loose pumice soil and a 1,000-foot drop. A superintendent is in charge of the park, with airline and transcontinental bus service, and Kla­ offices in the administration building, 3 miles south math Falls is served by railroad. Fishing is permitted in park streams and in Crater of Rim Village. His address is Crater Lake, OR Lake,andnofishing license is required. Regulations 97604. CAMPING AND LODGING are available at park headquarters or from park rangers. As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Mazama Campground, near the Annie Spring en­ Department of the Interior has responsibility for trance, is open from about mid-June to the end of It is unlawful to hunt, trap, or have loaded firearms most of our nationally owned public lands and na­ September, also depending on snow conditions. in your possession on park lands. The use of a tural resources. This includes fostering the wisest Trailers and motor homes can be accommodated, camp in the park as a base for hunting outside the use of our land and water resources, protecting but there are no utility connections. A sanitary park is prohibited. our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental dumping station is available. Entrance and camp­ Park regulations, as well as good outdoor man­ and cultural values of our national parks and his­ ground fees are collected from mid-June through ners, call for leaving rocks, flowers, and wildlife torical places, and providing for the enjoyment of Labor Day or until such time as weather permits. undisturbed for others to enjoy. life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and Lodge and cabins at Rim Village are open from works to assure that their development is in the mid-June to mid-September. For information and best interests of all our people. The Department reservations, write to Crater Lake Lodge, Inc., also has a major responsibility for American Indian Crater Lake, OR 97604. Other accommodations reservation communities and for people who live are available near the park. in Island Territories under U.S. administration. National Park Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Prominent along the rim at this point is Llao Rock, a massive flow of obsidian-like dacite that fills an earlier glacial valley. Cleetwood Trail descends the northern rim wall to Cleetwood Cove, the only access to the water. The 1.1-mile trail usually requires one-half hour to go down and three-quarters of an hour to return. Launch trips around the lake and to Wizard Island, which rises to 760 feet above the water, begin here. A trail takes you to the rim of the island's crater. Rim Drive is one way clockwise beyond this point. Cloudcap, reached by a short spur road from Rim Drive, offers an exhilirating panorama of the Crater Lake scene. To the east is two-peaked Mount Scott, at 8,926 feet the highest point in the park. A 2.5-mile trail leads to the old lookout. The famous Pinnacles are easily accessible at the end of a 6-mile branch road. They are striking HOW TO SEE THE PARK spires of pumice and welded tuff rising 200 feet The most popular lake overlook is the Rim Village out of the Wheeler Creek canyon. Halfway to the area. A park naturalist is on duty in the Exhibit Pinnacles is Lost Creek Campground. The Gray- Building along the rim wall; here you can buy liter­ back Motor Nature Road begins in Lost Creek ature concerning the park.