Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity—fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and one of the most pristine on Earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Cleetwood Cove Trail is CLOSED for Rehabilitation
The Cleetwood Cove Trail is CLOSED for construction. This critical project will fully rehabilitate the trail and marina to ensure safe access to the lake, provide a much-improved visitor experience, and protect the environment.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Cold Springs
27 mi from the park's reference point · 158 acres
- PrescribedRx Long Prairie
41 mi from the park's reference point · 112 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleThis is the summer entrance fee and is charged from mid-May through the end of October. Admits one private, non-commercial vehicle (15-passenger capacity or less) and all occupants. Good for 7 days. | $30 | |
| Private VehicleThis is the winter entrance fee. Admits one private, non-commercial vehicle (15-passenger capacity or less) and all occupants. Good for 7 days. | $20 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. Summer rate from mid-May to October 31st. | $25 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. Winter rate from 11/1 through mid-May. | $15 | |
| Per PersonAdmits one individual with no motor vehicle (bicyclist, hiker, pedestrian). Youth 15 and under are admitted free of charge. Good for 7 days. | $15 | |
| SnowmobileAdmits one individual on a snowmobile for travel on snow covered North Entrance Road closed to regular vehicle traffic. Youth 15 and under are admitted free of charge. Good for 7 days. | $15 | |
| Commercial tours · by vehicle capacity | ||
| SedanFees for commercial vehicles are based on the capacity of the vehicle, not the number of passengers on board. In addition to the $25 per vehicle there is also a $15 per passenger charge. | $25 | |
| VanFees for commercial vehicles are based on the capacity of the vehicle, not the number of passengers on board. | $75 | |
| Mini-busFees for commercial vehicles are based on the capacity of the vehicle, not the number of passengers on board. | $100 | |
| Motor CoachFees for commercial vehicles are based on the capacity of the vehicle, not the number of passengers on board. | $200 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkIf you visit twice in 12 months purchasing the park's annual pass will save you money. It is valid at Crater Lake National Park as well as Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. | $55 | |
Hours
| Crater Lake National Park | Daily · All Day |
| West Entrance | Daily · All Day |
| South Entrance | Daily · All Day |
| North Entrance | Daily · All Day |
Crater Lake National Park: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | All Day |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas (Closed) | Hours not published |
North Entrance: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | All Day |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Jun 25, 2027Winter Closure of North Entrance | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Lost Creek Campground | 16 sites | |
| CLOSED ALL YEAR 2026 Lost Creek Campground is located on Pinnacles Road, about 12 miles from park headquarters. · 16 first-come | ||
| Mazama Campground | 216 sites | |
| $38 a night · Opening and closing dates for Mazama Campground are determined each year by the snow level in the camp sites, safety issues, and other factors. | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Rim Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Views of the lake are prominent and accessible from Rim Visitor Center. It is located at the historic Kiser Studio in Rim Village. Outdoor exhibits at the near-by Sinnott Memorial Overlook are open when the ice melts from the walkway in June until mid-October.
- Steel Information Center ↗
Steel Information Center has reopened after a major structural renovation to stabilize the building against seismic and excessive snow load forces. The historic integrity of this former ranger dormitory, now known as the Steel Information Center, remains while accessibility and safety have been…
Explore
Things to do
- Snowshoeing at Crater Lake
Snowshoeing is a popular activity during the long winter at Crater Lake National Park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Scenic Rim Drive1-3 Hours
The historic Rim Drive includes 33-miles (53-km) of lake views, panoramic vistas, forests and meadows. The contours of the road were designed to compliment the natural landscape, and disappear from view as you look across the lake from any point.
Opens on the Park Service site - Biking at Crater Lake
Each year, increasing numbers of cyclists come to Crater Lake National Park to ride around the lake on the physically demanding, 33 mile (53 km) Rim Drive.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Comfort Station No. 68Building · Crater Lake · 2.1 mi
- Crater Lake LodgeBuilding · Klamath Falls · 2.1 mi
- Sinnott Memorial Building No. 67Structure · Fort Klamath · 2.1 mi
- Comfort Station No. 72Building · Crater Lake · 2.2 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Crater Lake. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Crater Lake National Park
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Monitoring the American Pika in the Pacific West Region: Crater Lake National Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Lava Beds National Monument: Standard Operating ProceduresNational Park Service, 2013Find at Bookshop.org
Local history books for Crater Lake National Park
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 201 birds, 71 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · American Peregrine Falcon · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Burrowing Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Gray Owl · Great Horned Owl · Northern Harrier · Northern Pygmy-Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Northern Spotted Owl · Osprey · Peregrine falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Turkey Vulture · merlin
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American Wigeon · Blue-winged Teal · Brown Pelican · Bufflehead · Cinnamon Teal · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Egret · Hooded Merganser · Lesser Scaup · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Wood Duck · american white pelican · black-crowned night-heron · canada goose · common goldeneye · common loon · eared grebe · greater white-fronted goose · sandhill crane
Shorebirds & seabirdsCalifornia Gull · Forster's Tern · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe · greater yellowlegs · long-billed curlew · solitary sandpiper · wilson's phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · Blue Grouse · California Quail · Mourning Dove · Ring-necked Pheasant · Ruffed Grouse
WoodpeckersBlack-backed Woodpecker · Downy Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Northern Three-toed Woodpecker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-breasted Sapsucker · Three-toed Woodpecker · White-headed Woodpecker · Williamson's Sapsucker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker · yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsCalliope Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · allen's hummingbird · anna's hummingbird · broad-tailed hummingbird
Also on the checklistAmerican Dipper · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Robin · Audubon's warbler · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bushtit · Canvasback · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Vireo · Chestnut-backed Chickadee · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Raven · Common Raven · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Dipper · Dusky Flycatcher · Dusky Flycatcher · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Jay · Gray-crowned Rosy Finch · Gray-crowned Rosy Finch · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hermit Warbler · Horned Lark · House Sparrow · House Wren · Hutton's Vireo · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Lincoln's Sparrow · Lincoln's Sparrow · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Nashville Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Goshawk · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Oregon Junco · Pacific Nighthawk · Pacific Wren · Pacific wren · Pacific-slope Flycatcher · Pigmy Nuthatch · Pigmy Nuthatch · Pine Siskin · Purple Finch · Red Crossbill · Red Crossbill · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rock Wren · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Savannah Sparrow · Song Sparrow · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Stellar's Jay · Stellar's Jay · Swainson's Thrush · Tecolote occidental · Townsend's Solitaire · Townsend's Warbler · Tree Swallow · Varied Thrush · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Tanager · Western Wood-pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-crowned Sparrow · White-winged Crossbill · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Wilson's Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-rumped Warbler · black-billed magpie · black-capped chickadee · golden-crowned sparrow · say's phoebe · sooty fox sparow · wandering tattler · western meadowlark
Small mammalsAllen's Chipmunk · American Beaver · American Pika · Broad-footed Mole · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · California Red-backed Mouse · Chipmunk · Common Porcupine · Creeping Vole · Deer Mouse · Dusky-footed Woodrat · Fog Shrew · Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel · Great Basin Pocket Mouse · Heather Vole · House Mouse · Least Chipmunk · Long-tailed Vole · Montane Vole · Mountain Beaver · Muskrat · Northern Flying Squirrel · Pacific Jumping Mouse · Pacific Marsh Shrew · Pacific Shrew · Richardson's Vole · Shrew · Shrew-mole · Siskiyou Chipmunk · Snowshoe Hare · Vole · Water Shrew · Western Gray Squirrel · Western Jumping Mouse · Western Pocket Gopher · White Tailed Jackrabbit · Yellow Pine Chipmunk · Yellow-bellied Marmot
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Marten · Black Bear · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Common Raccoon · Coyote · Ermine · Fisher · Gray Wolf · Long Tailed Weasel · Mink · Sierra Nevada red fox · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk
Hoofed mammalsElk · Mule Deer · White-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · California Myotis · Fringed Myotis · Hairy-winged Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Myotis · Long-eared Myotis · Pallid Bat · Silver-haired Bat · Townsendii Big-Eared Bat · Yuma Myotis
Also on the checklistCatamount · Chickaree
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 38 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
July, August, and September are your best bets for warm, dry weather. In May, June, and October, sunny days alternate with periods of rain and snow. Winters at Crater Lake are long and snowy. Storms from the Pacific Ocean dump an annual average of 41 feet (13.5 meters) of snow at park headquarters. When it's raining or snowing, the lake is usually hidden by clouds. Crater Lake is completely invisible about 50% of the time in the winter!
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Crater Lake?
Entrance is $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. This is the summer entrance fee and is charged from mid-May through the end of October.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Crater Lake?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Crater Lake-only annual pass is $55.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Crater Lake takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Crater Lake free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Crater Lake?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Crater Lake. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Crater Lake open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Crater Lake?
Yes. The Park Service lists 2 campgrounds in Crater Lake: Lost Creek and Mazama. 1 takes reservations through Recreation.gov; 1 is first-come, first-served.
Which Crater Lake campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Mazama. Dump station: Mazama. Electric hookups: Mazama.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Crater Lake include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Mazama is $38 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Crater Lake right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Cleetwood Cove Trail is CLOSED for Rehabilitation.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Crater Lake?
632,242 recreation visits in 2025, number 101 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was Crater Lake established?
1902. It covers about 286 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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