Rising temperatures are warming Southern Oregon, but it’s still snowy at Crater Lake National Park.

“We will eventually be dug out,” reports Marsha McCabe, Crater Lake’s chief of interpretation, noting the park is open every day.

“Sometimes we have to travel on snowshoes or skis,” she added. “It’s still a winter wonderland up here.”

As of earlier this week the park had received 624 inches of snow since Oct. 1, 2022. In recent years the park’s average snowfall has fallen from 523 inches about 20 years ago to 487 inches in recent years.

The persistent snow, including four inches that fell Monday, means opening of park roads and trails will likely be later than usual.

“It’s probably safe to say that things will be open later this year,” McCabe said, noting snow-clearing efforts have been focused on Rim Village, including the Crater Lake Lodge, which opened for the season Friday, and the concession dormitory. Munson Valley, where park headquarters and park residences are located, has also been a priority. Efforts to begin clearing West Rim Drive from Rim Village to Discovery Point and the North Junction are expected to begin today or in the next few days.

“Digging out and clearing park roads is a full-time effort that begins in May,” Superintendent Craig Ackerman emphasized. “Crews first clear areas around facilities in Mazama and Rim villages, then along West Rim Drive to the North Entrance junction and the North Entrance. Once roads are cleared to the pavement, solar radiation absorbed by the asphalt helps accelerate the melting process,” he said. “But 25-plus-foot drifts in some areas and shaded north slopes are expected to remain snow-covered well into July.”

In recent years with lower-than-average snowfall, West Rim Drive from Rim Village to the North Junction and the park’s north entrance have sometimes opened by the Memorial Day Weekend.

The North Entrance opening could be delayed because of efforts to clear Rim Drive to the Cleetwood Cove parking area/trailhead and open the 1.1-mile trail to the boat dock. Opening the trail is a priority because Crater Lake Hospitality, the park concessionaire, will be flying in new boats that will be used for lake tours. The boats will have a larger capacity than boats that have operated for the past 20 years. Tentative plans call for beginning the boat tours in early July.

Park officials are also gearing up for a rare annual solar eclipse. The eclipse’s path across the U.S. will run through Oregon, including Crater Lake, on Saturday, Oct. 14. The eclipse at Crater Lake is scheduled to start at 8:05 a.m. and last until 10:41 a.m. The Crater Lake Lodge is already fully booked for that weekend and, depending on the weather, the park may offer a special night sky program that evening. Night sky programs, which have proven popular, are also planned through the summer.

In addition, the park could begin making extensive repairs to East Rim Drive late this summer. Because of the typically short snow-free construction season, the project will be done in stages and could last three or four years. Repairs to the Cleetwood Cove Trail, which are also expected to take three years, are now not scheduled to begin until 2025.

Ackerman and McCabe note that popular park trails accessed along Rim Drive, including those to Garfield Peak, Mount Scott and the Watchman Lookout, are often the last to open in mid-summer because they can present hazardous conditions.

Adding to the uncertainties are ongoing challenges in hiring summer seasonal rangers who give evening campfire talks, provide interpretive information on boat tours, give night sky programs, and lead various hikes. Ranger-led offerings, McCabe said, are still uncertain but, “We’ll do whatever we can.” Updates will be available on the park website at www.nps.gov/crla.

There’s still snow at Crater Lake but as McCabe says, “You can come up and experience the deep snow and have fun playing in it.”

More Information

Crater Lake Lodge is open

Crater Lake Lodge in Rim Village opens for the 2023 summer season Friday.

Amanda Lee, general manager for Crater Lake Hospitality, which handles park concession services, said the lodge will serve meals for lodge guests and the general public with breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.

She notes the Rim Village Cafeteria-Gift Shop is open year-round daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except when the road from park headquarters is closed because of snow.

The Annie Creek Gift Shop and Mazama Village Store, both located near the park’s south entrance, will open Friday, May 19. Gift shop hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. while the Mazama store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Crater Lake Hospitality also operates The Cabins at Mazama Village and the Mazama Village gas station, with both scheduled to open May 19.

The Mazama Campground, which has 214 tent and RV sites, is scheduled to open Friday, May 26, snow conditions permitting. Reservations are recommended for campsites and can be made by calling 866-292-6720.

Crater Lake Hospitality also operates Crater Lake boat tours. The tentative opening date is July 1, but that could be delayed until Rim Drive to the Cleetwood Cove parking area-trailhead and the 1.1-mile trail to the lake are cleared of snow. New, larger boats are being built and will be flown by helicopter to Wizard Island at a to-be determined date. Once in service, offerings will include the standard two-hour cruise around the lake. Wizard Island tours that include island layovers to allow participants to hike to Wizard Island’s summit, swim and/or fish before resuming the lake tour. A third option will be Wizard Island shuttles, with boats shuttling people directly to the island.

For more information on concession offerings, visit the Crater Lake Hospitality website at travelcraterlake.com or call 866-292-6720.