The growing season at Crater Lake is very short.  The typical snow-free season is July to mid-October and frost can occur any time.  Certain wildflowers have adapted to these conditions and put on a great display at the park. Castle Crest Wildflower Garden Castle Crest Wildflower Garden is located just south of park headquarters on […]

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There are two great trails to Whitney Butte in Lava Beds National Monument. Either makes a great day hike. Learn all about the butte and the trails and enjoy a short video offering expansive views of the area.

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Yamsay Mountain is located in what is sometimes called the Eastern Cascade Mountain Range.  Technically it’s the first range in the basin and range province in Oregon and California.  The Medicine Lake Highlands, to the south, and Newberry Crater to the north, are other volcanoes in the range. The Formation of Yamsay Mountain While geologists continue to […]

Waldo Lake is located in central Oregon 12 miles north of Highway 58 between Willamette Pass and the community of Oakridge. The lake is about 75 miles from Eugene, Oregon, 80 miles from Bend, Oregon and 115 miles from Klamath Falls, Oregon.  The Jim Weaver National Recreation Trail circles the lake and was formerly named the Waldo Lake […]

Mt. Scott, is the tallest peak in Crater Lake National Park and the tenth tallest peak in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. Yet, it is not as difficult to climb as you might think.

‘Photo exploration’ involves setting out with photography or videography as the basis of your adventure, not just associated with it. In this article we explain how you can create a great adventure from your passion for photography.

by Canoe . . . The Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is one of six National Wildlife Refuges in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California.  It is located on the north-western shore of Upper Klamath Lake near the Oregon community of Rocky Point. With almost 15,000 acres of marsh and open water, but […]

Crater Lake National Park . . . Annie Creek, in Crater Lake National Park, arises from Annie Springs, near Mazama Village at the south entry station to the Park. It flows southeasterly until it exits the park and extends into the farmland of the Upper Klamath Basin and ultimately adds its waters to the Klamath […]

After Crater Lake National Park was designated in 1902, better access was needed. In 1904 construction of a new road was begun to replace an “almost impassable” wagon trail to the rim. The new road passed through Munson Valley on its way to what is now Rim Village. It was completed in 1905. It wasn’t […]

Vidae Falls . . . Vidae Falls is the best known and most viewed waterfall at Crater Lake National Park.  It’s 100 foot drop is quite spectacular and it’s easy to find; just above the East Rim Drive about 3 miles east of Park Headquarters.  A large turn-out is provided.  Some folks glance at the […]

Crater Lake . . . Crater Lake was formed in the largest known eruption of a Cascade Range volcano, Mount Mazama. The peak of Mount Mazama is estimated to have been about 12,000 feet in elevation before the massive explosion 6,865 years ago (based upon carbon dating).  That explosion moved 50 cubic kilometers of material […]

New Plaikni Falls Trail . . . The news is that, as  of this moment, the new Plaikni Falls Trail in Crater Lake National Park is well underway.  A Park Service crew, shown above, is cutting and setting curbs, leveling and backfilling with gravel from a nearby quarry.  This ’causeway’ type of construction will have […]

The major point of interest at Crater Lake National Park is, of course, Crater Lake. Waterfalls rarely come to mind, but there are several that offer unique glimpses into the slopes of ancient Mount Mazama. In 1935, John Eliot Allen a Ranger-Naturalist at the park described a few of the waterfalls as follows: Vidae Falls […]