love2travel2LA

We are traveling to Crater Lake in Late June. We are there about 4 days (is that too much) and where to stay? expensive Lodge or less expensive village and where would we eat?

tomfuller

The Lodge if you can still get a reservation. If you can't get a reservation, check with the Prospect Hotel. Also a nice place in Steamboat if that is the way you are coming to Crater Lake.
You could see something besides the Park if you cut it back to 3 days. Which way are you coming to Crater Lake and where are you going after?

bbqboy

2 days is plenty, maybe 1. Consider spending a day and night in Ashland, either before or after. Many restaurants and much cultural
stuff to do.
http://www.ashlandchamber.com/Splash.asp

happytrailstoyou

We stayed at the lodge, and we are glad we did.

Crater Lake is off the beaten path. If you make the effort to go there, I suggest you stay a minimum of two nights so you can have at least one full day to explore.

I'm sorry I can't recommend a place to eat. When we were there the restaurant in the lodge was in transition; our meal was so unsatisfactory that we complained and it was comped.

Ashland is a great destination for those who enjoy provincial theater.

islandaze

Late June is before the tour boats begin, and the east rim drive won't be open by then either. So there won't be much to do besides enjoy the view. And there is no view from Mazama Village, so get reservations in the Lodge if you can. I'd suggest two nights, just to give yourselves a wide enough window in case of bad weather. Unless you're willing to drive a ways, the Lodge is about your only food option. The food there isn't great, but get a table with a view, and you won't care.

spirobulldog

We stayed at the Lodge and our meal was good while there. Be sure and have a drink, cobbler, etc on the back deck overlooking the lake. Hopefully, by late June the boat to Wizard Island will be operating by then. I think 3 days would be the max for me. We were there for 2 days and that was plenty. I think islandaze is correct about the boat and road, however, it does depend on snowfall, etc. So you could check ahead. We were there in late July and there was still a lot of snow in some areas. Crater Lake is about as much shock and awe as the Grand Canyon for me. It is an awesome first sight. BTW, I jumped in the lake from the boat dock. How often are you going to get to swim in the worlds cleanest purest water. I lasted for about 30 seconds. very cold.

bigtyke

We stayed at the Mazama and thought it ok. I think 2 days is plenty

Fodorite018

The boat tours do not typically start until early July, and considering the amount of snow we have had this year, I cannot imagine the tours starting before then.