Did Crater Lake Area Get Burned?
 

Planning a possible trip to Crater Lake in mid May. I know it will probably be snowy, but I’m wondering if that area was burned in the fires of the last couple of years. Husband doesn’t want to go if the lake is surrounded by burned forests.

We do have friends who lost their home in the California wildfires so please don’t think we’re insensitive to the people affected by the fires. We just don’t know how the Crater Lake area was affected.

Thanks.

No, you are fine. The beautiful setting is still there.

Mid May is too early to get a good look at the beauty of the park IMO. The north entrance will not be open until sometime in June. The most serious of the wildfires that threatened Crater Lake NP started near Rt. 230 and did burn into the northern section of the park. The most significant effect on the tourism at that time was the large amount of smoke that blew in while the fire(s) were burning. The Crater Lake lodge will be opening the first week of July this year and the roof will be replaced between the hours of 8AM and 5PM on weekdays. The boat tours on the lake will start up sometime in July after all of the snow is off the Cleetwood Trail and the boat is ready to go.

Thanks for the info. And I agree mid-May is too early to truly appreciate Crater Lake but that's when we'll be there. The main point of the trip is to drive from Seattle down the coast of Washington and Oregon and fly out of Portland. We just have a couple of extra days at the end of the itinerary and were considering going over to Crater Lake. Still might do it, or might go back up the coast to revisit someplace. Or do something else. But I needed to settle the question of burning around the lake first.

To avoid a drop off fee on the rental car, think about flying into and out of Portland. The coast of Oregon is nicer for tourists than the Washington coast IMO. How far south do you intend to drive before heading east? If you go as far as Reedsport take Rt. 38 and see the Deans Creek elk viewing area on the way back to I-5. You will have to go south on I-5 to Gold Hill and take 234 to get to 62 to get to the south entrance of Crater Lake.
The extra day or two could be spent seeing what you can of Mt Rainier NP and then returning the car in Seattle where you rented it.

Oregon 138 has many beautiful waterfall hikes you could do. Most of them are pretty easy. Watson Falls is one of the longer ones and is very nice. There is also Susan Creek Falls and Toketee Falls. I spent a whole weekend with a group just hiking to all the falls. Between Glide and Crater Lake. There is also a nice trail beside the river.

Here's a picture we took last May on our visit to Crater Lake. The link below tells about our day there, in Jacksonville, and our base in wonderful Ashland. Crater Lake is always a sight to behold, but the snow highlighted even more that beautiful, blue water

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...-more-ashland/

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1d0e56e108.jpg

The ranger led snowshoe trips are fun if there is snow. Not too strenuous.