cslasor

We’re in the process of planning a trip to Oregon in April or May 2022 and were considering going to Crater Lake. Was that area impacted by the wildfires? Just wondering what to expect as far as scenery goes.

Thanks.

janisj

I don't know the answer - there are several Oregon Fodorites who will have local knowledge about how close the fires came. But April/May is really too early to visit Crater Lake unless you just want a quick look-see. The East rim drive seldom opens til late June/Early July and the North entrance/west rim usually opens between late May and late-ish June. The only road near the lake that would likely be open is the 3 miles between park headquarters and the village.

maitaitom

Below is a picture we took at Crater Lake on May 10, 2021. It was worth the drive from Ashland just to see Crater Lake in all its wonder. There's also a nice stop on the way up called Rogue River Gorge Viewpoint. If the weather is nice, it's definitely worth the drive up to Crater Lake (although I don't know where you would be coming from) even if you can't hike. The link below highlights our entire day. By the way, Ashland is a great place to stay.

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

tomfuller

The National Park Service tries to keep the road open from the park HQ/visitor center up to the parking lot for the lodge all year long. A few years ago I went on a ranger led snowshoe hike in late April that started from the parking lot. At least some of the roads in the park will be closed by snow until the last week of June.
I have entered the park from the north entrance the first week of July and had some snow at the edge of some roads in the shady spots.
In 2021 there were no major fires within Crater Lake NP but there were a few days when there was wildfire smoke was blowing into the park which detracted from some of the views.
Depending on where you are coming from, flying into PDX and renting a car makes sense. There is a lot to see in Oregon at all times of the year.
As a fire lookout in Oregon for the past several years, I did see a lot of wildfire smoke which limited my visibility to less than 3 miles at times.

sunbum1944

Eugene is a good airport to fly into also- cuts down on driving time.

janisj

Medford airport is much closer.

MichelleY

An acquaintance just posted photos of a visit to Crater Lake. It is beautiful. Go.

tomfuller

It depends entirely on what airport you are coming from. If you want to fly from Burbank or Las Vegas, you can fly to Medford, Eugene or even Redmond cheaply. The new airline that flies out of Burbank is Avelo with some flights under $60 each way. I have flown on Allegiant a few times.
On Wednesday my DW and I are going to be headed for Hawaii (Oahu). We will be driving past Eugene on the way to PDX.