Oregon! So Many Lakes, including Crater Lake

maps b,c, and d

Oregon looks like heaven even from GoogleEarth. It is not as high in elevation as the Sierra's in CA but the landscape is just as dramatic. The Cascades were volcanically active till about 5-3 million years ago. Lava rock always makes for dynamic landscapes. When water hits lava rock it can easily chew some rock and leaves the harder dikes behind. These volcanoes were active during the last ice age and show the scars of glacial battle. Glaciers create sheer rock faces and nice scoops for lakes. Sky Lakes Wilderness in Fremont-Winema National Forest is apart of this glacier lake arena. It has 200 pools of water including a few that have the most chemically pure water known on the planet.

Winema National Park is right before Crater Lake. In the lower levels of the park by the Williams River drainage and Upper Klamath Lake the land opens to vast marshes. In the sections we will be walking through there is the Sky Lakes wilderness and the old growth of ponderosa pines and lodgepole pines. The National Park used to be apart of the Klamath Indian Reservation until the 60s and 70s when the US government bought the land from them. The Klamath Indians still have special land use rights.

Crater Lake National Park is up next. We pass by Mazama Village. Crater Lake is actually a caldera lake. It was formed by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. It is the deepest lake in the United States. I hear from previous PCTers that the Crater Lake Rim Alternate Route is one of the most memorable sections of hiker trail. The official PCT technically goes just west of Crater Lake, but that is so horses can travel it. Personally, I'm going to take the hiker PCT so I can see this up close and personal :)

Mount Thielsen in Umpqua National Forest is another volcano in this range, but it experienced a different death then Mount Mazama. Instead of collapsing, Mount Thielsen has been heavily eroded by water and glaciers. It almost looks like a volcano skeleton. I hear from a previous PCTer that you can climb to the top...guess what I will be doing as a side trip :)

Diamond Peak Wilderness is in the Deschutes National Forest. Below is the photo of Diamond Peak form the PCT. We pass in between Cresent Lake and Diamond Peak.