DO’S AND DON’TS IN CRATER LAKE AND ASHLAND, ORE.
Don’t expect full access to Crater Lake unless it’s summer. The rim of the caldera gets 524 inches of snow in a typical year, which means that Crater Lake Lodge, Lost Creek Campground, sections of Rim Drive and other roads in Crater Lake National Park are open just three or four months of the year. The Rim Village Cafe and Gift Shop, however, are open year round. To check on road closures, call (541) 594-3000, Ext. 1 or go to www.nps.gov/ crla/planyourvisit/direc tions.htm Don’t expect much from your cellphone. Service is unreliable in the park and neighboring areas.
Do a little homework on the area’s dramatic geological history, its views and hiking trails at www.nps.gov/crla, then stop by the Steel Visitor Center (open year round; Munson Valley Road, Crater Lake National Park; [541] 594-3000). Do spend some time on Rim Drive. It traces a 33-mile route around the lake, with more than 30 pullouts and parking lots along the way, including great view spots
such as Watchman Overlook, which looks almost straight down at Wizard Island. If you do want to stay at Crater Lake Lodge (565 Rim Village Drive, Rim Village, Crater Lake National Park; [888] 774-2728, www.craterla
kelodges.com), book well ahead. The lodge, with 71 rooms, is open only in warmer months. This season the lodge is open through the morning of Oct. 12. There are no televisions or phones in guest rooms. Wi-Fi is free. Rates for 2016 are about
$180-$309. Reservations required for dinner; service can be inconsistent. If you want a break from
higher prices at the lodge, do think about the Rim Village Cafe and Gift Shop. The cafe is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for much of the year, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. in summer. Do check out Sinnott Memorial Observation Station, or Sinnott Memorial Overlook, a sheltered viewpoint and museum that’s built into the caldera clifftop in Rim Village, a short walk from the lodge. It’s usually open mid-June through October. The neighboring Rim Village Visitor Center is usually open from late May through September.
Distance from Rim Village
1.3 miles northwest: Do go to Discovery Point and imagine what it was like in 1853 when prospectors stumbled on the scene. It’s reachable by car on the West Rim Drive or by an easy hike from the Rim Village parking lot.
11.1 miles north: Don’t try Cleetwood Cove Trail unless you’re fit. This steep, strenuous 1.1-mile path to the lake’s sole boat dock is the only permitted route to the water’s edge. The trail takes 30 to 45 minutes to hike down and twice as long to hike up.
11.1 miles north: Do think about a Volcano Boat cruise, offered through Sept. 18. It begins at Cleetwood Cove, so you must hike the strenuous Cleetwood Trail. There are three tour boats. Cruises typically take two hours, with six departures per day. (Standard tours do not stop at Wizard Island.) Cost is $40
per adult, $27 per child ages 3-11, free for younger children. Info: www.lat.ms /1I9qgip
11.1 miles north: Do think about Wizard Island, which is reachable only on a halfday Volcano Boat cruise. There are two departures each day (morning and afternoon). The trip takes a little more than five hours, excluding the hike down Cleetwood Trail. Guests typically cruise 45 minutes to the island, then spend three hours hiking and exploring, then return by boat. Rates $57 per adult, $36 per child ages 3-11, younger children not permitted. Info: www.lat
.ms/1I9qgip
24 miles west: Do order pie at Beckie’s Cafe (Union Creek Resort, Prospect; [541] 560-3563, www.unioncreek oregon.com/beckies-cafe), which dates to the 1920s. Main dishes $8.65-$19.95. A slice of apple pie is $4.95.
24 miles west: Do walk the half-mile interpretive trail at Rogue River Gorge, just a quarter-mile past Beckie’s on the way up Highway 62 to the lake. For details on nearby viewpoints and waterfalls:
www.lat.ms/1LjV5BX
7 miles south: If you need a snack, do pause at Mazama Village (569 Mazama Village Drive, Crater Lake National Park), about three miles beyond the park’s southern entrance, which has food and lodging. Annie Creek Restaurant (open through Sept. 28) serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s also a gift shop (May 24Sept. 16) and the Cabins at Mazama Village. There are 40 units (open through late September; no phones or TV) with a rate of $144 a
night. Also nearby is the Mazama Village Campground, with businesses operated by Xanterra, the same concessionaire that runs the lodge.
92 miles southwest: Do try to see a production at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (15 S. Pioneer St., Ashland; [800] 219-8161, www.osf
ashland.org). The theater company offers 11 productions from February through Nov. 1. Tickets to most shows are $30-$110.
92 miles southwest: Ashland Springs Hotel (212 E. Main St., Ashland; [541] 488-1700, www.ashlandspringshotel.com). Seventy guest rooms and a grand lobby. Dates to 1925. Rates $169-$279.
92 miles southwest: Martino’s Restaurant and Macaroni’s Ristorante (58 E. Main St., Ashland; [541] 488-4420, www.martinosashland.com). A snazzy upstairs Italian dining room. Dinner main dishes $10-$28. Martino’s downstairs sibling (more casual, same menu) is Macaroni’s.