While a circumnavigation of America’s deepest lake on the scenic Rim Drive is a must-do activity, I also recommend hitting at least a couple of the hiking trails in Crater Lake National Park.
Oregon’s only national park is famous for its extraordinarily blue water. Dependent entirely on snow and rain, Crater Lake’s water is said to be the clearest and cleanest of any natural lake in the United States.
Its stillness also makes it a near-perfect mirror, during the day reflecting clouds or blue skies, at night the Milky Way above.
It’s totally possible to drive around the lake in one day, but I suggest setting up camp at Mazama Campground for two to three days. As spectacularly blue as the lake may be at noon, a sunrise hike or star-studded night sky is equally as breathtaking.
This is also a pretty remote national park—a half day’s drive from Portland, Oregon—so the best way to make the long journey worthwhile is spending a few days there. (On the way, consider spending a couple of days in Deschutes National Forest near Bend.)
This blog post about the best day hikes in Crater Lake National Park contains affiliate links. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here.
Additionally, there are a number of other awesome Pacific Northwest national parks in the area, too, notably the Oregon Caves and California’s Redwood and Lassen Volcanic National Parks.
All these parks make up the fantastic “Circle of Discovery”, which offers an amazing opportunity for an extended road trip in Southern Oregon and Northern California!
In this post, you’ll find the greatest day hikes in Crater Lake National Park.
9 Best Day Hikes in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Although Crater Lake National Park is not renowned for its epic backpacking opportunities—although the Pacific Crest Trail does cross the park—there are some pretty amazing day hikes you can do in the park.
Whether you’re looking for a strenuous climb to a mountain viewpoint, an easy stroll along the Crater Lake rim, or even a beautiful waterfall, there’s a surprisingly variety in your Crater Lake hiking trails options.
Discovery Point Trail
One of the easiest, yet most scenic, Crater Lake hikes is the Discovery Point Trail. This virtually flat trail starts at the west end of Rim Village, where the paved path turns into a dirt trail. It runs for 1 mile to the Discovery Point overlook.
On the way, you get to enjoy spectacular views of Crater Lake and Wizard Island—a volcano within a volcano—as you walk through the forest of mountain hemlock and whitebark pine that lines the crater rim. Retrace your steps back to Rim Village.
This is a great trail for an early sunrise walk along the rim of Crater Lake. Be careful near the cliff edges!
(You can also do this easy Crater Lake hike in the opposite direction, from Discovery Point to Rim Village and back.)
- Distance: 2 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Rim Village
- Highlight: Spectacular up-close views of Crater Lake and Wizard Island
Rim Trail
The Crater Lake Rim Trail is essentially a continuation of the Discovery Point Trail.
It starts at the parking lot at Discovery Point—when looking at the lake from the overlook, the Discovery Point Trail runs to the right, while the Rim Trail is uphill to the left.
This scenic trail parallels West Rim Drive and the caldera rim all the way to the junction with East Rim Drive at Merriam Point. You can hike the entire trail out and back, or opt to do just a section.
In fact, the Rim Trail combined with the Watchman Peak Trail (see below) is one of the greatest day hikes in Crater Lake National Park.
- Distance: various (there and back)
- Duration: various
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Discovery Point or Merriam Point
- Highlight: Excellent views of Wizard Island, pumice fields and summer wildflowers
Pinnacles Trail
The short and easy Pinnacles Trail leads to an impressive collection of volcanic rock spires in the far southeastern corner of Crater Lake National Park.
On this walk along the Pinnacle Valley rim, you can see the natural chimneys that formed when hot ash cooled after the massive eruption of Mount Mazama thousands of years ago.
Wheelchair users can use this trail with some assistance. It’s also open to bicycles.
- Distance: 1 mile (there and back)
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: End of the Pinnacles Spur Road
- Highlight: Volcanic rock spires
Annie Creek Canyon Loop Trail
Starting at Mazama Campground, the pleasant Annie Creek Canyon Loop Trail runs along and through a spectacular canyon below the crater rim.
On this scenic hike, which is perfect in the morning when camping, you can enjoy lots of water and wildflowers, and spot some occasional wildlife.
This is unique hike in Crater Lake National Park, just because it’s not about the lake itself. Instead, you get to explore a deep and steep canyon cut into a 200-feet-thick layer of volcanic ash.
- Distance: 1.7 miles (loop)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Between Loops D and E at Mazama Campground
- Highlight: Deep canyon carved in thick layer volcanic ash, wildflowers
Plaikni Falls Trail
The Plaikni Falls Trail is one of my personal favorite Crater Lake hikes. I consider this the park’s greatest hidden gem, a fun walk through an old-growth forest to a stunning waterfall.
The hike to Plaikni Falls is fairly easy; only the very last part toward the falls is a bit steeper. In mid-summer, the verdant area below and around the waterfall is covered with all kinds of wildflowers, which is definitely a nice bonus!
Fun fact: Plaikni Falls does not get its water from Crater Lake above. Instead, the source of this waterfall is snowmelt.
- Distance: 2 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Just over 1 mile down Pinnacles Road from the Phantom Ship Overlook
- Highlight: Beautiful waterfall and summer wildflowers
Watchman Peak Trail
This short climb to a mountaintop at the edge of the rim is one of the most popular hikes at Crater Lake.
Less than a mile up, the moderate ascent is doable for most visitors and the views are absolutely amazing, especially at sunrise and sunset.
Watchman Peak gets its name from a historic fire lookout, which was built in 1932 and is still used by rangers to this day.
The trailhead of this highly recommended Crater Lake hike is at The Watchman Overlook parking lot. For a much longer day hike, you can start at Rim Village and hike to The Watchman via the Discovery Point and Rim Trails (see below).
- Distance: 1.6 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: The Watchman Overlook, about halfway along the West Rim Drive
- Highlight: Panoramic view of Crater Lake with Wizard Island in the foreground
Cleetwood Cove Trail
Even though it’s one of the steepest Crater Lake hiking trails, the Cleetwood Cove Trail is extremely popular for two reasons.
One, it leads down to the boat landing, which is the starting point of boat tours on the lake. And two, it is the park’s only trail that offers legal access to the pristine water of Crater Lake.
On top of that, Cleetwood Cove is also one of two locations in the park where you can fish on Crater Lake. (The other one is the shore of Wizard Island.)
The trail itself is only 1.1 miles long, but it drops 700 feet down to the water’s edge. It’s a pretty steep climb back to the rim. Yet, the possibility to swim in Crater Lake certainly makes the effort worthwhile.
Don’t expect warm water, though! In August, the warmest time of the year at Crater Lake, the surface water temperature is only 59°F (15°C) on average.
- Distance: 2.2 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Trailhead: north side of Crater Lake on the East Rim Drive, almost directly opposite from Rim Village
- Highlight:
Garfield Peak Trail
One of the highest points on the rim of Crater Lake, Garfield Peak offers sensational views of the shimmering blue lake below, as well as the rocky slopes in other directions.
With its elevation change of 1,010 feet and length of 1.7 miles from start to summit, it’s a fairly steep climb.
Going up (and back down the same way), hikers can immerse themselves in the typical landscape of Crater Lake National Park. There are excellent chances of seeing wildlife like pikas and yellow-bellied marmots, while the hillside are blanketed with wildflowers in summer.
The Garfield Peak Trail’s combination of amazing views, accessibility from Rim Village and varied natural features makes this one of the best Crater Lake hikes overall—if not the best.
- Distance: 3.4 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 2 hours
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Trailhead: Sidewalk on the lakeside of Crater Lake Lodge
- Highlight: Phenomenal panoramic views along the way and at the summit
Discovery Point and Rim Trails to Watchman Peak
I did this hike on my most recent visit to Crater Lake National Park and it immediately became one of my favorite day hikes in the entire park system. This is a combination of the Discovery Trail and Rim Trail, as well as the Watchman Peak Trail.
This relatively long Crater Lake day hike starts at the historic Crater Lake Lodge, taking you along the West Rim to the top of Watchman Peak, and back.
It offers all the best things of hiking in Crater Lake National Park, from the historic lodge to unobstructed and up-close lake views and a steep climb to a watchtower. The view of Crater Lake from Watchman Peak is, in my opinion, the best in the park.
- Distance: 7.5 miles (there and back)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
- Trailhead: Rim Village
- Highlight: Up-close lake views and a magnificent panorama from the top of Watchman Peak.
Crater Lake Hiking Trails Map
For a more detailed map of the trails in Crater Lake National Park, I recommend this topographic National Geographic map.
Other Recommended Crater Lake National Park Hiking Trails
- Mount Scott Trail (highest mountain in Crater Lake National Park, 360-degree views)
- Crater Peak Trail (grasslands, forest and volcano summit)
- Wizard Island Summit Trail (top of Wizard Island, volcanic crater and great lake views)
More About Crater Lake National Park
- Park Website
- Travel Guide
- Topographic Map
- Top Things To Do in Crater Lake National Park
- Viewpoints
- Accommodation