We left Bend around 8:00am and headed south on Highway 97. The route was predominantly pine forest interspersed with patches of volcanic rock (lavaland forest is located in the vicinity). We passed through two national forests (La Pine and Winema) before we reached the junction where we turned on to Highway 138 and headed west towards the north entrance to Crater Lake. There was a lot of haze in the air and a roadside sign alerted motorists that a 'naturally caused' fire was burning in the forest.
We turned into the entrance of Crater Lake National Park and rode in to the junction where the road bisected into the east rim and west rim routes.
Crater Lake is 5 miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2000 feet high. The lake rests in the remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself forming Wizard Island and other volcanic features. The water is an intense blue. At 1,943 feet deep it is the deepest lake in the USA and one of the deepest in the world.
We stopped at the lookouts along the way to take photos and admire the view. The haze from the forest fire affected the view somewhat, but it was still very spectacular. We stopped for a coffee at the Rim Village and then exited the park at the southern entrance. We rode down Highway 62 and connected again with Highway 97 for the ride to our stop for the day, Klamath Falls.
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