113: Exploring Crater Lake National Park: Best Tips + Activities

Exploring the National Parks

Dirt In My Shoes

Science, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Nature, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8 • 653 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ever looked into the heart of a volcano? In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are going on a journey to Crater Lake National Park, a place where the deepest blue water meets some dramatic volcanic landscapes. We are so excited to explore this park because it has magic, whimsy, and even some romantic elements! Join us as we dive into the details, from navigating seasonal closures to finding the perfect romantic viewpoint. Tune in to hear: Our insider tips for navigating the park's tricky seasonality, including when to hit the rim drives and avoid major closures What you’ll want to know about Crater Lake Lodge and your base camp for exploring this park Why the hemlock trees at Crater Lake are Ash's absolute favorite, and where to find some gorgeous wildflowers Closures to be aware of in 2025 and 2026 The scoop on the best viewpoints, including the Watchman Overlook and the challenging but rewarding Cleetwood Cove Trail Why Phantom Ship is Ash’s favorite part of the park and where to find it The best family-friendly trail where you can spot a stunning waterfall We hope you enjoyed exploring Crater Lake with us! This park will absolutely take your breath away. If you're planning a trip, make sure to head over to DirtInMyShoes.com and check out our Crater Lake page to stay up to date on everything going on in this park. Don’t forget your task for today! There are three main options for hikes in this park, and we want to know which one you are most excited about. Do you want to go on the Castlecrest Trail and see 200 different types of wildflowers in one spot? Do you want to switch back down the cliffs to the lakeshore and actually be able to touch the water and go on a boat tour? Or do you want to hike to the top of a peak? Head over to our Facebook or Instagram page and let us know! For a full summary of this episode, links to things we mentioned, and free resources/deals to get your trip-planning started, check out the full show notes.

Transcript

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0:00.0	But I dare say that a lot of people go to Crater Lake and don't even realize that they're looking at the inside of a volcano.
0:07.4	Yeah. I think that's probably true. Or people at least think that it's an extinct volcano. But it's not. Yeah. It's still, everything's alive and active.
0:17.2	This is the Exploring the National Parks podcast with Dirt in My Shoes.
0:22.1	My name is Ash and I'm a former park ranger and the founder of Dirt in My Shoes.
0:26.3	I think that the parks are best seen from the trail and I'm here to make National Park
0:31.0	Trip Planning easy.
0:32.6	And I'm John.
0:33.5	I carry the kids on the trails.
0:35.4	I tell stories and notice all the things that Ash doesn't care about much, like birds.
0:40.8	Join us as we show you around America's spectacular national parks.
0:45.3	We're sharing our favorite places, fun facts, adventures, and misadventures.
0:49.4	And we'll even throw in a little trip planning.
0:52.2	Let's start exploring.
0:59.2	Yeah. and throw in a little trip planning. Let's start exploring. We are thick in the National Park trip planning season, and man, am I feeling it?
1:05.5	Oh my gosh.
1:06.9	Summer is almost here.
1:08.1	It has picked up a lot.
1:10.1	That is for sure.
1:11.3	Well, and we've gone to some new to us places.
1:13.8	Well, I went to Cumberland Island National Seashore by myself.
1:18.7	And then we went to Congrey National Park, which is a new to us national park.
1:25.1	And coming up, we've got, I think we've talked about this a little bit, but we've got Yellowstone.
	...

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