Discovery Point Trail in Crater Lake National Park

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! I’m virtually bringing you to Oregon this week for a short + easy hike on Discovery Point Trail in Crater Lake National Park!

Since 2020 was kinda the year of no-travel, we decided to disappear into the wilderness to hike through various national/state parks/forests in an effort to stay sane.

This was our first stop on our road trip to the Pacific Northwest! We started driving up here in the evening and ended up getting to Crater Lake National Park at 4am, so we slept in the car until around 6am before we entered the park.

Distance: 4 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 915 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: ~4 hours
Trailhead Address: 42.91089, -122.14595
Parking: Large parking lot available

If you want an easy trail with gorgeous views and lookout points, this is it! The trail starts at about 7050 feet and meanders along the edge of Crater Lake.

Crater Lake National Park is the 5th-oldest national park in the United States (and the only national park in all of Oregon)! The lake itself is a remnant of a destroyed volcano (Mount Mazama). There are lots of lookout points where you can get beautiful views of the lake.

The lake itself is fed by water from rain and snow and it’s the deepest lake there is in the U.S. (It’s also one of the most pristine lakes on this planet!)

Some of the elevation gain is optional (e.g. if you don’t wander up all the lookout points).

You can park by the gift shop (I try to get a stamp and a magnet from every national park I visit!), but please keep in mind that it may get somewhat crowded over the weekends. Try to get there early if you want to secure a parking spot!

• Have you ever been to Crater Lake National Park?
• Any favorite lake hikes?