crater lake - volcano boat tours

A boat tour of Crater Lake provides a wonderful and completely different perspective of the lake and all of the geological features around the rim and within the lake. Three basic tours are offered; the standard lake tour which last about two hours and cruises throughout the lake but makes no stops; a half-day Wizard Island drop-off (3hr) with or without a full lake tour; or a full day Wizard Island drop-off (6hr) with or without a partial lake tour. While same day and next day tickets are available 24 hours in advance from kiosks in the Crater Lake Lodge and the Annie Creek Gift Shop, tickets are limited, especially for the Wizard Island options, so to avoid disappointment, reserve tickets well in advance of your visit (search “volcano boat cruises - crater lake lodges”). If your visit to Crater Lake is only a day or so, the most practical option is the two hour standard lake tour as the other options will not leave you with much if any time to enjoy the park’s other features. Even in the case of the standard lake tour, the whole adventure will take much longer than two hours as one needs to drive 10.7 miles (17.2k) from Rim Village to the Cleatwood Cove trailhead, find a parking spot, check-in at the rim level, hike down 1.1 mile (1.8k) trail to the boat dock, check-in again, take the 2 hour tour and then climb back out; however, this was the tour we chose and it was well worth every minute. As worthwhile as these tours are, keep in mind that one must be prepared for a strenuous 1.1 mile (1.8k) long, 700 foot (213m) high climb back to the rim. At an average elevation of about 6500 feet (1980m), the difficulty should not be under estimated and every year a few overestimate their ability and need rescued.

If you go to Crater Lake I highly recommend the boat tour. We did the basic tour around the lake that did not include a visit to Wizard Island - are going past the island we were glad we picked that option as there did not seem to be that much to see on the island. The lake itself is stunning, and before the boat tour we also had the chance to jump into the lake - very cold, but well worth it. The hike going down was easy enough, but it is pretty steep on the way back up. Bring a bottle of water and good walking shoes. This is the only trail that takes you down to the lake.

I HIGHLY recommend that you reserve on of the Crater Lake Boat Tours. There are a number of options that vary in length and purpose. The standard boat tour (2 hours) circles the lake with close up views from the lake of the best sites (Wizard Island and Phantom Ship). Your other option is to visit Wizard Island, either for 3-6 hours on the island, matched with or without a full or partial lake tour. We experienced the full lake tour with a 3 hour visit to Wizard Island. You have 3 hours to explore and hike the island on your own.The narrated tour, the up and close views on the lake, and the time exploring the island added so much more than the rim drive. I am confident in stating you would be missing the whole Crater Lake experience by skipping the boat tour.NOTE: the 1.1 mile hike down to the Cleetwood Cove dock is not too difficult going down but is pretty strenuous coming back up to the rim. The boat tour company cautions and highlights this hiking in their website. ALSO, reservations fill up fast so book far in advance of your visit.