Crater Lake Rim via PCT – Pacific Crest Trail

Distance: 7.5 miles Elevation Gain: 800 ft Difficulty: Moderate Type: Out-and-Back Surface: Natural Activity: Hiking Best Season: July-October Typical Time: 4-6 hours Fee: $35 Crater Lake NPS entrance fee (7-day pass) Dogs: False Permit: False

The PCT through Crater Lake National Park travels along the western rim of the caldera, offering one of the most visually stunning walking corridors on the entire trail. The route from Mazama Village to Rim Village traverses through Pumice Flat and along the caldera rim, with the 1943-foot-deep Crater Lake visible for much of the route -- the deepest lake in the United States and renowned for an extraordinary deep blue color produced by its exceptional clarity and depth.

Crater Lake formed approximately 7700 years ago when Mount Mazama, a Cascade Range stratovolcano, collapsed following a catastrophic eruption. Wizard Island, a cinder cone rising 760 feet above the water surface, is visible from multiple points along the rim. The PCT skirts the western rim rather than following Rim Drive, providing a more intimate and less trafficked perspective than the road.

Rim Village has a visitor center, cafeteria, and the historic Crater Lake Lodge, built in 1915 and renovated in 1995, perched at the crater rim. The PCT does not circumnavigate the entire lake; the eastern rim is accessed via Rim Drive only. Dogs are not permitted on trails within the national park. Snow can persist along the rim into July. The park entrance fee covers the entire 7-day visit. Water is available at Mazama Village and Rim Village but not along the trail segment itself.