Discovery Point Trail

Discovery Point Trail follows the caldera rim from the Discovery Point overlook along the west rim, providing continuous lake views on a relatively gentle path through subalpine forest and open pumice slopes. Discovery Point marks the location where John Wesley Hillman first sighted the lake in June 1853 while prospecting for gold — he named it Deep Blue Lake before the name was later changed to Crater Lake. Interpretive panels at the viewpoint recount the early European exploration of the lake and the Klamath tribal oral history that had preserved knowledge of the lake's existence for millennia before Hillman's arrival.

The rim walk from Discovery Point offers some of the best Wizard Island views in the park, with the cinder cone rising dramatically from the lake surface against the backdrop of the caldera's far wall. The trail passes through subalpine wildflower meadows in late July and early August, with penstemon, paintbrush, and mountain heather coloring the rocky slopes. Clark's nutcrackers — the grey and black jays of high-elevation forests — are abundant along this section, and golden-mantled ground squirrels beg energetically at overlooks. The path continues to Wizard Island Overlook for a longer out-and-back option.