Whether you are parked at a pullout along Rim Drive, hiking a ridge above the caldera, or cruising to Wizard Island aboard a tour boat, your family will be awed by the intensity of the color of Crater Lake. Its remarkably deep and clear water quickly absorbs all colors in the spectrum except blue, and to simply view the lake is thrilling. At 1,932 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest in the world—a fact that especially excites the imaginations of children.
The lake is in a caldera left after a series of volcanic explosions, and the resulting landscape is rugged and varied for hikers. Wildflowers begin to blossom as soon as the snow melts and peak in mid-July. The most dramatic display is along the half-mile Castle Crest Wildflower Trail. Only one trail, the one-mile steep descent to Cleetwood Cove, leads down the caldera's steep sides to the lake. From there, boats depart for a two-hour tour of the lake which include views of the caldera from 800 to 1,800 feet below its rim and a stop at Wizard Island
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