backpacking in crater lake

we have four days in crater lake near the end of july. my husband and i (avid backpackers) will be joined by my dad (never been backpacking before, 52 years old, in very good shape). my dad is very scared of heights - he%26#39;s ok if there%26#39;s something there to break his possible fall (lots of trees, etc.), but he%26#39;s not so good with heights with sheer drops and panoramic views. i%26#39;m not sure if this makes sense:) basically, he can handle the panoramic view heights if he%26#39;s on a broad area, but not if there%26#39;s a sheer drop right off the edge. hmmm... hope that makes sense. anyways, our original plan was to take him to hike the grand canyon, which my husband and i have done before, but this is when i found out about the heights problem.

we would like to have him join us in crater lake, but even with topo maps you can%26#39;t get the information i need.

can anyone recommend an overnight backpacking trip (maybe even two nights) adhering to what i just described? i think he would absolutely love the solitude and peace of backpacking.

how about day hikes?

thanks!

backpacking in crater lake

Been a while since hiking there, so no direct response. However, you will find the NPS very helpful in identifying trails/routes to meet you and your dad%26#39;s needs. Don%26#39;t know if they will do it by email, but you can check out the website which lists trails. Did you try the Green maps?

backpacking in crater lake

When I think of really good oregon backpacking, I think of places a bit north of crater lake, so I dont know how much help I can be on crater lake proper. I don%26#39;t really think of Crater Lake as a big backpacking place, but I dont want to sell the place short-since I haven%26#39;t been backpacking in the Park.

You could try looking at Sky Lakes Wilderness-which is a bit S of Crater Lake or the Pacific Crest Trail? I did a day hike in Sky Lakes, and it was pretty enjoyable hike through the trees, but not alot of views(or heights). I%26#39;ve also hiked on the North Umpqua River Trail-which was really nice, but again not really in Crater Lake NP. How far do you want to hike in your trip? Do you need to have a loop route? I would also suggest to check with the National Park Service at Crater Lake-they might have some good ideas. There are tons of places to go hiking in the area...

I agree with Chinook that there are many beautiful trails outside of the park as well. I%26#39;ve experienced some vertigo at Crater Lake, looking down at the lake from the crater rim so I can relate to your dad! On the other hand the view is so gorgeous that I just suck it up...

A branch of the PCT runs along the Rim Drive, and another runs further west but I don%26#39;t know much about the terrain. There is a good *general* map of the area and trails at: closertonature.com/maps/crater-lake-map.htm

Thanks fiveforfun! that was the map i was looking for -i couldn%26#39;t find it on the crater lake webpage. I%26#39;ve never been to sphagum bog in the nw section of crater lake national park. but i have heard it is really cool if you are in to rare plants-most notiable the carnivorous variety called sundew. It%26#39;s supposed to be beautiful too of course! You can not camp directly at sphagum bog, but it looks like there are other camping sites around.

The bog sounds really cool - thanks for the tip!

Sunshinetraveler, do you have any other questions about the area?

thanks very much everyone. your info is awesome. i think we%26#39;ll probably do some crater lake day hikes and move on to backpack elsewhere. we were looking at visiting further north later anyways.

chinook, where else do you recommend in oregon for backpacking?

thanks so much.

I am not chinook, but we are backpackers. Central Oregon is fantastic for this! Also around Mt. Hood (Timberline Trail is really good), the gorge (Eagle Creek), and just over the border into WA around Mt. Adams. We did one trip over in Eastern OR, but for a short trip out here that might be more driving than you want.

I must confess that I haven%26#39;t really done alot of backpacking-just alot of long dayhikes(12mi) in backpacking areas.

Try Three Sisters Wilderness-in Central Oregon. It is heavily used-because it is just so neat. I%26#39;ve only been up to Green Lakes and then climbed S. Sister in this area, but it is a really beautiful area. If you want less people-would definetly recomend going during the week.

Also try Mt Jefferson Wilderness-I haven%26#39;t been I%26#39;ve heard good things about Marion Lake area %26amp; Scout Lake/Russel Lake area.

There was a fire in 2003 so the Marion Lake area may have some burnt parts-check with the FS if interested in this area.

chinook--Isn%26#39;t the South Sister a great climb?! Jeff Park is a great place to backpack. Lots of small lakes there to enjoy too. Both of these are definitely places to go midweek like you mention.