Crater Lake National Park
Location: Southwestern Oregon. Area: 249 square miles. Season: July 1 to September 30. Address of Supervisor: Crater Lake, Oregon, during season, and Medford, Oregon, during the remainder of the year.
Railroad Connections
Crater Lake National Park may be reached from Medford, Oregon, on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad between Portland and San Francisco, or from Kirk, Oregon, on a branch line of the Southern Pacific that leaves the main line at Weed, California. Crater Lake is 80 miles from Medford and 30 miles from Kirk. During the season passengers holding through tickets over the Southern Pacific Railroad between Portland and San Francisco may stop over at Medford and resume journey at this point; southbound passengers may stop over at Medford, cross the Park, and resume journey at Kirk; northbound passengers may take branch line from Weed to Kirk, cross the Park, and resume journey at Medford. Passengers desiring to make the circuit trip should notify the conductor and see that their tickets are properly endorsed.
From Kirk and Medford a tri-weekly automobile service to the Park is given by the Crater Lake Company. Passengers stopping off on through tickets must pay for their transportation to Crater Lake in accordance with the following tariff:—
| Medford to Crater Lake and return | $16.50 | |
| One way (either direction) | 9.00 | |
| Kirk to Crater Lake and return | 6.00 | |
| One way (either direction) | 3.50 | |
| Medford to Crater Lake, thence to Kirk, or vice versa | 11.25 | |
Automobiles leave the Hotels Medford and Nash, Medford, at 9 A.M. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; stop for lunch at Prospect, and reach Crater Lake in time for 6 o’clock dinner. Returning, leave Crater Lake at 9 A.M. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, reaching Medford in time to connect with the outgoing evening trains.
Automobiles leave Crater Lake for Kirk at 10 A.M. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, connecting with the local Southern Pacific train from Klamath Falls. Returning, leave Kirk at 1 P.M. the same day, and reach Crater Lake in about 2 hours.
The round-trip fare between San Francisco and Crater Lake via Kirk is $33.50, including both rail and automobile stage transportation.
Automobile Routes
Motorists southbound from Portland will traverse the Pacific Highway through Oregon City, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Roseburg, and Grant’s Pass to Medford, a distance of 312 miles. From Medford the distance to Crater Lake is 80 miles. Instead of returning to Medford, the tourist may reach the Pacific Highway by way of Klamath Falls, a distance of 116 miles. From this point the Pacific Highway is again followed to San Francisco, passing through Hornbrook, Yreka, Montague, Dunsmuir, Delta, Redding, Chico, Gridley, Marysville, Sacramento, and Stockton; distance 485 miles.
All motorists entering the Park must pay $2.00 for a round-trip permit for each automobile, or $3.00 for a season permit; motor-cyclists must pay $1.00 per machine for a season permit. The speed limits range from 10 to 20 miles an hour.
Trips
There are no regular tours in this Park; the favorite trips being tramps along the rim and to the water’s edge or launch and row-boat excursions on the lake. There are a number of other points that are well worth visiting, the most important of which are listed below:—
Distance from Anna Spring Camp (elevation 6,016 feet) to principal points in Park
| Name | Distance and direction from Anna Spring Camp (miles) | Elevation above sea-level (feet) | Best means of reaching | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crater Lake | 5 N.E | 6177 | Auto or wagon | Beautiful scenery; good fishing |
| Wizard Island | 7 N.E | 6940 | Auto and boat | Extinct volcano; crater in summit |
| Phantom Ship | 8 N.E | 6339 | Auto and boat | Columns of rock 162 feet high, resembling ship |
| Pinnacles | 15 E | ... | Auto or wagon | Many pinnacles; fine scenery; good camping |
| Anna Creek Cañon | 0 to 8 S.E | 5000 to 6116 | Auto or wagon | 500 feet wide, 500 feet deep; creek in bottom; good scenery |
| Anna Creek Falls | 6 S.E | 5480 | Auto or wagon | Waterfall, 60 feet; good scenery |
| Garden of the Gods | 1½ S.E | 6000 | Auto or wagon | Waterfall, meadows; creek in bottom; good scenery |
| Union Peak | 5 S.W | 7698 | Horseback | Fine peak; good scenery |
| Victor Rock | 5 N | 7200 | Auto or wagon | One of the best view-points of lake |
| Watchman Peak | 9 N | 8025 | Wagon or horseback | Fine scenery |
| Glacier Peak | 10 N | 8156 | Wagon or horseback | Fine scenery |
| Garfield Peak | 6 N.E | 8060 | Auto and on foot | Fine scenery |
| Scott Peak | 12 N.E | 8938 | Horseback | Highest peak in Park |
| Dewey Falls | 1½ E | 6000 | Auto road | Beautiful falls and magnificent cañon of solid rock |
The rates for the transportation that is available are given below:—
| Automobile fare between Anna Spring Camp and Crater Lake Lodge:— | |
| One way | $.50 |
| Round trip | 1.00 |
| Automobile transportation, 10 cents per mile within the Park. | |
| Saddle-horses, pack-animals, and burros, per hour | .50 |
| Saddle-horses, pack-animals, and burros, per day | 5.00 |
| Launch trip, Wizard Island and return, per person | 1.00 |
| Launch trip around Wizard Island and Phantom Ship and return (about 15 miles), per person | 2.50 |
| Launch trip around the lake | 3.50 |
| Rowboats, per hour | .50 |
| Rowboats, per day | 2.50 |
| Rowboat, with boat-puller, per hour | 1.00 |
| Rowboat, with detachable motor, per hour | 1.00 |
| Rowboat, with detachable motor, per day | 5.00 |
Hotel and Camp
A hotel (Crater Lake Lodge) on the rim of the lake and a camp (Anna Spring) five miles below the rim are operated by the Crater Lake Company.
Hotel and Camp Charges
| Crater Lake Lodge:— | ||
| Board and lodging, each person, per day (lodging in tents) | $3.00 | |
| Board and lodging, each person, per week (lodging in tents) | 17.50 | |
| Board and lodging, each person, per day (hotel) | $3.50 and 4.00 | |
| Board and lodging, each person, per week (hotel) | 20.00 and 22.50 | |
| Baths (extra) | .50 | |
| Fires in rooms (extra) | .25 | |
| Single meals | 1.00 | |
| Anna Spring Tent Camp:— | ||
| Board and lodging, each person, per day | 2.50 | |
| Board and lodging, each person, per week Meals: Breakfast or lunch, 50 cents; dinner, 75 cents. | $15.00 | |
| Fires in tents (extra) Children under 12 years, half rates at lodge or camp. | .25 | |
Clothing and Equipment
If the tourist is going to spend all his time on the rim of the lake, ordinary outing clothing with light-weight woolen underwear will be sufficient. If much climbing and tramping is to be done, heavy shoes with hobnails should be worn. Women should wear short skirts, bloomers, or riding-breeches.
If the tourist expects to camp in the Park, he should obtain pack-horses, guides, and equipment at Medford. Provisions and general supplies of all kinds may be obtained at the general store at Anna Spring Camp and the branch store at Crater Lake Lodge.
Fishing
Originally the lake contained no fish, but it has been stocked with rainbow trout and is now one of the best fishing places on the West Coast. The best fishing is by fly-casting from the shore. Flies used are the Jock Scott, black gnat, yellow-bodied cow dung, professor, queen of waters, royal coachman, brown hackle, and gray hackle. No fishing license is required in this Park. All fish less than 8 inches in length must be returned to water.