Ranger Guided Snowshoe Hike at Crater Lake

Participants find the ranger guided snowshoe hikes at Crater Lake to be a moderate to strenuous activity. At an elevation of 7,100 feet, the two hour walk covers 1-2 miles of hilly off-trail terrain with time spent listening to talks about winter ecology.

No snowshoes, no experience, no problem! The park service provides loner snowshoes to participants at no charge and welcomes first-timers. For better stability, I recommend bringing along trekking poles with attached snow baskets that prevent the tips from sinking into powder. Those who have snowshoes, you are welcome to use your own equipment.

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES: (please read carefully)

In compliance with Oregon's snow zone requirements, even a vehicle that is AWD or 4WD, the park service will turn away those at the entrance who don’t have tire chains or equipped with snow tires. When road conditions are poor, even vehicles with snow tires would also be required to have chains. The carpool will be organized with this in mind.

The park service sets a group size cap for this hike. If you sign up and later are unable to attend, please change your RSVP. At the bottom on the event page there is a bar with a place where an individual member can change their RSVP. In doing so, this courtesy changes the status of those who are on the wait list. Those who are on the wait list, the same courtesy apply to those who signed up after you.

The snowshoe tour with loner snowshoes is free, but there is a $20 fee to enter the park. If we caravan with four per car the fee would only be $5 per person, plus ride-share dollars for the driver. Perhaps we can organize the carpool around those who possess the coveted lifetime parks senior pass.

Kids must be at least 8 years old. For safety reasons, the park service doesn’t allow kids or infants to be carried by adults. Pets are not allowed on the hike.

Crater Lake can be a very cold place, especially when there is a wind chill factor. Bring a warm hat, gloves or mittens, warm layers (no cotton), a windproof or waterproof jacket, and sturdy boots with warm socks. On sunny days, sunglasses and sunblock are recommended because the snow surface can be bright and blinding.

Pack water and snacks.

Members from Klamath Falls, rendezvous at the top floor of the Rim Village Café by 12:30 pm.

The walk starts at 1:00 pm. I’m hoping our arrival at Crater Lake will provide us time for lunch. Food and beverage are available for purchase at the Rim Village Café. Also, you are welcome to bring your own food to eat in the Café. The top floor of the Café has tables and chairs for large groups to eat together. This will be the place where we will rendezvous prior to our snowshoe hike. If the road to Rim Village is closed, the walk will explore the forests and meadows near Park Headquarters. In this case Rim Village Café won’t be available and members would need to bring a sack lunch. Closer to the date, I will post a weather forecast link and update on road conditions. Hopefully we will be blessed with a nice day.
WEATHER LINK:
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.9116&lon=-122.1483