Crater Lake

Crater Lake National Park is located in southern Oregon about 100 miles from the Pacific Coast. The Lake is widely known for its intense blue color and spectacular views. There is a 33 mile road that circles the rim of the crater with some of the most beautiful views you will ever see. Crater lake was formed when Mount Mazama erupted about 7700 years ago. There are two islands in the crater. The biggest one is Wizard Island which reaches a height of 764 feet above the water level and the other one is the Phantom Ship which is a much smaller island that has a caldera wall with spikes sticking out of the water making it look like a ship. It seems to disappear and reappear depending on the light and shadow on the lake resulting in the name Phantom Ship. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world with a maximum depth of 1,932 feet. It is also the clearest measured body of water in the world. A clarity test was made by lowering a disk until it could no longer be seen and it reached a depth of 142 feet before it disappeared.