Crater Lake, OR - do people swim there?

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SkinnyJoe

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I have yet to see a picture of it with people activity.

Anybody been there? What is it like?

Thanks.
 
It is, beyond a doubt, the most beautiful place I have ever been. We were lucky to get there on a windless clear day and drove the perimeter. We stopped at every one of the scenic turn outs - the view changes at every one. They (at used to) have a tour on the water.
 
My wife and I flew over that on a trip from Sea Tac WA to Burbank CA. It really was a sight to behold. It made me want to visit.
 
Swimming -- going into the lake at all -- is allowed only in one small place. Fishing is strictly restricted. It is one of the deepest fresh-water bodies in the world and the few who have had the chance to go report that its depths are breathtaking; and yet recreational diving is strictly restricted too. There is one boat which is allowed on the lake twice a day for excursion tours and it is a very special boat that makes almost no emissions and very little noise. Camping and hiking in the park are also limited.

Crater Lake is a place of amazing natural beauty and is, thankfully, being kept that way.

The idea of tourists with all of their detritus frolicing in Crater Lake, the thought of people on water skis and kids running around on jet skis on Crater Lake would make any Oregonian vomit.

Crater Lake is truly one of America's greatest treasures. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.







Furthermore, it is a volcanic crater filled most of the way up with water. So, there is no real "beach" to speak of. In most places, the steep slope of the crater just goes right down into the water. This also means that there aren't a lot of "shallow" places where it would be safe for children to play in the water. Why it doesn't fill all the way up is a mystery. It has no surface outlet and rainfall and snow melt runoff exceeds surface evaporation. It may very well have a "drain" at the bottom. Where such a "drain" would drain to is a matter of some spaculation. Also, since the lake receives a great deal of runoff from melting snow each spring and because it is do deep and massive, the water is quite cold.
 
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Sounds like a very mystical place. I imagine the Native Americans held it in high regard. I am glad there are no powerboats running around. Resembles Lake Baikal in some ways.

Thanks for the info. Now I have to visit it. :thumbup::)

Lakes south from it may then be more appropriate for swimming?

Thanks again.
 
Gollnick said:
The idea of tourists with all of their detritus frolicing in Crater Lake, the thought of people on water skis and kids running around on jet skis on Crater Lake would make any Oregonian vomit.
Click to expand...

Kind of like building a McDonalds inside the Louvre. :D
 
I couldn't have said it any better Gollnick.
Not living that far from Crater Lake, I have to admit that sometimes I tend to take for granted all that Oregon has to offer
 
SkinnyJoe, no McDonalds but there are other fast food places in the Louvre. :) People need to eat.

Given it is mostly high mt. snow melt, Crater Lake would be one extremely cold place to swim. Don't think you would last long there without a wetsuit.
 
I wonder what the surface temps average in July and August.

Gaby_swimming.sized.jpg
 
It is 1930-some feet deep and an estimated 4.6 Trillion -- yes, trillion -- gallons of water. A little bit of sunshine on the surface just doesn't do much to the overall temperature.
 
Notice how blue the water is in that picture. It really is that blue.
 
The blue is really striking. I'm guessing it's the depth that gives it the dark blue?


The guy doesn't look too comfortable in that pic. Perhaps even cooler than the waters around Alcatraz island?
 
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