Crater Lake National Park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. You can enter the park anytime without a reservation and pay for a pass at a pay station or the Rim Visitor Center in the historic Kiser Studio in Rim Village. Standard passes are $30 per vehicle or $15 per person with free parking.

While the park is open year-round, multiple roads and trails are closed seasonally due to heavy snowfall. Before you go, we recommend checking the Current Conditions page for any closure announcements.

While a scenic drive may sound like a slow start to the day, Crater Lake’s Rim Drive is breathtaking. This 33-mile scenic road, designed to complement the natural landscape, offers turn after turn of unmatched views. It encircles the park’s namesake, Crater Lake, and includes 30 overlooks to take in the cerulean blue lake from every angle. The road contours were specifically designed to ensure you can enjoy the lake from any viewpoint without seeing cars on the horizon.

Plan to spend two hours driving Rim Road and stopping at overlooks along the way. Since you’ll likely want to take your time at the overlooks, we recommend starting your drive just after sunrise. The lake glistens in the morning light, and the road is quiet early in the day.

As you drive the Rim, you’ll pass the Sun Notch Trailhead and parking area. This is a great spot to stop and enjoy a short hike with spectacular views.

The looping trailhead is located along East Rim Drive, slightly over four miles from the Rim Visitor Center. The hike is just under a mile and starts in a glacial valley. As the trees clear, you’ll have unmatched views of Crater Lake and the Phantom Ship island below.

This hike is considered easy, with a steady and gradual incline. It’s popular year-round, so you’ll likely see other hikers along the way. In the summer, the meadow is a sea of wildflowers and a great place to snap photos. In the winter, this trail is blanketed in snow and perfect for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.

The most popular hike at Crater Lake is the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only access point to the lake's shores. Since this hike is strenuous, with a steep descent and ascent, we recommend starting no later than midday. That way, you can enjoy the lake and hike back up to the trailhead without feeling rushed. If you go midday, this is a gorgeous spot for a lakeside picnic. It’s also a nice way to break up the challenging hike.

To access Cleetwood Cove Trail, drive roughly five miles from the North Junction, where Entrance Road meets West Rim Drive. Access depends on road status and trail conditions, so check for any closures ahead of your trip.

(Due to its popularity, Cleetwood Trail attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and will undergo maintenance beginning in the summer of 2026. It could be closed to the public for as long as three years, so we recommend visiting soon if you’ve wanted to go.)

One of the most popular attractions at Crater Lake is the boat tours. The authorized concessionaire, Explore Crater Lake, offers boat tours that run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. daily. You can book your tour in advance online or up to two hours before the tour at the Mazama Registration Desk, Crater Lake Lodge, or Cleetwood Cove Kiosk. However, tours sell out quickly, and getting to the dock requires some planning, so we highly recommend booking your tour in advance.

The only way to access the dock is via Cleetwood Trail. If you already planned on hiking the trail, the boat tour is a great way to break up the hike and the afternoon before returning to the trailhead.

(Like Cleetwood Trail, boat tours will not be available in 2026 as the trail and dock undergo restoration, so don’t wait to visit.)

One of the park's most popular overlooks, Cloudcap , is the perfect way to close out your day at Crater Lake. Situated at approximately 8,000 feet above sea level, Cloudcap Overlook is the highest accessible point by car in Oregon.

From this vantage, you’ll have expansive views of Crater Lake, the surrounding caldera, and distant mountain peaks. At sunset, the colors reflect on the lake and cast shadows along the crater walls. Watching the light dance across the water and rock formations is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Whether you spend your time hiking, gazing across the caldera, or simply soaking in the peacefulness of the forests, Crater Lake has a way of grounding you in the moment. If you’ve been thinking of visiting, don’t wait to hit the trail at Crater Lake this summer!