Trail
: Crater Lake Rim TrailTrail Rating : Great, Some rocks but mostly dirt trail
Description : The trail runs from G Peak around the west side of the crater to the north entrance of the park. The first mile from the peak is a mix of paved sections and dirt. The paved sections are mostly along the front of the lodge to the south entrance road. From there to the north entrance the trail is dirt. The trail has snow on sections of it until mid-July, so plan accordingly. Running on the trail will give you views of the lake that you can not get from the rim road. There are additional trails in the area, including a link to the Pacific Crest Trail on both the north and south from the rim trail. This would be a great ultra site if the trail went all around the rim. It still has potential with sections of the PCT to get a 50km or 50 mi run.
Length : 11 mile each way.
Footing : The footing is good the whole way. The paved section has some cracked and broken areas.
Terrain Profile : The trail follows a rolling profile. There area couple of climbs starting about 3 miles out on the trail. Generally the trail is rolling with no difficult long climbs.
Water Availability : Carry it.
Access : Multiple parking areas and access at various points on the trail. As the trail runs parallel to the rim drive, most of the overlooks have access to the trail. There is a large parking area at the lodge.
Other Users : Hikers.
Nearest City : Klamath Falls, OR(55 mi) , Bend, OR (100 mi)
Driving Directions : From Klamath Falls : take RT 97 north to Rt 62 west to the south entrance to the park. Follow the road to the carter rim. From Bend : Take Rt 97 south to Rt 135 west to the Park entrance. You will see the trail marker for the rim trail on the left just before you get to the park entrance on Rt 135. The south end of the trail is 11 miles down on the west rim road.
Latitude : 42.91 N Degrees
Longitude :135.08 W Degrees
Altitude : 8018 ft