Where are you headed this summer?

No need to leave Oregon while making the deepest memories with your favorite people. One of the planet’s natural jewels is in your own backyard! The deepest, perhaps bluest lake in the United States is in a collapsed volcanic caldera that other people travel from all around the globe to come here and visit: Crater Lake National Park. Those of us in Oregon, especially those of us in the southern part of the state, tend to take this extraordinary natural place for granted since it’s so nearby, but also because it’s in a remote location.

Kids across Southern Oregon, though, grow up riding buses together for class trips to Crater Lake because it’s geographically easy to access from this part of our pretty state. Plus, there’s that cool freebie program for 4th graders that teachers hope kids will utilize while they can, but parents aren’t always aware it exists. (If you’re suddenly wondering what 4th graders have to do with Crater Lake, keep reading.)

This can be the summer you finally get your own family out to Crater Lake to experience this nearby natural wonder for the first time or even to get your now-a-bit-older bunch back again for a fresh take and fresher photos. (A person really has to work hard to snap a bad photograph at Crater Lake.)

Here’s how to go:

Travel planning with kids can be a whole lot easier, safer, and hopefully more affordable with some personally tested and expert-suggested tips for visiting Crater Lake in Summer 2024, updated to work around the welcome renovations that are currently underway.

You must plan ahead for this trip:

Don’t skimp on the planning. As you already know, traveling with children requires extras and is best done with practice and preparation, but this truism is doubled or tripled when headed to remote locations with longer drive times and fewer resources.

The more decisions you make and the better you prepare in advance, the less likely you and yours will feel like you’re roughing it at any point or will overspend the budget.

Visit the links below and reference them frequently before launching out.

Decide lodging plans first:

  • On-site
  • Camping
  • Staying over in Southern Oregon
  • Waiting for the northern entrance to open

It might seem closer “as the crow flies” when staring at maps online, but there’s a long drive time into Crater Lake from just about anyplace else rooted in resources outside of Medford (~90 minutes from the southwest via Hwy 62) or Klamath Falls (~60 minutes from the south via Hwy 97). During the snowy season, which lasts into June or sometimes even July (yes, you read that correctly), all but the southern routes into the park are still closed, which just makes for an extra-long, roundabout drive on two-lane roads for everyone else from anywhere else in our gorgeous state. The drives are spectacular with Oregon’s beauty, yes, but kids don’t tend to appreciate that stuff for as long as we adults can.

Even when the northern entrance is open later in the season, Eugene still has ~3-hrs drive in, ~2.5-hrs drive time from Bend, and ~2-hrs driving in from Roseburg. The northern entrance is not yet open as of this posting, though, so those drive times are still substantially longer right now. You might want to base yourself nearby in the south instead for best results with children. If you’re west of the Cascades, most of your long drive down to the south is on I-5.

Shorten that drive into Crater Lake on the day of your visit, and you’ll have more energy to enjoy what you’re going there to experience together and haul the youngest hikers uphill by piggyback before the day is over.

People in Southern Oregon don’t tend to stay at Crater Lake when we visit the park. We do day trips in and out, or we go camping in the area to see more nature on a more leisurely schedule and for less expense. (For example, Toketee Falls is also in the region and is another fantastic spot for taking children old enough to manage longer hikes.)

If staying on-site:

You may have put off this trip in the past for good reasons. We get it. Driving south is a long haul that eventually means steep passes from any direction, even on the interstate. Your family might not be the sort who enjoys sleeping out under the evergreens with the bugs and the stars. You only have so many days off work. Camping out or driving all the way to the south first may not be your own family’s best option.

You can always consider going directly to Crater Lake to stay over. Just do your research about which route you’ll need to take in and when that opens, which resources your family requires on-site versus what’s currently available, and then understand that even with reasonably comfortable accommodations indoors at the lake, it might not be the kind of luxury you’re accustomed to enjoying for the price you’ll hand over. That might be a happier trade-off for a pair of adaptable adults on an adventure than when bringing kids along and needing more of everything, including activities beyond the magic of Crater Lake itself.

If camping:

Securing reservations at campgrounds in the vicinity of Crater Lake––especially ones with luxurious amenities like running water, restrooms, showers if you’re living large, and anything resembling a convenience store––is done well in advance. That goes for most of Oregon, though, as you’ve likely already encountered if your family members are experienced campers.

You can indeed camp comfortably at the fantastic camping spots in the Crater Lake region––whether by car, tent, or RV––but the good spots do tend to book up to saturation early, especially around the high-traffic summer holidays.

Massive caveat: if your family has never been camping together, I highly recommend you make camping its own trip for a different time and simply focus on what you already do well when overnighting together for your Crater Lake trip. Camping has a learning and comfort curve that demands expense and practice.

If your family are experienced campers, though, camping is your most affordable option and absolutely a very memorable part of any outing for the whole family, especially one involving a trip to Crater Lake. You’ll love some of the campground options in the Crater Lake region; several are family-friendly. Start your research with these:

  • Mazama Campground (in Crater Lake National Park)
  • Lost Creek Campground (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest)
  • Union Creek Campground (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest)
  • Diamond Lake Campground (Umpqua National Forest)
  • Natural Bridge Campground (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest)

Reserve well in advance, be aware of any needed permits, and be sure to have at least one backup option.

If staying over in Southern Oregon:

For those of us who want to pay (but not overpay) to wash off the wilderness at the end of the day and prefer to lean on stronger dietary options than hotdogs or cold cuts, I admit I’m biased. I say the trick to traveling to Crater Lake really well with children, especially in the early part of summer, is to visit like a Southern Oregonian!

The Rogue Valley is less than 5-hrs interstate drive time from Portland (well, once you make it out of Portland traffic). Of course, if you’re driving in from somewhere further away on the east side of the Cascade Range, then you will more likely want to base yourself and the kids in or near Bend if not Klamath Falls or somewhere smaller but closer like Chiloquin.

If you come to Crater Lake’s southwestern hometown neighborhoods for your family’s stayover, there is no shortage of lodging in the Rogue Valley. There are accommodations of every type here because the Rogue Valley is a summer destination spot for many fun and family-friendly reasons besides Crater Lake. Medford and Ashland especially have loads of eateries and a wide variety of fun and educational activities the kids can enjoy during your visit, such as resting up before and after your day-trip jaunt to Crater Lake.

A list of suggested lodging in the Rogue Valley would necessitate another hefty post all on its own, but there’s something for every need, comfort level, and budget. If you choose to stay in Southern Oregon, research online for pricing, availability, and especially ratings to limit any surprises when you arrive. The only surprise I wish for you to have is to discover how popular this part of Oregon is when school’s not in session.

If waiting for the northern entrance to open:

Once the snow has finally cleared at the northern entrance to Crater Lake, drives in from the north are safer, and also somewhat shorter, not southern-towns shorter but still manageable with kids. Then, you do have the option to base yourself out of someplace a little closer to your own home.

Wherever your family stays over, you will want to explore the park with your resources well stocked, have a truly enjoyable time of your Crater Lake experience before using up your last bit of stamina and supplies, and then get your group back to your home-away-from-home base at the end of the fun day for comfortable rest, restocking and refueling before leaving for home. How you plan in advance determines how well you will all be able to really focus on the beauty and mystique of Crater Lake together.

Know what to expect at Crater Lake:

  • an immersive, educational nature experience for everyone in your group
  • walking & hiking on a mix of elevations (bring only sturdy shoes, no sandals)
  • altitude = fatigue earlier (plan to do less by preparing more so you can prioritize)
  • driving + physical exertion = fatigue (drive less the same day, hike less, look more)
  • no cell phone signal (just call it a camera while you’re there)
  • some remaining snow/wind, cooler temps, even into July (bring layers for everyone)
  • simple amenities (clean porta-potty levels of luxury are the baseline, nicer is there also)
  • water conservation (bring more water with you than you expect you may need)
  • limited, pricey options for food (pack plenty of your own as if picnicking all day)
  • inaccessible, restricted areas due to much-needed renovation construction (all but the western portion of Rim Drive will continue to remain closed this summer)
  • limitations on pets (focus on the kids this trip)
  • leave the drone at home (or know the restrictions well, but again, focus on the kids)
  • trolley & boat tours for a fee (see website links below)
  • limitations on where to walk, hike, or ride a bike (teach the kids why we stay on trails)
  • trail-hiker volume on trails (hikers prefer to listen to nature sounds, not voices)
  • no feeding wildlife (in order to love it––and to stay safe––we leave it alone)
  • take back out whatever you bring in

Park entrance fees:

$30 for the family in the car, one day pass.

$55 for the family in the car, more-than-one-day pass, use for up to a year.

$80 for America the Beautiful annual pass to 2,000+ national parks & federal lands. 

Potentially the best option for your family! Check availability, even order, before you go: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/pickup-pass-locations.htm?s=OR&p=1&v=0

For pass discounts, including many free options, visit this link: https://home.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/fees.htm#spci_F99DD1EC-AB98-1C3A-9C733141EDDE0820$

Pro Tip: leave from your home-away-from-home base early and arrive at the park early, closer to 9:30AM, when the Rim Visitor Center opens before the visitor count climbs throughout the day right along with you and yours.

Some safety tips with kids:

When visiting Crater Lake, especially if you have toddlers and preschoolers in your group, be vigilant of the unique and inviting dangers that exist in this very steep and beautifully distracting setting: low walls look different to a toddler who loves to climb than to a parent who seeks a sturdy place to sit. That said, also remember your teen and their hashtag opportunities to prevent any precarious poses. Crater Lake is a safe place to visit if we all follow the guidelines and rules when visiting.

If hiking with kids school-aged on up, consider one of the two most popular, moderately strenuous hikes––Cleetwood Cove Trail down into the caldera to the shoreline or Watchman Peak Trail up to the lookout––but not both. Do one well with a few of the other short trail hikes or sites mixed in, and you will not overtax your group. The views are magnificent from just about everywhere in the park, even on the easiest path, Discovery Point Trail, which follows the caldera rim, so it’s pointless to wear yourselves out trying to cover too much elevation in one day. (I hope it goes without saying that the sturdy shoes you each wear to hike around in won’t be brand new when you put them on at the park. One blister on any foot can spoil the fun for everyone.)

Be sure your transportation is gassed up or charged sufficiently before leaving your home base and heading out to the lake and that you’ve packed the usual mountain-travel recommendations for safety in case of any delays or surprises.

Also, pack bug spray in whatever form you prefer so long as it works. (I once stopped at the Mt.Thielsen viewpoint just north of Crater Lake in late summer and got chased back into my car by a mosquito swarm like something out of a horror movie.) May you have it and not need it.

Oh, and sunscreen. Pack that, too. This is one of those places where you can get a sunburned nose while wearing a coat.

Since cell reception is poor or nonexistent in and near Crater Lake, have a physical map with you of the region, even if it’s a simple printout from the internet. Don’t be the kind of person who ignores this kind of advice when you have kids with you. Here are two from the National Parks website –

of the park itself: https://home.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/images/Crater-Lake-Map-winter-jan-2021-for-11×17-cc-handout-v7-10-105.jpg?maxwidth=1200&maxheight=1200&autorotate=false

and the routes in: https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Now…  the fun stuff! Websites and contact info:

Start reading and talking about Crater Lake early with the kids, invite them to dig into the Junior Ranger Program materials and the educational videos, allow them some input on choices, and there will already be intellectual investment when you arrive.

The main national park site for Crater Lake: https://www.nps.gov/crla

Crater Lake National Park Phone Number: (541) 594-3000, 9-5 daily

Crater Lake National Park Email Contact Form: https://www.nps.gov/crla/contacts.htm

The main site for concessional amenities and accessibility information: www.explorcraterlake.com

Here is the main site for this hospitality services contractor at Crater Lake, ExplorUS (https://www.goexplorus.com), and they only recently took over operations of concessions in April 2024 following previous mismanagement issues by another contractor.

For the kids:

The Junior Ranger Program at Crater Lake: https://www.nps.gov/crla/learn/kidsyouth/junior-ranger.htm

and educational pages:

https://www.nps.gov/rlc/craterlake/classroom-at-crater-lake-home.htm

https://www.nps.gov/rlc/craterlake/educational-videos.htm

https://www.nps.gov/rlc/craterlake/student-study-guide.htm

and…

What’s this about 4th graders at Crater Lake?

Not just at Crater Lake, but at all national parks in the United States, it is great fun to be in the fourth grade! The Every Kid Outdoors program grants 4th graders, or the homeschool equivalent of 10-years old, a free pass to our national parks for themselves and their families in the summer following fourth grade. Do not miss out! 

Check out the details here: https://www.nps.gov/brvb/planyourvisit/annual-4th-grade-pass.htm and here: https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

Be sure to follow the guidelines and print out those passes on paper in advance.

You can do this, Oregon Family:

If you plan well and get your family involved in the fun research early, you won’t needlessly wear yourselves out driving nor exploring more than is happily memorable––and you will each learn a whole lot of amazing things about one of the most unique and cherished features of this gorgeous and interesting state we all share. If you choose to approach the trip like a Southern Oregonian, you might even have some budget and energy remaining afterwards for another day or more to check out some of the other cool things that Southern Oregon kids do for fun in the summertime.

Pro Tip: challenge everyone in your group to take at least one “memory photo” with several of their senses from a special place at Crater Lake that they know they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Bonus points if at least one of those memory photos does not include Wizard Island since you’ll have plenty of photos of that view already. I have three memory photos of my own from Crater Lake that I cherish above all the others and that I still mentally return to often.

When you’re all back home again, your own family will have these meaningful memories you made together in your own home state to return to again and again, and that is even deeper and more beautiful than a Crater Lake photograph.