Crater Lake National Park: Discovery Point Trail (Blog Hike #869)

Trail: Discovery Point Trail
Hike Location: Crater Lake National Park
Geographic Location: Rim Village in Crater Lake, OR (42.91113, -122.14481)
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: July 2021
Overview: An out-and-back along the southwest rim above Crater Lake.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=880920
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at the northwest corner of Rim Village, which is located on the south side of Crater Lake.  Reach Rim Village by driving the park's West Rim Drive 6.6 miles north from the park's south entrance or 14 miles south from the park's north entrance.

The hike: Established in 1902 as America's fifth national park, Crater Lake National Park is old on the national parks time scale but young on the geologic time scale.  Located on the summit of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake has its origin in a violent volcanic eruption that occurred no more than 7700 years ago.  After Mount Mazama erupted, the mountain's summit fell into the mountain's now-empty underground magma chamber.  The caldera formed by the summit's collapse filled with water, creating the lake we see today.

            Because Crater Lake is fed only by rainwater and snowmelt, the lake's 4.9 trillion gallons of water is some of the purest and clearest water in the world.  The lake's level fluctuates slightly based on the season but has remained relatively constant over time: water seeping out through the bedrock is replaced by new rain and snowmelt.  At 1943 feet deep at its deepest point, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States.  Crater Lake had been on my bucket list of hiking destinations for many years, and it did not disappoint when I came here on my long hiking trip for summer 2021.

            183,224 acre Crater Lake National Park protects not only the lake but also surrounding areas of Mount Mazama and other nearby mountains.  Like many mountains in the Cascades, all of these mountains are active volcanos even though they have not erupted for several millennia.  The stark volcanic scenery is very apparent in the park.  Thus, this park anchors the north end of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, which heads south toward Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California.

            I explored the various areas and corners of Crater Lake National Park on the next five hikes, and I decided to start with a frontcountry hike that features the park's main attraction.  The park's celebrated Rim Trail follows Crater Lake's west rim for most of its distance, and it connects Rim Village in the south with the Pacific Crest Trail in the north.  The Rim Trail's southernmost 1.3 miles are called the Discovery Point Trail because they lead to Discovery Point, which is also accessible by car via the park's West Rim Drive.  The out-and-back on the Rim Trail from Rim Village to Discovery Point is the hike described here.

Crater Lake view from Rim Village

            From the Rim Village parking area, walk north to get to the rim and your first magnificent Crater Lake view.  This point stands some 900 feet above the lake.  When I came here on a Monday afternoon, the sun angle was exactly right to give the lake's water a gorgeous deep blue hue.  You also get a good view of the cinder cone that is Wizard Island, which appears on the left side of the lake.

South end of Discovery Point Trail

            After enjoying this view, head left to find the signed start of the Discovery Point Trail.  The wide single-track dirt trail descends moderately with West Rim Drive close on the left.  Just when you think you may never get away from the noisy road, the trail curves right to climb into a pine forest on a fairly steep and somewhat rocky grade.  Nice views of Crater Lake persist to the right, and some interesting rock outcrops on and below the rim come into view as well.

Descending on rocky trail

Discovery Point in the distance

            More undulations need to be negotiated, and although the difference between maximum and minimum elevations on this hike is only about 150 vertical feet, you will go up and down this difference several times.  Just past 1 mile into the hike, you can see Discovery Point ahead as you top a rock outcrop and descend a pair of steep, rocky switchbacks.  You may have to use your hands to climb down these rocks, and this short section is the only tricky part of this hike.

Rocky rim outcrop at Discovery Point

Crater Lake view at Discovery Point

            At 1.3 miles, you come alongside West Rim Drive again as you reach Discovery Point.  Rock outcrops jut out from the rim, and a hawk soared over my head as I admired the Crater Lake views from here.  The Rim Trail continues up the west side of Crater Lake, but there are no ways to form short loops.  Thus, unless you can arrange a car shuttle, you will need to turn around and retrace your steps to Rim Village to complete the hike.