Crater Lake National Park

The soothing serenity of this place is almost ominous. We entered the park in the middle of the night during a snowfall - something very common in one of the nation's snowiest places (822 inches of snow during 1948-49). After driving through 12 foot high walls of shoveled snow, we eventually made our way to a dead end at the Crater Lake Lodge where we found the park empty and dark except for the warm oasis of the 24-hour bathrooms. From a twilight visit and the blind sense of vastness to the early morning trek through knee-deep snow, the deepest lake in the U.S. (1,949 feet deep and formed after the collapse of the volcanic Mt. Mazama) never failed to amaze. A caldera filled with only direct precipitation, Crater Lake is as blue and clear as it is deep. Except for the formations of Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship, it is a mirror. We only found a few pieces of trash, but it could have all been covered by snow. Read more about this water bowl here: http://www.nps.gov/crla/

Approximate trash/recyclables collected: 5 pieces

Description: corners of plastic candy bar wrappers

Dates visited: March 29-30, 2009