What goes down, must come up. Maybe not the normal way to say it, but it’s definitely an accurate statement in the realm of hiking when it comes to out and back trails.
Fortunately this one didn’t have the same elevation change as the Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail (1,650ft) that we had hiked in Hawaii, but the uphill part for the Cleetwood Cove Trail was on the way back.
All 620 feet, for one mile of the trail, uphill. Starting at an elevation more than one mile above sea level. On the way back…
The Trail
Located on the north side of Crater Lake, we found the trailhead across the street from the parking area (see below for more info on parking). As there are a lot of people brave enough to experience the trail, pedestrian traffic crossing the road can be quite busy. Even when we went in the offseason, there were at least a dozen cars and several dozen people hiking the trail.
There’s a nice lookout at the top where the trailhead is located.
From there it’s almost all downhill. The trail itself is mostly packed gravel and very solid, so there’s no real concern of twisting an ankle on rocks like you would on a trail more similar to West Rim Trail in Pennsylvania.
Plenty of signage keeps the hiker well informed.
There are plenty of places to rest along the way and they have some really great views!
At the very end of the trail there’s a rise up to a rock outcropping. People were taking advantage of a wonderful spot for a photo opp.
There was a couple who were jumping off the rock outcropping and swimming back to the shore. Keep in mind, the “shore” is mostly rocks as there’s no sand there.
Seeing the lake at water level adds a different perspective.
On the way back up, we stopped to look at how the sun was starting to set against the lake at one of the switchbacks.
Other Features
This is the only place around the rim of Crater Lake with access to the lake itself.
Near the bottom there’s a spot where they store the boat during the offseason that’s used for the tours to Wizard Island.
The tours are only available during the summer season and are an extra charge. If you decided to take the tour, the boat drops everyone off on the south side of Wizard Island for a few hours. From there, you can walk around the island and up to the top. Even though it’s a small island, the walk to the peak is almost a 2.5 mile round trip.
You can also fish at the bottom.
Practical Stuff
There’s a huge parking area at the top that can probably accommodate well over a 100 vehicles with plenty of handicapped parking. There is a restroom on both ends of the parking area. Surprisingly (or maybe not?) there are restrooms at the top and the bottom of the trail.
Sorry, but no dogs are allowed on this trail at all. The problem is that dogs tend to go after the wildlife and stones can be dislodged and fall on those below. If we had to guess, we’d surmise this has actually happened at some point in the past.
While they have handicapped parking, given the slopes it would be really difficult to traverse with a wheel chair. Even without a wheel chair, the trail could be quite challenging as well. Especially for those who have trouble breathing issues or knee injuries.
As mentioned earlier, there’s a street crossing involved to get to the trail from where you park. Not much to worry though, it’s well signed and most vehicle drivers are observant and courteous.