By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-03 19:15:40 | Updated at 2025-04-04 19:39:47
1 day ago
America's deepest lake will soon close to visitors until 2027 for maintenance works, meaning there is only a short window left to enjoy swimming in it.
Crater Lake National Park in Oregon attracts more than 500,000 tourists each year, with the 592-meter-deep lake being the crown jewel of the picturesque location.
Day trippers can enjoy diving from a nearby 11-meter cliff face into the clear blue depths of the waterway, which sits in the blown-out caldera of a once mighty volcano known as Mount Mazama.
Surrounded by the Cascade Mountains, the cool azure surface of the lake is punctuated by two land masses - Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship natural rock pillar - which people can explore.
Home to high numbers of kokanee salmon and rainbow trout, the large lagoon is also the perfect spot for fishermen and boating enthusiasts.
Over the years, millions of people have trodden the winding Cleetwood Cove Trail, a short steep path which provides the only route to the shoreline.
But starting this summer, the trail will be closed for two years for rehabilitation works, the National Park Service has announced.
'This project proposes to rehabilitate the trail and related infrastructure to ensure safe access to the lake, provide needed visitor services, and to protect the environment,' the NPS said in a statement.
Crater Lake in Oregon - America's deepest lake - will soon close to visitors for two years for maintenance works, meaning there's only a short window left to enjoy swimming in it
Crater Lake National Park in south Oregon attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year, with the 592-meter-deep lake being the crown jewel of the picturesque location
Pictured: southern Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, Discovery Point informational poster
The project involves rehabilitating the entire 1.1-mile Cleetwood Cove Trail 'including improvements to trail tread and retaining walls'.
NPS crews will also identify high-risk zones for rockfall and restructure where needed.
The mammoth task also involves removing the deteriorating dock and replacing it with a 'structurally stable marina'.
NPS crews added that the old, tiny toilet block close to the marina will also be replaced with larger, modern restrooms.
The project intends to prevent any accidents at the lake. In 2019 a 28-year-old man from Florida tripped and fell 245 meters into the water.
Tyler Johns, a welder from Bronson, miraculously survived after losing his footing while hiking.
‘We went to Crater Lake to sight-see and I propped down on a snow bank that I thought was soft,’ Johns told DailyMail.com at the time.
‘I kinda jumped into a snowbank thinking it was soft and then I bounced off of it and then started sliding down on my back headfirst down the embankment.
‘I slid for all of 800 feet, spun around and got stopped and had some bumps on my head, laceration on my arm, bruised ribs.’
Johns said he was ‘sore everywhere’ and ‘beat up' while his boots filled up with snow.
He tried to climb back up, but he couldn't make it back to the top because the cliff face became too sheer to scale.
‘I started to climb back up, 150 feet back up, [but I] couldn’t get any farther because there were no trees or nothing to grab onto,' he told DailyMail.com.
After around seven hours, rescuers found Johns and airlifted him to safety.
On occasion, lucky tourists have been able to witness the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, lighting up the lake, such as on May 12, 2024, as shown above
Crater Lake National Park in Oregon attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year, with the 592-meter-deep lake being the crown jewel of the picturesque location
During more peaceful visits to the lake, some lucky tourists have been able to witness the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, lighting up the lake.
The natural phenomenon glowed pink over the waters and surrounding mountains in May, 2024, creating stunning views in a rare occurrence for the area.
'The park is planning on starting construction in 2026,' the NPS said in a statement about the rehabilitation project.
'Due to the extent work to be completed and short construction seasons, trail closures will be required and are expected during the duration of the 2027 and 2028 summer seasons.
'During this time, no boat tours will be provided and the trail will be closed due to construction and rockfall hazards.
'If construction goes as planned, the renovated trail will reopen in summer 2029.'
