Crater Lake National Park 2014

If you're going to be in the area anyway, stay at Collier State Park and drive the toad to Crater Lake. Right now it's open to Rim Village - off and on depending on more snow. You can get a great view of Crater Lake from Rim Village. You don't have to drive around the whole lake to see its beauty. Seeing it from Rim Village is much better than not seeing it at all. Collier will most likely be open in May. Have a good trip!

amandasgramma wrote:
......I wouldn't plan camping up there until July.

We visited Crater Lake back in 2009. It was July 9 when we got there and there was still snow along the waterline on the lake and in the woods. We all got out of the car and had a snowball fight........in JULY! The tour boats on the lake had just started operating a few days prior to that.

The earliest that the Park Service is forecasting parts of the rim road to be open is late May/early June. They have the current road status posted here.

Bob & Ann wrote:
Based on the amount of snow this year does anybody have a good feel for when the Rim Roads will open this year. Their site states Late May/ June but wondering if it anyone thinks it might be earlier. We plan to be there around May 7th (passing through)and we are not sure if there will be much to see if the Rim roads are closed.

No, last year we went there end of May and it was closed and deep.

Check out these web cams. Based on the times I've been up there I would bet it will be June before the Rim drive is completely open.
http://www.nps.gov/crla/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

We were there a couple of years ago and only half of the road around the crater was open in early July.

amandasgramma
Thanks for the response. We are mixed with our thoughts. We will be in Crescent City CA viewing the Redwoods. Our plans are to run over to Prospect OR and stay for a night at Crater Lake RV Park and run up to Crater Lake. If we will not get to see very much due to road closures it might be best to stay on the Oregon Cost which is what our plans are to do after we see Crater Lake. Just thinking out loud. Thanks for your help.

We live just south of Bend.....the passes are getting snow still. Right now there's 22" of snow along the road near Crater Lake. As a life long residence of Oregon and many years living near CL......I wouldn't plan camping up there until July. If you want to camp or hotel it south of CL, usually they keep south entrance open. USUALLY......we never know what Mother Nature will do.