As my wife and I drove up to Crater Lake I was listening to some podcasts on the park to help pass the time. One of the notable hikes mentioned was Garfield Peak. Its not the highest point in the park but its up there. Also noteworthy was the fact that the trail starts from the edge of the Crater Lake Lodge. This was perfect for me as my wife and I were fortunate to be staying there. I began to plan out when in our busy itinerary I could sneak away for an hour or two to make the hike. It turned out this would work right upon arrival as my wife was wishing for a nap.
Easily enough I found the trail to be a paved walkway heading east from the lodge to the somewhat obvious peak. You could easy see some of the trail switch backing up to the peak from the patio on the back of the lodge. The paved trail is really park of the crater rim walkways that are a part of the whole Rim Village. When the paving ended there was signage about Garfield Peak making the route impossible to miss.
The trail stayed relatively close to the rim for most of its duration. You weren't walking on the precipice all the time but there were a few spots where a slight bit of exposure either into the crater or off the south side were present. But even in these locations the trail was never less than a couple feet wide. I wouldn't hesitate to take my kids up this trail. It remained easy to follow the entire path to the summit. It was climbing most of the way but never got overly steep. Gaining 1000 feet in 1.7 miles is something I would classify as moderately steep. The views along the way at every vantage where the trail was on the rim were fantastic. My ascent was definitely slowed by numerous stops for pictures.
I would say the views along the route were just as good as the eventual views from the summit. You could see more of the entirety of Crater Lake from east to west from the summit but the peak itself was not on the edge of the rim and so the northern slope of the peak blocked a bit of the immediate view of the lake.
As a whole I can see why this is a favorite hike of many. Both its accessibility to the Rim Village, its reasonable length, and its beautiful views make it very worthwhile for most hikers.
Trip Info:
Garfield Peak Trail
Trailhead Elevation: 7,081 ft.
Garfield Peak Elevation: 8,010 ft.
Distance: 3.41 mi.
Elevation Gain: 1,096 ft.
Start Time: 4:32pm
End Time: 5:36pm
Trip Report:
...insert trip
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| Crater Lake Lodge |
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| Heading down the paved path from the Lodge |
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| Stitched panorama I made from photos on the summit of Garfield |
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| Looking up to the "true" summit of Garfield |
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| A wonderful finish beer at Crater Lake Lodge A Caldera Ashland Amber |
Track:
I have a track and waypoints from the activity all contained in the embedded Google Map. Check it out and use at your own risk.
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