Roadschooling Crater Lake National Park
Why take a roadschooling trip to Crater Lake National Park with kids? How about because you’ll get to see a sleeping volcano that houses the deepest lake in the United States!
Home educators will love the opportunity to connect this excursion with a lesson on volcanoes, but kids will simply enjoy knowing they get to stand at the rim of one.
We had the opportunity to visit Crater Lake National Park with kids on one of our road trips down to Southern California.
We almost didn’t stop, because of the smoke from all the wildfires ravaging WA, OR, northern CA at that time.
Thankfully we did, because even the haze that was present could not mask the majestic beauty of this geological wonder! (Did you know that instead of being fed by a river, it is fed entirely by rain and snow?!)
The great thing about this amazing location is that you don’t have to commit days to experience its draw. We were able to sneak in a visit to Crater Lake National Park with kids for a few hours, en route from Washington to California.
The best way to experience Crater Lake National Park this way is to drive the rim. In the summer, you can drive your own vehicle/RV or hop on the park’s trolley. The 33-mile rim route takes about 2 hours, with plenty of viewpoints to stop at …
… and wildlife to oogle at.
If you have more time, there are other ways to get intimate with the park:
- Hiking down into the crater (Cleetwood Trail is a 1.1 mile, 700 foot descent/ascent)
- Taking a swim/snorkeling in the lake
- Fishing the lake
- Cruising the lake by boat
- Backcountry camping
We definitely plan to come back here as a destination (instead of a pass-through) so we can spend more time exploring all that Crater Lake National Park offers. But please don’t miss out on this amazing place just because you don’t have a lot of time. Even a couple hours will be worth the stop!
Thanks for reading about our quick roadschool trip to Crater Lake National Park! Have you ever been? Do you have any tips for when we do visit again in the future?
Check out our other roadschool adventures at these national parks:
Three-Day Driving Itinerary Through North Cascades National Park (WA)
A Drive Around Crater Lake National Park (OR)
A Morning at Pinnacles National Park (CA)
Overnight at Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Grand Adventure at Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Exploring Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park (CO)
One-Day Itinerary at Arches National Park (UT)
Wonderfully Wet at Zion National Park (UT)
Outdoor Science Classroom at Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)