When: August 2009
Why: The only National Park in Oregon, one of the world's most beautiful lakes
We camped here for 3 nights at the Mazama Campground. It's a very large, very crowded place. You don't pick a site when you make a reservation. We ended up at the very far end of the campground and about 1/5 mile from the bathrooms (bad with small children!) If we had been smart, we would have requested a different spot. It was nice to be at the end and have places for the kids to go play, though!
There are showers (pay with quarters) and laundry facilities here (2 washers and 2 dryers). And a store with very expensive food, and a restaurant.
This is why you go, though:
It's really, really beautiful. Nothing like it. So blue!!!There are really 3 levels to view the lake. The first is from the Rim drive. You drive all the way around, stop at pullouts and take pictures. You can stop at the visitor center by the lodge and shop and it's lovely. It will take a couple hours to drive all the way around. You can also drive out to the Pinnacles, which we didn't get a chance to.
The second is from the lake level. Which means you have to hike down to the water. There is only one trail to the water and it's long and steep, but my kids (4, 4, 5 and 7) all did just fine. It ends at Cleetwood Cove, which is where the boat tours leave. We took a boat ride and let me say, it was perhaps the best experience of the whole trip. It's pricey! but worth it.
Bring snacks and water--treats to bribe small hikers on the way back up are a good idea, too. There are restrooms by the boat dock. If you're going on the boat ride, make sure to buy your tickets AT THE TOP. They don't sell them at the bottom! You can swim in the lake, or drink from it--it's very clear and cold and beautiful!! The boat ride is long and narrated and you'll get wet. We were cold the first half because of the wind and spray, but the second half we got nice and warm. You can see snow along the shore, and waterfalls, and you drive around Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship. It's just a whole different thing to see it from the water level. Awesome. 
The 3rd level is from one of the surrounding peaks. There are a few different hikes, but we chose the shortest. It wasn't bad at all. The views were great, you could go in the ranger's fort/fire lookout, and get great views of the mountains around you. We could even see Mt. Shasta!
There is also a Jr Ranger program here that the kids did--booklets again. They also attended a Jr Ranger program at our campground where a ranger led them in different activities and this was a lot of fun. Many parks have these, we just hadn't done one yet. They earned badges and had a good time. There were also ranger programs each night on different topics, with slides, etc. in the amphitheater. We went to one and it was good.
Crater Lake is just amazing. It's a long way from any cities--Klamath Falls is about 45 minutes, so if you go you should plan to stay at the park for at least a night. And save your pennies so you can take a boat tour, it really is worth it!
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