NWSFS goes to Crater Lake
Dates: July 8, 9, & 10
Hotel:  Best Western Plus Mill Creek Inn, Salem, OR - Please make your own reservation - I recommend you reserve through Travelocity or like site as it was actually cheaper than reserving through the hotel.
For Transportation RSVP to adonno@aol.com or racitrak@gmail.com no later than June 26, 2011.  Transportation to the lake will be finalized on June 27, so I may not be able to add you after that.

Friday, July 8th  -  Meet at the Best Western in Salem, Oregon.  You don't have to get there Friday night, but be sure to be there before we leave the next morning.  The Best Western provides a free breakfast at the attached (or nearby - not sure) Dennys.

Saturday 8 AM, July 9th – Board transportation for the 4 hour drive to Crater Lake, Oregon
Saturday, Noonish, July 9th – Arrive Crater Lake.  explore the Lake, visit Mazama Village, take the trolly trip.  We should pack water and other drinks, and possibly a picnic lunch(?).  If you are interested in the tours talke to Becky, now.  We will take the 1:30 PM trolly.  NOTE:  Apparently the snow was pretty deep this year.  As of June 20th the full rim drive is not yet open, but they are beginning tours on July 1st.  If they can't get all the way around the rim they will refund a portion of the trolly fare.  You may want to dress warm for around the crater

Saturday sixish PM, July 9th – Board transportation for the 4 hour drive to Salem, Oregon.  We'll be arriving back at the hotel sometime between 10 PM and midnight.

Sunday, Noonish, July 10th – Leave Salem
Sunday 2 PM, July 10th – Meet up at Powell's Book Store in Portland.  Meet up in the coffee shop by 4 PM & decide where to go for Dinner (for those who want to stay), and then return home.  I figure if we leave Portland by 6 PM we should mostly be home by 9 PM.

If you are looking for a ride to Salem or a roommate at the hotel, let me know and I will put out a note to the list.

National Park Service, Crater Lake

Guided Tours

Crater Lake Boat Tours - $28 for adult. Tours are given daily from July to mid-September, weather permitting. Reservations can be made for half the tickets for each boat. (Reserved tickets must be picked up  at the Cleetwood Ticket booth before hiking down.) First-come, first-serve tickets are sold at the Cleetwood Cove Trailhead parking area. (PLEASE NOTE: Boat tour access requires hiking 2.2 miles round trip on a strenuous trail!)  Please check with Xanterra Parks & Resorts for the most current boat tour schedule and reservations. 

Trolley Tours - $25 for adults.  Join a park ranger on a 2-hour tour aboard a historic-styled trolley. Offered daily from July to mid October (weather permitting). Starting at Rim Village a driver will navigate the 33 miles of Rim Drive around Crater Lake including 4 stops. Tickets can be purchased the day of the tour or ahead of time from the Crater Lake Trolley or by calling 1-541-882-1896. 

Did You Know?
Crater Lake was formed when a massive eruption of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago caused the mountain to collapse, leaving a steaming caldera. Centuries of rain and snow filled the caldera creating Crater Lake.

At 1,943 feet deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the ten deepest lakes in the world!