Waterfalls and Crater Lake OH MY! June 2010

It was family vacation time in my household!! We decided to finally visit Crater Lake in central Oregon. Without much planned for our 2 day journey we found an awesome campsite right on Diamond Lake. After setting up our camp we went in search of crap to do to fill our time. We didn't want to visit Crater Lake day one as we arrived around 1pm and wanted to spend as much time there as possible...it is summer right? After driving around the area for about an hour we stopped by the friendly information center to get ideas of things to see...and see we did!

There are close to 50 waterfalls and hikes near Crater Lake! As you can see from previous posts I LOVE waterfall hikes. To me, hiking in to see something is far better than just hiking just to hike (see Forest Park hike post). As a fat girl I gotta have something to keep me going! Motivation I like it!!

We went to 4 waterfalls on day one. We started with the farthest one away and worked our way back to camp. The first waterfall we saw was Toketee Falls. This hike can be a short 1 mile in and out OR you can hike to the hot springs...which we might do someday in the future. This was a fantastic hike but, fat girls out there if you HATE the StairMaster then you will HATE this hike. It's all stairs! Up and down the entire way. I think we counted almost 800 steps. Besides the stairs this was a beautiful hike into the wilderness with lots to see! We came here on a Wednesday and it was very crowded though! The final stop is a man made viewing platform that caused me Little concern as I am not a big fan of heights. The waterfall was amazing though and made this adventure well worth it!

We then visited Watson Falls a few miles back down the road. This waterfall is amazing as well but, we didn't complete the entire hike up to the viewing area because my fat ass was too tired! From the parking lot you must walk up a hill to get to the trail head. You then must hike up many switchbacks up and up and up and up! A switchback for those who are just starting to hike are areas where the trail loops up and down a hill..basically it cuts back on its self. At one point, we found a little watering hole and dunked our heads and allowed our hiking dog Jefferson to drink some very cold water. That helped us continue our adventure but after the water dried up...so did I! There is many fantastic areas to sit and relax and the trail itself is very well maintained. I think that if you want to see just one waterfall...this is the one to see.

Our third stop was at Punchbowl Falls. If you want an awesome waterfall to see without any freaking hiking...this is the one too see! The waterfall sits in a camping area with a great viewing platform. You can hike more of this area if you want to but like I said before...I need something to hike too for motivation! You can walk down to the punchbowl here and take a dip if you want or just get awesome pics.

Our final stop was to Clearwater Falls, again no hiking necessary here!! And after 2 grueling hikes before in the day I was glad to hear that! Clearwater falls is amazing as well and there are plenty of places to get your feet wet or sit down and relax after a long hot day in nature. We took lots of family pics here and enjoy our time with each other before heading back to camp.

A word to the wise here...if you are going on an adventure like this...please make sure to bring BUG SPRAY!! Don't run out like we did...The mosquito's are KILLER!! My family and I were COVERED with bug bites for the next week! I had those blood sucker injuries from the top of my head (and I was wearing a hat) to the bottom of my feet (I had boots on). My husband even went to the local market and bought candles, spray, and fabric sheets. NOTHING WORKED! These little bastards made our night miserable...we checked into the tent around 9pm, missed the sunset and sat around playing cards and reading. FUN TIMES!

In the morning we packed up camp and headed over to Crater Lake. This ladies is a wonderful place to see!! No hiking necessary if you don't want to but, you can still take in all the views from the Rim trail from your car if you want! Go see this place if you haven't!! When we left Crater Lake around noon we decided we wanted to see one more waterfall...Salt Creek Falls the 2nd longest waterfall in Oregon.

To see Salt Falls its a $5 fee at the parking lot. We walked to the left side of the parking lot to catch the trail head. WOW WOW WOW! This was awesome! If you are tired you can just hang out here and take in the views from the top of the waterfall or if you are more adventurous try the hike down the hill to the punchbowl! This was a wonderful hike down and a bitch to hike up. The trail is very well maintained but, there are some slippery spots to watch out for. We made it all the way down to the end of the trail and my husband attempted to make it down to the punchbowl...which I was not going to do since I did not want to fall and break myself! I would rec commend that if you are in the area complete this hike! There are more places to hike to from the trail head so spend your whole day here...it was amazing!





FINAL THOUGHT
Being a fat girl my whole life adventures like this to me were dumb and freaking boring! I have made a goal to see at least the top ten waterfalls in Oregon before the years end now. I have 3 down so far! If you want something fun to do besides watching a movie or TV...go out and do these hikes! Its pretty much low cost and you can say that you did it! My step-daughter is 13 and she has come with me on 3 of my adventures and she loves the time we get together!