Crater Peak – Ashland Hiking Group

Beautiful clear day with temperatures climbing from the 30s into the 50s.

The drive from Ashland was 1:55 via Ft. Klamath. One car from Ashland and one from Medford arrived a bit before 10:00. We thought that there was possibly another car from Medford but when they hadn’t arrived by 10:05 we started off. The third group arrived minutes later and waited a bit at the trailhead because they didn’t recognize either of the two earlier arriving cars. It all turned out OK though, when the two groups met walking on the Crater Peak rim; one group went clockwise while the other one went counterclockwise and we eventually ran into each other.

The crater at the summit is a bit underwhelming at less than 1,000′ across. However, the real payoff on this hike is the spectacular view of the Klamath basin from the summit. However, we were only able to enjoy a 1/2 Annie lunch there lazing in the sun looking south towards Klamath Falls before Hank started moving us along again.

The later arriving group planned to summit Garfield Peak after completing the Crater Peak hike. The two earlier arriving cars thought that this was crazy talk and retired to the terrace of the Crater Lake Lodge for refreshment.

Ashland Hiking Home

Hike Leader: Hank

Photos By: Dan, Ron