Crater Lake,  Crater Lake National Park,  Aug 16, 2004 - Aug 19, 2004     page 18 / 36

The following morning we drove back to the north side of the lake, to the Cleetwood Trail. We were interested in taking the boat tour around the lake. We had heard that the boat stops at Wizard Island and drops you off, picking you up at a later time that day. Well, by the time we arrived the earliest departure we could get tickets for was at 2:00PM. Stopping at the island is only allowed on earlier boat departures. We bought some tickets anyway, and had some time to spare, so we drove back over to the west side to climb the Watchman.

The Watchman is prominent high point on the western rim, with another working fire lookout on top. The hike is about 1.5 miles round trip and gains about 400 feet, topping out at 8013'. The views from this short hike are outstanding.