Diamond Lake to Crater Rim Drive

This 28-mile backcountry connection links Diamond Lake Recreation Area to Crater Lake National Park’s rim drive via old logging roads and volcanic pumice flats. The route cuts through the Pumice Desert, a lunar landscape created by Mount Mazama’s eruption 7,700 years ago, where nothing but scattered whitebark pine grows in the gray volcanic soil. You’ll climb through recovering clearcuts and old-growth Shasta fir stands before emerging at the rim drive near the Watchman Overlook, with Crater Lake’s impossibly blue caldera spreading below.

Easy to moderate difficulty on mostly well-maintained gravel roads, though some sections get rutted and rocky after spring snowmelt. Any high-clearance vehicle can handle it, but 4WD helps in muddy conditions. Open July through October depending on snow levels — check with Crater Lake National Park for current conditions. A valid park pass is required once you reach the rim drive. Dispersed camping is allowed in Winema National Forest sections, and there are established campgrounds at both Diamond Lake and Mazama Village. Fuel up beforehand and carry water, especially in late season when forest service taps may be shut off.