Fumarole Bay Trail – Crater Lake National Park
| Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy Length: .7 mi (1.13 km) Elevation: 6175 – 6201 ft (1882 – 1890 m) |
Trailhead coordinates:
Latitude: N +42° 56.06 or 42.93436 Longitude: W -122° 09.02 or -122.15045 Altitude: 6175 ft (1882 m) |
| Highlight: swimming and fishing | |
REI Trails Project partners with Crater Lake Institute to produce their trails app. Click the map below, get the app – then come back, we offer more.
Trail Description
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Wizard Island and east rim, from The Watchman Peak, looking east, Fumarole Bay is just visible in the foreground, bottom right corner, Photo by Robert Mutch |
Fumarole Bay is located on the southwest section of Wizard Island. This is a rocky trail along the shore of Wizard Island. The trail becomes hard to follow after reaching Fumarole Bay. Be careful on the volcanic rock. The shallow, clear water is good for fishing and swimming. Once at Fumarole Bay, the visitor can look straight up at the west rim to Watchman Peak.
Visitors who want to hike on Wizard Island must first descend to the lakeshore via Cleetwood Cove Trail. This is a steep descent and the most difficult portion of this trek will be at the end of the day when you must ascend the 11% grade to Rim Drive. The trek to Wizard Island is a full day trip.
The buildings on the south shore of Wizard Island house the tour boats during the off-season and serve as home port for the National Park Service research vessel Neuston.
Trailhead location: Wizard Island dock, accessible via boat tour from Cleetwood Cove.
Nature Note: Abundant lichen on the tree trunks is an indication of excellent air quality.
Seasonal Information: Expect the trail to be covered in snow from October to early July, however, conditions vary somewhat from year to year. The “volcano boat cruising” season typically begins late June/early July and ends late September/early October. See volcano boat cruise information.
Flora: Of the six tree species (all conifers), on Wizard Island, the Western Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) predominates on the lower half of the island while the timberline White Bark Pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) has the same predominance at the summit of the cone, where it characteristically encircles the crested rim of the Wizard crater. Within the crater, and especially at its bottom, where soil and moisture conditions are of the most favorable for their growth and maintenance, are to be found some of the more shallow rooted forms, such as grasses, sedges, rushes and Tolmie’s Saxifrage (Saxifraga tolmiei).[The Flora of Wizard Island, Nature Notes From Crater Lake, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1934]
Fumarole Bay Trail Elevation Profile
Related Maps
Digital USGS topographic maps (PDF files) – the following maps are relevant to the Fumarole Bay trail. See more Crater Lake Institute online USGS digital maps.
| Series | Name | Year | Scale | Contour Interval | File Size |
| USGS 7.5′ | Crater Lake West | 1985 | 1:24,000 | 40 ft | usgs-crater-lake-west-7.5 |
| USGS 30′ x 60′ | Crater Lake | 1989 | 1:100,000 | 50 m | usgs-crater-lake-30-minute |
| USGS 30′ x 60′ | Diamond Lake | 1978 | 1:100,000 | 50 m | usgs-diamond-lake-30-minute |
| USGS 1° x 2° | Klamath Falls | 1970 | 1:250,000 | 200 ft | usgs-klamath-falls-1-2 |
| USGS 1° x 2° | Medford | 1976 | 1:250,000 | 200 ft | usgs-medford-1-2 |
| USGS 1° x 2° | Roseburg | 1970 | 1:250,000 | 200 ft | usgs-roseburg-1-2 |
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Wizard Island from the Watchman Peak during stormy weather, Fumarole Bay is in the foreground at the bottom right corner, facing west, Mount Scott in background, Photo by Robert Mutch |
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Please remember to practice “leave no trace outdoor ethics” when you are out on Crater Lake National Park’s trails…and have fun! |
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