Plenty of backcountry solitude
Herald and News
Klamath Falls, Oregon
August 14, 2008
Based on data from the National Park Service, Crater Lake National Park rates 10th among all of the country’s national parks for the lowest ratio of backcountry users.
The September issue of Backpacker magazine says 2007 statistics show Crater Lake has only one backcountry user per 127 acres. Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, not known as a haven for hiking or backpacking, is the park with the most solitude, with one backcountry user per 1,119 acres. In the Western U.S., the only other national park with a better ratio is Great Basin National Park in Nevada, with one user per 184 acres, giving it the sixth best ratio.
Along with Crater Peak, other backcountry hikes in Crater Lake include stretches along the Pacific Crest Trail, which goes north-south through the park, with a spur trail to Union Peak. Other possibilities include Mount Scott, the Annie Creek Canyon loop trail, a trail to Stuart Falls just outside the park in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, and routes from inside and outside the park near Highway 230 to Boundary Springs.
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