Avoiding the Crowds
It's hard to avoid crowds here. Given the area's harsh winters, most visitors come during the relatively short "summer" season between late June and the end of September. However, since many day visitors drive from cities some distance from the park, the Rim Road is not crowded early in the morning. Circle the lake before 10am and you can easily pick your view point. The best advice is to stay longer than the single day that 90% of the visitors allot to the park. Once you've seen and appreciated the lake (take the lake cruise early before the crowds form), go off and hike some of the less-trampled paths. Several of the longer trails will lead you to fabulous and relatively uninhabited view points. Especially recommended are the Dutton Creek, Garfield Peak, and Mount Scott trails.
Seasons
At Crater Lake there are basically two seasons. The main tourist season lasts from mid-June, when most of the park's facilities open, through September. The busiest months are July and August. Summer temperatures in southern Oregon can get pretty scorching in the lower elevations, sometimes hovering near the 100°F mark. The upper elevations (including most of the park) remain slightly cooler, but even the lake's rim can get pretty hot and dusty in summer.
In the winter, snowfall up to 44 feet deep buries the park, making it virtually impassable to everyone save skiers and snowshoers. Roads along the lake rim are left unplowed and are open to the non-car travelers exclusively. The winter season generally includes fall and spring, stretching from late October to mid-June or even early July.
