We got into Crater Lake and began driving up and up. Crater Lake is actually a caldera. The volcano Mt Mazama may have been over 14,000 feet high at one time, but the volcano was very active and had several side vents. When these side vents opened up, drained the magma (lava) out and the whole top of the mountain collapsed. The resulting caldera filled with rain and snowmelt. Crater lake has no other water source, no streams flow into it and no streams flow out of it, only snowmelt and rain. The water is very deep, very blue, very pure.  And very beautiful.

Original Photo