This is a crater lake and its name is Crater Lake as well. 
Why to go there and what to see there? This is a very big lake and is very deep as well. This was formed during the eruption of Mt. Mazama, a big volcano and that eruption covered Oregon with inches of ash. The water that fills the lake is very clear and is in a blue color almost like a copper sulphate solution. The deepest part of the lake is ~2000 feet deep. Ya, and they do have ferry and boat rides on it. There are multiple viewpoints on the rim drive.
Crater Lake
You can see the “Wizard Island” from the “Watchman overlook point”, the closest. Then there is a small cone like thing called “Phantom ship” and it has an overlook point for the same. Then there is a castle like colorful formation called “Pumice Castle”. This place is quite cold even in summer. And the ice goes away very slow. If you prefer to see the crater lake with ice, go sometime in May. The area can get drastic weather changes and there is no cell tower or any sort of signal. So go prepared. We went down to the boat starting point and it is fun getting down till there but it is a really steep hike up.
On the banks of Crater Lake
So how to get there and what else to do nearby. We came down from Seattle and stayed near Roseburg. We came in summer and hence we took the Diamond lake route to the north entrance. It is a nice drive there and diamond lake is also something which you can see. Then on the way back, we took the Umpqua river road and there are a lot of waterfalls. We took all those simple trails that led the waterfalls. We liked the “Clearwater falls”. Some dried up in summer like the Watson falls. The others were either quite a significant trail or a detour from our way back.
Near Roseburg, you have a town called Winston and there is a Wildlife Safari and do not miss it. I loved it so much. Then we took a different way back to Seattle via the coast. So we did the ATV/buggy rides in Florence Sand dunes recreation area. So I guess you know what to do in this place. Crater Lake as such just takes you 1 day but is a must see. Do not miss it. So combine with some of the other places to see and plan your trip.
Phantom Ship
Clearwater Falls
Buggy ride in the Sand dunes
