Oregon, United States
When one of the tribe felt called upon to become a teacher and healer, he spent several weeks on the shore of the lake in fasting, in communion with the dead, and in prayer.
—A.G. Walling (writing in 1884 about Crater Lake), nineteenth-century American historian
When southern Oregon’s volcanic Mount Mazama erupted 7,700 years ago, the mountain collapsed, creating a caldera that heavy precipitation would fill to form Crater Lake, at 1,943 feet the deepest lake completely in the United States. Located in a wilderness preserve protected by the National Park Service, Crater Lake has been a gii-was (most sacred place) to Native Americans for more than thirteen thousand years. Klamath, Modoc, Yahooskin, Cow Creek Umpquas, and other tribes traveled to the lake for vision quests. Many believed that swimming in the water or sleeping next to the lake with its volcanic Wizard Island would endow them with shamanic powers.
If you need to heal yourself in a peaceful and mystical natural sanctuary, visit Crater Lake—119 miles from Bend (north entrance) and 77 miles from Medford (west entrance). Though open year-round, the North Entrance Road and Rim Drive are closed mid-October through mid-June, when many trails and facilities are also closed due to heavy snowfall.
Motor around the 33-mile Rim Drive, take a guided boat tour, or bike or walk along the lake. Feel the tension leave your body, mind, and spirit.
This most-sacred lake remained a secret of the Klamath Indians until it was discovered by gold prospectors in 1853.