It’s important to consider the weather when planning a trip to Crater Lake. Most years the rim is buried beneath several feet of snow from October until June. Hwy 62 and the access road to Rim Village are plowed during winter, but Rim Drive is closed. Average daytime highs reach into the upper 60s°F during summer. In the evenings temperatures cool off quickly, often falling below freezing. Summer is typically dry and sunny, but visitors should come prepared for afternoon thunderstorms and high winds. The first major snowfall usually occurs by mid-October. Crater Lake is magnificent when the rim is covered in snow; the only real problem is there’s just so much of it. In an average winter more than 500 inches of snow falls, making Crater Lake one of the snowiest regions of the Pacific Northwest. Winter temperatures are much less variable than the summer. Average highs are right around freezing and average lows are about 20°F.
