CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK – Starting next summer, there will be no swimming or boat tours at the world famous Crater Lake for three years.
Crater Lake National Park officials announced that they are closing the 1.1 mile Cleetwood Cove Trail for rehabilitation. It’s the only trail down to the lakeshore in the Oregon park, making it the most popular trail by far. That means there’s no access to the water or to the boats.
The full trail will be fixed, including rockfall mitigation, along with the installation of a marina to replace a failed bulkhead/dock. And they’re replacing the “outdated and undersized composting toilets” which just can’t keep up with the crowds.
Construction is expected to start in early summer 2026, according to the National Park Service, which means there might be a window of time when you can still access the lake, but don’t count on it!
Work will also require the closure of the area for the summers of 2027 and 2028. That’s because the construction season is so short at Crater Lake, which accumulates quite a bit of snow around the lake rim during the winter.
“If construction goes as planned, the renovated trail will reopen in summer 2029,” says the NPS.
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