What a beautiful national park! It is definitely worth the drive from pretty much anywhere. No…read morematter what you are expecting, you will experience so much more. We went today when only a small portion of the rim was open and it was absolutely beautiful. It was a bit 45°F out with strong winds but it was still an amazing experience. We stopped at the Steel Information Center after going through the entrance to the area, then drove up to Rim Village and went to the Rim Visitor Center. There is plenty of parking there and you can follow the path to the rim and get some stunning views of the lake. It was a beautiful day and the water was so clear and blue. I definitely want to come back in July or August when it's a bit warmer and the whole rim is open. If you have a permanent disability you can get a free lifetime national park pass, which is how we got in today. This is a beautiful national park and we need to do everything we can to protect it.

Pro tip: Stay in Bend, OR and pack lots of food and drinks, and drive into the park for a day trip…read more There may still be snow, yes - even in July! We visited the park and stayed at the cabins Jun 19 -20 and they got five inches of snow the night we left. There is not much to do in the park after dark and not really anything to do in the cabins so bring books and cards, because there is no cell service. You can almost drive all the way fully around the whole lake but there are closures happening so you won't be able to go all the way around. Food is very limited and not good, so bring your own! There is NO CELL SERVICE on most of the volcano. However, there is Wifi at the Mazama Store. I was able to sit in my car (once connected inside) and use the wifi for the apps that it would allow over WIFI. It is not a secure network either. You will need to drive to most all of the sites and activities at the park. If the park activities are open for the season, you will probably have about two fulls days worth of activities to do. However, in off season, a day visit is plenty to take in the sites.

I purchased my tickets online and we were scheduled for the 0900 shuttle to Wizard Island. We…read morearrived at 0800 with plenty of time to check in at the top before we descended the Cleetwood Cove trail. This was a breathtaking hike down even with a bit of smoke. Once at the bottom, you check in again and wait for your shuttle to take off. Staff are neutral and not overly friendly. There are restrooms, but they were not the cleanest. It appears the old stone doc took some damage and there are construction fences throughout the area where you wait to board. To get on the boat you show your ticket number and pick any seat you would like. I recommend sitting closest to the captain so that you can get out first. They go over a brief safety announcement before taking off. The boat ride was smooth due to minimal wind and we even went past the "old man of the lake"- a log that floats completely upright and has for ~450 years. Once on Wizard island you were given three hours to explore. There are two hikes- Fumarole bay and the Summit. The Summit is the most popular of the two. I completed both and even enjoyed a little swim in fumarole bay. We were unfortunately called back in early to evacuate the island due to poor air quality from smoke. They explained that they would blow a horn three times in a row for us to hear and that we would need to rush back to the boat... and if we didn't make it in time that they would have to send out a rescue boat later which would be costly. We were in Fumarole Bay at the time the horn was blown and could barely hear it. By the time everyone was back at the boat we were only leaving the island 15 minutes earlier than we were set to originally. It felt like an unnecessarily stressful way to end the day, to just leave 15 minutes earlier. I understand there are protocols they have to follow- but perhaps make something so that people can more easily hear on the farther parts of the island. The ride back was uneventful. On return to Cleetwood cove there were many people at the bottom fishing, sunbathing, and swimming. The hike back out took about 30 minutes and there are plenty of spots to rest along the way.

Really great, but challenging experience (at least as a family of 3 with a 5 year old). Tickets can…read morebe hard to get, but we got lucky checking first thing in the morning and snagged 3 for late morning. The hike down is a bit long and easy to trip if walking fast - beware. The boat trip itself is great - fast and smooth, over the bluest water you will ever see. Hiking to Fumarole Bay involves many loose volcanic rocks - they are sharp, be careful. Views are amazing and unique. And the hike back up - bring plenty of water, it is definitely a slog but with a view that gets better and better. Despite the trials of the hiking involved, this is amazing and 5 stars all the way, a unique experience anywhere in the world.