Crater Lake Lodge - Inside the Park

I would recommend visiting and staying at Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon. I had a top floor room with two beds. And, my window view of the lake at sunrise was spectacular. I had breakfast in the dining room and was surprised by the Creme Brûlée French toast on the menu--what a delight! There are rocking chairs for views of the Lake and at the time of year there was snow. It was the wrong time of year to visit Wizard Island with the ice.

I have been enjoying Crater Lake Lodge for 30 years. My daughter and I stayed at Crater Lake Lodge in July 2021 to hike and enjoy the lodge and meals. I was disappointed to find that our dinner would be $50 each but I expected it to be quite nice as it has been in previous years. NOT!!!! It was the WORST meal of my life!!! Actually, it was “THE MEAL FROM HELL”. The salad was wilted and shriveled so I had to ask for another one from the kitchen. ALL the salads in the cafeteria line were SHRIVELED and the servers didn’t seem to notice or care. The rolls were old, dry and hard. The food in the cafeteria line was from a pre-packaged food” from a box" from the grocery store and the only good thing were the “chicken nuggets”. Are you kidding me? For $50?? For dessert I ordered marionberry cobbler which came with granola sprinkled on top. When I asked where the cobler top was, he said he could sprinkle more granola on top. I’ve had Marionberry Cobler at the lodge several years ago and it was excellent. This was garbage and not eatable. My daughter couldn’t eat her cheese cake that tasted like it came from a cheap packaged freezer container, which I’m sure it did. It certainly wasn’t home made by a chef. She looked at me and said “I can’t eat here again”. We decided we would starve before going back. I was so upset, I couldn’t sleep that night and kept going over in my head the letter I would write. I didn’t feel getting upset at the staff would make a difference since it is an administrative decision. The next day we ate at Annie Creek Restaurant and the quality was the same but not the overpriced “VENDNG MACHINE FOOD” at the lodge. We will returned in 2022 but brought our own food. What a sad state of affairs this has come to. We used to look forward to our dining experience at Crater Lake and bring home happy memories. Solution: Xanterra did an excellent job managing the lodge and the service staff were fabulous and beyond compare. It was a wonderful dining experience and the employees came from all over the world. WHAT A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS this has come to. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE bring back XANTERRA - I didn’t look forward to eating out of a cooler for my fine dining experience, but one thing I know, my food was better.

Crater Lake lodge is the quintessential national park lodge. Nice mix of modern conveniences and mountain charm. The windows open in your rooms to let in the cool crisp air. Beds very comfortable. We had a loft room with views of the lake from the loft bedroom and the mountains out the other side. Dining room was solid. Not fantastic but a definite step above what is typically found at similar establishments. Lobby/lounge area features comfortable chairs, large roaring fire place and a lovely cocktail bar. But - the ‘makes it all worth it’ feature is the porch overlooking the lake! Lined with rocking chairs and with access to the cocktail bar right inside, you could spend hours there admiring the lake and rocking peacefully with likeminded travelers. Nirvana for anyone who enjoys a bit of serenity.

Crater Lake was more than we could have hoped and our room overlooking the lake was just perfect. Yes it is quite dated but that’s not why you are staying here or what you are paying for. It was clean and had everything we needed. The quirky lock on the door was part of it! We loved the lodge and the decor. It felt right. We ate dinner and breakfast in the restaurant and did not feel it was overpriced. The food was also cooked beautifully. All the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. Shoutout to Rowdy in the restaurant who was fantastic. It felt so special to be able to sit out on the balcony with a free coffee and watch the sun rise over the lake. We loved every minute here, only downside was not having more time. Worth every penny to maximise your time if you might only get here once!

Yeah the rooms and meals are way over priced, but the lake. What can I say? This is the second most amazing land form I've ever seen following the Pulpit Rock in Norway. Folks who are so disappointed, get a life and find a new word.

Room was unacceptable. So tiny two people could not turn around. No closets, shelves or clothes storage other than 3 pegs on the wall. Sink outside of bathroom in Bedroom, made hygeine not comfortable. Price was high for this type of room. Food in dining room was good exceopt Pancakes for breakfast could have been used for roofing material. Room was so HOT despite opening window. We checked out EARLY!

This is an historic hotel in a great location with view over Crater Lake. The common spaces like lobby, bar and restaurant, are classy rustic. The rooms have small windows (it's an historic hotel, after all), but they open to the outside. Bed comfortable. Bathroom modern. Staff were pleasant.

We reserved a double without a view. The room was quite comfortable even though pricey….especially when you pay a 10% surcharge for making a reservation!!!! The common areas are comfortable and views from the lodge’s porch are outstanding. We were fortunate to have great weather for our visit, We found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Remember, though, unless you are camping in the part the closest alternative lodging is at least an hour away (one way!!!)….so plan accordingly!!! The only real negative to this lodge is the restaurant. The menu is very limited and boring….not to mention pretty expensive. This, however, is pretty typical of what we find in most national park lodges. The waitstaff worked hard and for the most part was quite friendly.

The lodge is beautiful with stunning views of lake. It is the s absolute number one place to stay and even though expensive--you can have a great experience with a one-night stay. Just get there early the day of check-in. Book and enjoy!