Scenic pullout · Crater Lake National Park
A jagged lava dike cuts from the lake to the rim.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Crater Lake Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Crater Lake National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Crater Lake audio tourRecorded for this place
Devil's Backbone Pullout“Up ahead is Devil's Backbone Pullout, where a jagged dark rib of rock runs from the lake to the rim. Lava cooled inside a crack in the mountain, forming the wall geologists call a dike.”
Plays as you drive up to Devil's Backbone Pullout in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Devil's Backbone Pullout is a roadside viewpoint on Rim Drive near North Junction, with a view across the caldera to a narrow, jagged rock dike climbing from Crater Lake to the rim. It's a quick, geology-first stop; if you're choosing only a couple of viewpoints, go for the broader lake panoramas first. For a photo, keep some lake and the whole dark rib in frame so its line reads against the caldera wall.
The dark spine is andesite: lava forced into a crack and cooled in place. Erosion wore away softer rock around it, leaving a wall that reaches from the water to the rim. The pullout also gives you a look at the far side of Wizard Island across the lake.
This is a roadside pullout rather than a hike. Rim Drive closes for winter, so check current park conditions before planning a visit.
Wildlife
16 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
178 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
26 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
33 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
47 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
71 sightingsCascades FrogMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Crater Lake. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateWatchman Peak Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 1.4 mi awayA short climb to a 1930s lookout above Wizard Island
ModerateWizard Island Summit Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA steep volcanic climb to a crater above the lake.
EasyFumarole Bay Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 1.9 mi awayA rocky Wizard Island shore walk to a clear, shallow bay.
ModerateLightning Spring Trail8.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 2 mi awayA spring breaks up the long descent from the rim.
ChallengingSmall PCT Loop24.8 mi · 12 hr · 2 mi awayRim views and remote PCT miles make this a real loop.
ChallengingBald Crater Loop Trail20.3 mi · 11 hr · 2.6 mi awayA 20-mile PCT approach to a rolling loop and fragile wetland.
ModerateRed Cone Trail7.2 mi · 3 hr · 2.6 mi awayA long, exposed walk through burned ground north of Red Cone.
ChallengingRim Trail16.2 mi · 9.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayWizard Island shifts position as you follow the western rim.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayMerriam PointThe north road's first lake reveal, with Wizard Island in view.
Sight · 1 mi awayDiamond Lake OverlookA northward mountain view worth adding to the West Rim drive.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayWatchman OverlookA direct Wizard Island view without the summit climb.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayWatchman Observation StationA steep summit climb with a 360-degree caldera panorama.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayWizard IslandA cinder cone with a crater, rising from the caldera lake.
Picnic area · 1.9 mi awayLightning Spring Picnic AreaWalk up from the picnic area for a Wizard Island view.
Picnic area · 2.3 mi awaySteel Bay Picnic AreaAn easy picnic break above Steel Bay on the north rim.
Scenic pullout · 2.8 mi awayPumice Point OverlookA white pumice cliff adds a geology stop to the rim drive.Parkwolf’s Crater Lake ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
