Picnic area · Crater Lake National Park
A shaded picnic break with a creek that can roar after snowmelt.
Overview
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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
Goodbye Picnic Area and Its Bridge“You’re nearing Goodbye Picnic Area on Munson Valley Road, a shaded place to eat something you’ve brought. The tables sit in two sections beside a deep creek canyon.”
Plays as you drive up to Goodbye Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
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Guide
Goodbye Picnic Area is a small roadside picnic stop in two sections on the west side of Munson Valley Road, between Annie Spring Entrance Station and park headquarters. I'd stop for a meal or a short rest beneath its Shasta red fir, lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock; this is a practical pause, not a major outing. Goodbye Creek runs through the deep canyon between the sections, and it's usually easier to hear than see. After snowmelt, it can roar.
The facilities are split across the creek. The southbound section has pull-through curbside parking and two tables, but no accessible ramp from the curb. The other section has four angled spaces, room for a bus or RV, two tables (one with wheelchair access) and a vault toilet. Choose the latter if you need that table or toilet; no path from either section reaches the creek canyon.
Goodbye Creek Bridge is 70 feet high and 218 feet from abutment to abutment. Built in 1955 and 1956 with the bridge over Annie Creek a mile south, the two were the first glue-laminated spans in any National Park System unit.
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
ModerateAnnie Creek Canyon Trail1.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short loop into a deep canyon beside Annie Creek.
EasyGodfrey Glen Trail1.1 mi · 30 min · 0.5 mi awayA short, accessible loop with canyon views and volcanic spires.
EasyAnnie Spring Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.8 mi awayA spring-side walk with an optional PCT extension.
ChallengingLarge PCT Loop30 mi · 16 hr · 0.8 mi awayA 30-mile PCT loop from Mazama with long rim-side views.
ChallengingUnion Peak Trail9.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long forest walk ends on a narrow summit with wide views.
ChallengingUnion Peak and Stuart Falls Trail22.4 mi · 13 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long PCT hike pairs a rocky summit with a backcountry waterfall.
EasyCastle Crest Trail0.5 mi · 36 min · 1.8 mi awayA short loop around a spring-fed wildflower meadow.
EasyLady of the Woods Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 2.1 mi awayA short history loop to a weathered forest carving.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayMazama CampgroundA shady forest base six miles south of Rim Village.
Store · 0.7 mi awayMazama Village StoreThe park’s only general store doubles as a seasonal fuel stop.
Lodging · 0.8 mi awayCabins at Mazama VillageA quiet pine-forest base, seven miles south of the rim.
Restaurant · 0.8 mi awayAnnie Creek Restaurant & Gift ShopSeasonal meals, souvenirs and a separate scoop shop in Mazama Village.
Entrance station · 0.8 mi awayAnnie Spring Entrance StationThe Highway 62 entry checkpoint for Crater Lake's south side.Sight · 2.1 mi awayLady of the WoodsA half-finished 1917 carving tucked into the forest.
Visitor center · 2.1 mi awaySteel Information CenterA practical first stop for ranger advice and Crater Lake context.
Picnic area · 2.2 mi awayLodgepole Picnic AreaA shady picnic stop beneath old-growth pines with trail access.Parkwolf’s Crater Lake ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
