Picnic area · Crater Lake National Park
An easy picnic break above Steel Bay on the north 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 area
Pumice Point Overlook and Picnic Area“Pumice Point is coming up, with a roadside lake view and a separate picnic area nearby. The overlook is a quick stop rather than a wide-open panorama; trees partly screen Wizard Island and Llao Rock.”
Plays on the road 0.7 mi from Steel Bay Picnic Area 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
Steel Bay Picnic Area is a picnic stop above Steel Bay along Crater Lake's north-rim road. It's a handy place to pause beneath the trees while driving the rim, rather than a destination that needs its own outing. A picnic table is indicated here; site-specific restroom and drinking-water details aren't confirmed.
Two Steel Bay roadside pullouts sit nearby. From them, trees frame views of Llao Rock's rugged east face, Crater Lake, and Mount Scott in the distance. The picnic area and pullouts have separate names, so treat them as distinct stops when navigating.
Canada jays, ravens, and golden-mantled ground squirrels may take unattended food at Crater Lake picnic areas. The site is reached from East Rim Drive, which closes for winter around November 1 or earlier; spring opening depends on snow removal and has no fixed date. Check road status before heading this way.
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
ChallengingBald Crater Loop Trail20.3 mi · 11 hr · 1.4 mi awayA 20-mile PCT approach to a rolling loop and fragile wetland.
ModerateRed Cone Trail7.2 mi · 3 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long, exposed walk through burned ground north of Red Cone.
ChallengingCleetwood Cove Trail2.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayA rare walk to the water, with a serious climb back out.
ModerateWizard Island Summit Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayA steep volcanic climb to a crater above the lake.
EasyFumarole Bay Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 3.5 mi awayA rocky Wizard Island shore walk to a clear, shallow bay.
ModerateWatchman Peak Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 3.6 mi awayA short climb to a 1930s lookout above Wizard Island
ModerateLightning Spring Trail8.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayA spring breaks up the long descent from the rim.
ChallengingSmall PCT Loop24.8 mi · 12 hr · 4.1 mi awayRim views and remote PCT miles make this a real loop.
Scenic pullout · 0.7 mi awayPumice Point OverlookA white pumice cliff adds a geology stop to the rim drive.
Picnic area · 0.9 mi awayPumice Point Picnic AreaA table stop to break up the north Rim Drive.
Sight · 2 mi awayMerriam PointThe north road's first lake reveal, with Wizard Island in view.Sight · 2 mi awayCleetwood CoveOnly legal shore access, with a strenuous climb back out.
Scenic pullout · 2.3 mi awayDevil's Backbone PulloutA jagged lava dike cuts from the lake to the rim.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayPalisades OverlookA quick look down to Cleetwood Cove from the East Rim
Sight · 3.2 mi awayWizard IslandA cinder cone with a crater, rising from the caldera lake.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayDiamond Lake OverlookA northward mountain view worth adding to the West 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.
