Sight · Crater Lake National Park
An uphill walk reaches Phantom Ship from several rim angles.
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
Sun Notch Trailhead“Up ahead is Sun Notch Trailhead, where a short uphill walk earns changing views of Phantom Ship. The lake isn't visible from the parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to Sun Notch Overlook in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
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“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
Sun Notch is a short loop through mountain hemlock and an open pumice meadow to a series of rim overlooks above Crater Lake. The payoff is a close look at Phantom Ship, plus views toward Chaski Slide and Dutton Cliff. You have to climb to the rim; the parking area itself has no lake view. Choose this stop for changing viewpoints, not just a quick pullout photo.
The full loop is about 0.8 mile, and 30 to 60 minutes lets you stop at several overlooks. Going counterclockwise reaches the highest viewpoint first; most of the remaining route is downhill. Parking is directly off East Rim Drive. Finding a space can be hit-or-miss on busy days, so allow some flexibility.
The route runs above steep cliffs at the lake edge. Stay well back from the drop and take the rim section slowly, especially with children. Snow can linger into early summer and make footing harder, so check seasonal road and trail conditions before setting out.
Sun Notch sits in an old glacial valley truncated by Mount Mazama's collapse. Mountain hemlock gives way to a pumice meadow before the rim, so the short walk moves from forest shade into open volcanic ground.
Phantom Ship is a jagged volcanic island close to the rim; its spires make the ship-like silhouette. Walk between the rim openings for different alignments of the island, Chaski Slide and Dutton Cliff. For a photograph, leave water around Phantom Ship to show its scale, then turn wider for the caldera wall.
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
EasySun Notch Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 0.2 mi awayA short loop through a pumice meadow to Phantom Ship.
ModerateGrayback Road8 mi · 4 hr · 1.4 mi awayA broad, quiet forest walk along an old rim road
ModerateCrater Peak Trail6.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA forested climb to a volcanic summit above the Klamath Basin.
EasyPlaikni Falls Trail2 mi · 1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA gentle forest walk to a waterfall, with a brief final climb.
ModerateRaven Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 2 mi awayA marked winter climb to the caldera rim.
EasyLady of the Woods Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 2 mi awayA short history loop to a weathered forest carving.
EasyCastle Crest Trail0.5 mi · 36 min · 2 mi awayA short loop around a spring-fed wildflower meadow.
ModerateGarfield Peak Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA steady climb earns broad views from Crater Lake’s rim.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayVidae FallsA spring-fed cascade right off East Rim Drive.
Picnic area · 1.4 mi awayVidae Falls Picnic AreaA picnic stop doubles as Crater Peak's creekside trailhead.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayPhantom Ship OverlookA jagged volcanic island that wears a ship's shape in fog.
Scenic pullout · 1.5 mi awayDutton Ridge PulloutAn east-facing stop for the Klamath Basin beyond the rim.
Visitor center · 2 mi awaySteel Information CenterA practical first stop for ranger advice and Crater Lake context.Sight · 2.1 mi awayLady of the WoodsA half-finished 1917 carving tucked into the forest.
Scenic pullout · 2.2 mi awayReflection PointA long stone parapet frames another view of Phantom Ship.
Lodging · 2.3 mi awayCrater Lake LodgeA historic rim lodge with a lake-view porch and big stone fireplace.Parkwolf’s Crater Lake ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
