Best time to go
East Rim Drive closes for winter around November 1 or earlier, then opens in spring in sections as snow melts. Check road conditions before planning a late-fall or early-season stop.
Overview
About Vidae Falls Picnic Area
Why stop
- The shaded Vidae Creek crossing is a scenic start to Crater Peak Trail.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Crater Lake map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
2 active Crater Lake alerts
- ClosureCleetwood Cove Trail closed for rehabilitationCleetwood Cove Trail is closed to the public during construction to rehabilitate the trail and marina.Official details
- CautionPinnacles Road restricted to hikers and bicyclistsPinnacles Road is open only to hikers and bicyclists because of a road construction project; motor vehicles cannot use it.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Crater Lake Tour Guide
Your drive to Vidae Falls Picnic Area, narrated.
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
Vidae Falls Picnic Area and Crater Peak0:00 / 0:24
“Vidae Falls Picnic Area is coming up, a small stop reached by a short access road from East Rim Drive. Use this for a picnic break; the waterfall pullout is a separate stop.”
Plays as you drive up to Vidae Falls Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Vidae Falls
- Dutton Ridge Pullout
- Sun Notch Trailhead
- The Lodge They Had to Rebuild
- 58 audio storiesacross Crater Lake’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mule Deer, Common Raven, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 34 trails, 49 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
More about Vidae Falls Picnic Area
A picnic stop with its own trailheadVidae Falls Picnic Area is a small picnic stop on East Rim Drive, reached by a short access…
Vidae Falls Picnic Area is a small picnic stop on East Rim Drive, reached by a short access road near the separate Vidae Falls roadside pullout. It is about three miles east of park headquarters and also serves as the start of the Crater Peak Trail. For the trail, use the first three spaces on the right in front of the trailhead sign; the picnic grounds and waterfall pullout are separate stops.
The creek is your trail cueCrater Peak Trail starts with a shaded crossing of Vidae Creek, then climbs through forest.
Crater Peak Trail starts with a shaded crossing of Vidae Creek, then climbs through forest. Farther up, the route gives a view into Sun Creek canyon and crosses a talus slope to a natural rock wall at the saddle. The hike is moderate to strenuous, and snow can linger into summer; the grassland summit is known for wildflowers, so check conditions before setting out.
Why the trailhead changedTrail safety and picnic-area restoration drove a redesign: a blind curve on Rim Drive, damaged…
Trail safety and picnic-area restoration drove a redesign: a blind curve on Rim Drive, damaged trail tread, and a picnic area needing revegetation all called for work. Planning wrapped in 1999, and construction began in August 2000. Friends of Crater Lake and Pacific Northwest Youth Corps built the new connection through boulder-strewn ground.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Crater Lake
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.
