Parking
Start at the Dutton Creek trailhead just below the West Rim Drive and Rim Village junction. Use the adjacent pullout, or park in Rim Village and walk to the trailhead.
Overview
About Dutton/
Why go
- Links forest, creek meadows, burned country and a west-rim lake view
- A historic trail route with a genuine loop instead of retracing the PCT
Heads up
- A long day with roughly 1,400 feet of climbing
- The lake view arrives late, after several miles in forest
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Crater Lake map
Full mapElevation5,899–7,149 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Dutton/
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
Rim Village and Sinnott Memorial0:00 / 0:32
“Rim Village is coming up, a useful stop for a lake walk and a bite to eat. Make time for Sinnott Memorial if you want geology exhibits alongside a sheltered view of the water.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Crater Lake Lodge and Garfield Peak
- Piano Wire to the Bottom
- Discovery Point
- Steel Information Center and Lady of the Woods
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dutton/
The loop and its payoffDutton/Lightning Loop is a 12.9-mile circuit from the Dutton Creek trailhead below Rim Village.
Dutton/Lightning Loop is a 12.9-mile circuit from the Dutton Creek trailhead below Rim Village. It descends Dutton Creek to the Pacific Crest Trail, follows the PCT north to Lightning Spring, climbs to West Rim Drive, then returns by the Rim and Discovery Point trails. Allow about 6–8 hours. This is a long forest and backcountry day, not a walk along the lake; the first Crater Lake view comes near the end at the west-rim pullout.
Down to the PCTDutton Creek drops through forest, steepest during its first 1.25 miles.
Dutton Creek drops through forest, steepest during its first 1.25 miles. Cross the creek as the grade eases into meadows before reaching the PCT about 2.3 miles below the trailhead. Turn north on the PCT. The old road prism passes through the 2004 Bybee Complex burn area, where open ground, fallen trunks and seasonal wildflowers break up the forest. Stay on the PCT until the Lightning Spring junction.
Climb back to the rimLightning Spring Trail climbs 4.2 miles from the PCT to West Rim Drive.
Lightning Spring Trail climbs 4.2 miles from the PCT to West Rim Drive. It is a long forest climb with patches of burned ground, not a summit scramble. A spring and creek emerge from a dry slope about 0.8 mile below the rim. At the pullout, the lake and Wizard Island finally open up. For a photo, include Wizard Island and some of the near caldera rim in the foreground. Take the Rim Trail south toward Discovery Point, then follow Discovery Point back to Rim Village along the caldera edge.
A trail with a longer historyDutton Creek takes its name from USGS geologist Clarence E.
Dutton Creek takes its name from USGS geologist Clarence E. Dutton, who led the first depth soundings of Crater Lake in 1886. The trail was also an early wagon route used by visitors reaching the rim. Lightning Spring is described as a headwater of the Rogue River.
Make the day workUse the pullout just below the West Rim Drive and Rim Village junction, or park in Rim Village…
Use the pullout just below the West Rim Drive and Rim Village junction, or park in Rim Village and walk to the Dutton trailhead. There is no food or treated drinking water documented along the route, so bring what you need for a full day. Dogs are not allowed on Dutton Creek or Lightning Spring. Overnight camping requires a permit. Snow can linger on the higher trails into July; check conditions before setting out.
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.
