Parking
Use a plowed Rim Village lot or pullout; the loop starts across from the Rim Café & Gift Shop. The road to Rim Village can close during heavy snowfall.
Overview
About Hemlock Loop
Why go
- Marked winter loop through mountain hemlock forest and meadows
- Short circuit with Garfield Peak views
Heads up
- Winter snow route; summer hiking use is not established
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Crater Lake map
Full mapElevation6,988–7,149 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 Hemlock Loop, 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 trailhead
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 as you drive up to this 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 Hemlock Loop
The winter loopHemlock Loop is a marked 1.3-mile snowshoe and cross-country ski circuit from Rim Village.
Hemlock Loop is a marked 1.3-mile snowshoe and cross-country ski circuit from Rim Village. It passes through mountain hemlock forest and open meadows, with views toward Garfield Peak. This is a seasonal snow route; a summer hiking route is not established.
Markers and distanceThe loop starts across from the Rim Café & Gift Shop and is marked by blue diamonds in trees…
The loop starts across from the Rim Café & Gift Shop and is marked by blue diamonds in trees and orange poles in clearings. The official winter map gives 1.3 miles, while other descriptions give 1.6 to 2 miles without explaining the difference; this entry follows the official mapped circuit. The line shown in the app is an approximate trace from that map, so follow the park’s winter map and on-ground markers for the actual route.
Snow and Rim Village accessPlan on about 1 to 2 hours for snow travel; the time is an estimate, and snow conditions and…
Plan on about 1 to 2 hours for snow travel; the time is an estimate, and snow conditions and stops will change the pace. Rim Village sits at about 7,100 feet and can be icy. Park only in plowed Rim Village lots or pullouts; the road can close during heavy snowfall, so check access before driving. Pets are not allowed on this winter trail.
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.
