Parking
Start at the Park Headquarters gate by the Steel Visitor Center. Park only in plowed lots or pullouts; do not park in the roadway.
Overview
About Raven Trail
Why go
- A marked winter route to a Crater Lake rim view.
Heads up
- Ungroomed snow and avalanche runouts require winter judgment.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Crater Lake map
Full mapElevation6,480–7,011 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 Raven Trail, 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
Steel Information Center and Lady of the Woods0:00 / 0:33
“You're approaching Steel Information Center at Park Headquarters, a stop for advice rather than a lake view.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Crater Lake Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Castle Crest Wildflower Trail
- Piano Wire to the Bottom
- Crater Lake Lodge and Garfield Peak
- Winter Written in the Trees
- 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 Raven Trail
A winter way to the rimRaven Trail is a marked winter ski-and-snowshoe out-and-back from Park Headquarters to the rim…
Raven Trail is a marked winter ski-and-snowshoe out-and-back from Park Headquarters to the rim east of Crater Lake Lodge. The full trip is 2 miles round trip, with 610 feet of climbing; plan about 2–3 hours. It is the route to take when the road to Rim Village is closed, not a summer hiking trail. The view depends on the weather, so come for the winter outing as much as the chance of seeing the lake.
Follow the blue diamondsStart by the closed gate at Park Headquarters.
Start by the closed gate at Park Headquarters. Blue diamonds nailed to tree trunks mark the route. It is not groomed: snow may be powder, slush, or ice, and after storms it can be deep enough to require trail-breaking and make the markers harder to follow. Bring skis or snowshoes, and turn back if you can no longer follow the marked line.
The view comes at the rimThe trail reaches the caldera rim several hundred yards east of the Lodge.
The trail reaches the caldera rim several hundred yards east of the Lodge. When the weather opens, Crater Lake and Wizard Island are the payoff. Take in the view from a safe spot well back from the edge; do not head east along the rim toward Garfield Peak.
Move through avalanche runoutsThe route crosses several avalanche-chute runouts.
The route crosses several avalanche-chute runouts. Keep moving through them; do not stop or linger. Snow cornices can extend beyond the visible rim and collapse, so stay well back from the edge. If you enter Rim Village, watch for plows.
Start at Park HeadquartersUse the plowed lot or pullout by the Steel Visitor Center, then go to the gate; winter parking…
Use the plowed lot or pullout by the Steel Visitor Center, then go to the gate; winter parking is not allowed in the roadway. Restrooms and drinking water are available at the visitor center during business hours, but there is no confirmed water source on the trail. Pets are not allowed on Raven; the Pacific Crest Trail is the park's only winter trail open to pets.
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.
