Weekend Window: Crater Lake, Ore.

Feb. 10, 2008 — -- Visitors may love the sights and sounds of Crater Lake, Ore., but reaching the picturesque destination in the winter can be difficult.

Crater Lake also holds the moniker as the seventh deepest lake in the world. The country's deepest lake is atop a volcano.

"Crater lake is still on top of an active volcano," said chief ranger Pete Reinhardt. "The way the lake was formed, it started out as a giant mountain and the volcanic activity blew the mountain up. And then it collapsed down in, forming what we now know is Crater Lake.'

When roads leading to the lake are closed, the only way to reach it is by donning snowshoes or cross-country skis. But, when visitors finally arrive, the sight is worth the trek.

"On a clear day, in the winter, it is absolutely gorgeous," said ranger Don Clark. "We have a great blue color in our lake and it combines with the white snow and the green from the evergreen and the blue sky and the puffy white clouds and it is absolutely gorgeous."

The area gets an exceptional amount of snow during the winter months.

"Crater Lake averages 44 feet of snow every year. That's a lot of snow," Clark said. "It's the most beautiful lake I've ever seen in my life."

The abundance of snow and the three-mile snowshoe hike may turn off some explorers, but it makes for a more unique and enjoyable scene for others.

"There's very few people here in the wintertime so you can really enjoy it, one on one ... the views you get, the solitude. It's just a whole different experience in the wintertime," said Reinhardt.