It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since we’ve been at Crater Lake.  It is quite a magnificent sight, so we knew we had to bring all the kids here.  Upon arriving, we were surprised that it was covered in snow still!  Apparently, Crater Lake had 50 feet of snow this past winter.  Mazama Campground does not do reservations in June, so we were hoping we wouldn’t have trouble getting a site.  We had no reason to worry, as it appeared that the campground had just opened, with portapotties out in place of the closed bathrooms. Oy!

One of the best parts of vacation is watching the awe in our kids eyes as they see the most amazing parts of our country.  I just love how they retain information at this age, and often find myself asking them about facts or places we’ve learned about after I’ve forgotten.

Equally as exciting as Crater Lake, the snow banks and snow caves provided hours of entertainment.

It was great having Grandma along for this part of the trip too.  At first sight, she declared she would sleep in the camper, only to change her mind as we stepped out of the car to blue skies, 70 degrees, and mountain scented air.

While the adults enjoyed the beautiful lake view, the kids entertained themselves on this giant snow hill.

As almost every trail was still closed due to snow, our one might stay was plenty here.  It was exciting to walk around in shorts in the campsite, surrounded by snow.  Even our fire pit was not visible!

The kids were thrilled to have Grandma’s “walking tacos” for dinner finally!

The boys spent the evening working on emoji needlepoints.

Best buds Braden and Gavin decided to show off their “twin clothes”.

While the boys got some time to themselves with Grandma, we took the girls out for an evening scooter ride.

Before leaving the park the next day, the kids completed another junior ranger badge for Crater Lake National Park, a great way to supplement our summer bridge activities on the road!