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A winding road bordered by snow passes through a conifer forest, with snow-covered mountains beneath a blue sky

Park news · Crater Lake

Crater Lake: Plan to Arrive Through the West or South Entrance

Winter road closures currently limit driving access at Crater Lake, where the West and South Entrances remain open.

By Victoria Boissonade,

If you're planning to drive to Crater Lake, choosing your entrance currently matters as much as planning your route through the park. Winter closures affect several park roads. The West and South Entrances remain open, so plan your arrival around those access points.

On the north side, North Entrance Road is closed to automobiles. We recommend factoring that closure into your plans from the start. If your route takes you to that entrance, you'll need to adjust it to reach one of the open entrances. You currently can't enter the park by car from the north.

A road with double yellow lines curves between tall conifers and snowy banks, with a snow-covered ridge in the distance

Driving around the lake is also limited, as most of Rim Drive is closed to automobiles. Don't plan on driving a full loop around the lake. Having the West and South Entrances open doesn't mean you'll be able to drive all the park's roads once you're inside.

Cloudcap and Pinnacles Road are also closed to cars. If your plans include either road, we recommend adjusting the parts of your itinerary that depend on them. For help planning the rest of your visit, see our Crater Lake National Park guide.

As you plan, we recommend considering two separate questions: where to enter and which roads you can drive once you're there. The available information supports planning an arrival through the West or South Entrance, but not a drive all the way around the lake. No reopening dates are listed for the affected roads. We recommend planning your trip around the current closures.