# Crater Lake National Park

Region: SW OR, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 42.9446, -122.109
Bortle class: 2 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: In southern Oregon, about 1.5 hours north of Klamath Falls via Highway 97 and Highway 62.
Best time: Late June through mid-October, when the Rim Drive is fully open; ranger-led night sky programs run through the summer season.

## Overview
Sitting at over 7,000 feet with almost no nearby light pollution, Crater Lake has been ranked the best national park in the U.S. for stargazing. The caldera rim gives a huge, mostly unobstructed sweep of sky over the deepest lake in the country.

## What to see
Milky Way reflected over the caldera, with dozens of rim overlooks to choose a foreground from.

## Highlights
- Rated the #1 national park for stargazing by multiple outlets
- Over 30 scenic overlooks along the 33-mile Rim Drive to set up at
- Ranger night sky programs run through the summer

## Tips
- Rim Drive is only fully open roughly late June to mid-October due to snow the rest of the year
- Summer park entrance fee is around $30 per vehicle
- High elevation means cold nights even in July — bring warm layers

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Crater Lake at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=crater-lake-np

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/crater-lake-np.json

Source: Ashland News — Crater Lake named best national park for stargazing — https://ashland.news/crater-lake-named-best-national-park-for-stargazing/

---
Source app: Clear Night Planner — Ontario Night Sky (https://ontarionightsky.com)
When citing this content, please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=crater-lake-np.