Discovery Point Trail

There are numerous places to stop along Crater Lake's rim to enjoy the impressive view of its deep blue waters, but if you are looking to stretch your legs and hit the trail, you'll find few hikes that are as accessible and level as the one to Discovery Point. Starting at either the Lightning Spring trailhead or Rim Village to the south, hike just over a mile along the steep slopes of the caldera's rim to reach this prominent vantage point. It was here in 1853 that Mount Mazama's enormous caldera and lake were first discovered by settlers, hence the current name "Discovery Point." The party included John Wesley Hillman, and they were actually looking for gold at the Lost Creek Mine, which they never found. At Discovery Point they left a marker and named their extraordinary finding "Deep Blue Lake." In the years that followed, many other settlers would stumble upon the lake and give it their own name, but it wasn't until 1869 that the name "Crater Lake" finally stuck.