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Crater Lake

Crater Lake is a caldera lake in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main attraction of Crater Lake National Park. It is famous for its blue color and clear water. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655-meter) deep caldera. The volcanic crater was formed by the collapse of the volcano, Mount Mazama, about 7,500 years ago. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake. The evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. In 1853, miner John Wesley Hillman made the first recorded visit to the lake. He named the lake "Deep Blue Lake". The lake was renamed at least three times, as Blue Lake, Lake Majesty, and finally Crater Lake. Crater Lake is known for its famous piece of driftwood, named the Old Man of the Lake. It is a tree that has been moving up and down in the water for more than 100 years. The lake water is cold, so the tree is well preserved. Originally, fish did not live in the lake. However, people stocked the lake with different kinds of fish between 1888 and 1941. Several species of fish still live in the lake.