Tag: Plaikni Falls

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Crater Lake National Park Photos

One of the reasons I love visiting National Parks is that they’re so beautiful that even if you aren’t a professional photographer, you can still come away with some amazing photos. A perfect example of this is Crater Lake National Park. I took a trip to Crater Lake in mid August and these are just a few of the photos I came with from that trip:

Wizard Island from Discovery Point

Wizard Island from Discovery Point at Crater Lake National Park

Wizard Island from Watchman’s Peak

Wizard Island from Watchman's Tower at Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake at lake level

Crater Lake at lake level from Cleetwood Cove Trail Crater Lake National Park

Pumice Castle

Pumice Castle at Crater Lake

Plaikni Falls

Plaikni Waterfall on Sand Creek Crater Lake National Park

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles Crater Lake National Park

Phantom Ship from Sun Notch Trail

Phantom Ship at Crater Lake National Park

Vidae Falls

Vidae Falls at Crater Lake National Park

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Plaikni Falls Crater Lake National Park

After hiking 1.1 miles along the Plaikni Falls trail, you’re rewarded with a beautiful view of Plaikni Falls. The name “Plaikni Falls” which means “from the high country” comes from the Klamath Indian Tribes whose traditional homeland includes Crater Lake National Park and who still have strong cultural ties to this area to this day.

Plaikni Falls at Crater Lake National Park

close-up of Plaikni Falls at Crater Lake

Plaikni Falls is not fed by Crater Lake. The source water for Sand Creek is snow melt which begins at Anderson Spring just above Anderson Bluffs (7000 feet above sea level — 2134 meters) Sand Creek flows approximately a quarter of a mile before hitting a glacier carved cliff which it cascades over to create Plaikni Falls. At the base of Plaikni Falls, Sand Creek continues to cascade over rocky terrain to the south through Kerr Valley, then toward the west through The Pinnacles until it eventually flows out of Crater Lake National Park.

The base of Plaikni Falls is quite lush and filled with wildflowers:

wildflowers at Plaikni Falls in Crater Lake National Park

wildflowers along Sand Creek below Plaikni Falls

wildflowers with Plaikni Falls in the distance

It’s wonderful that there is now easy access to this previously “secret” waterfall at Crater Lake and the beautiful scenery around Plaikni Falls makes the hike out there well worth the time and effort. Here is a short video I took at the end of Plaikni Falls trail at the base of the falls:

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Plaikni Falls Trail Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park has a new hiking trail that will officially be opening this Saturday (8/20/2011), but I had the fortunate chance to hike it today. It’s called Plaikni Falls Trail and it’s a wonderful change of beauty from what most people only see when they visit Crater Lake National Park — the lake. The Plaikni Falls Trail leads to a gorgeous “secret” waterfall and cascading river which, until recently, few people knew how to get to.

The trailhead is along Pinnacle Road, 1.2 miles southeast of the Phantom Ship overlook off of East Rim Drive. The trail begins with old growth fir and hemlock forest all around which provide a nice bit of shade:

Plaikni Falls Trail at Crater Lake National Park

Plaikni Falls trail is a pleasant hike and relatively easy at 1.1 miles to the waterfall (2.2 miles round trip). The only real issue for most is that because it’s so short, it’s difficult to get away from other people if you’re looking for a bit of solitude — it can get congested. The trail travels through the trees and along rocky bluffs until it hits Sand Creek where it opens up to wildflowers and lush vegetation at the base of Plaikni Falls:

wildflowers at Plaikni Falls at Crater Lake National Park

While Plaikni Falls isn’t grand in size, it’s quite beautiful as it comes down with abundant wildflowers (with butterflies fluttering all around while I was there — also mosquitoes, so you may want to spay on some bug spray before beginning the hike) and other vegetation to compliment the overall scene:

Plaikni Falls with wildflowers at Crater Lake National Park

Plaikni Waterfall at Crater Lake National Park

I would highly recommend this hike for those looking to see a different type of beauty other than the lake when visiting Crater Lake, especially for people like me who have a thing for waterfalls.

Note: This may not be an issue once the trail has officially opened, but it would have been today. While the trail is supposed to be a hard packed surface suitable for wheelchairs and strollers, not enough people had traveled the trail to make the hard-pack hard. A wheelchair or stroller would have definitely had some trouble getting to the falls when I went. This issue may very well be resolved by Saturday for the official opening. There were still volunteers hard at work finishing up the last touches on the trail, so they are aware that there is still work to be done.

sign at the trailhead of Plaikni Falls trail