Lemolo Lake / Crater Lake North KOA Holiday Blog
Spring is Nature’s Way of Saying, “Camping Season Has Arrived!”
Whether you’re exploring the local area or hanging out at the campground, KOA Holidays are an ideal place to relax and play. There’s plenty to do, with amenities and services to make your stay memorable. Plus, you’ll enjoy the outdoor experience with upgraded RV Sites with KOA Patio® and Deluxe Cabins with full baths for camping in comfort. Bring your family, bring your friends, or bring the whole group – there’s plenty of ways to stay and explore.
Whether you’re exploring the local area or hanging out at the campground, KOA Holidays are an ideal place to relax and play. There’s plenty to do, with amenities and services to make your stay memorable. Plus, you’ll enjoy the outdoor experience with upgraded RV Sites with KOA Patio® and Deluxe Cabins with full baths for camping in comfort. Bring your family, bring your friends, or bring the whole group – there’s plenty of ways to stay and explore.
1. From Interstate 5 (I-5) in the Roseburg, OR Area (from the West) take Exit 124 and follow signs to Highway 138. Travel East 73 miles on Highway 138 to just before mile marker 73. Turn left (North) onto Birds Point Road and follow Birds Point Road 5 miles to the entrance to the property.
2. From I-5 in the Eugene, OR Area (from the Northwest) - Take I-5 South to Roseburg, then follow the Roseburg travel directions. OR Take Exit 188 (S. Bound I-5) or Exit 188A (N. Bound I-5) onto Highway 58 (Southeast) to it's intersection with Highway 97. Turn Right (South) onto Highway 97 and continue South to the Highway 138 turnoff. Turn Right (West) onto Highway 138 and travel approximately 27 miles to just past mile marker 73. Turn Right (North) onto Birds Point Road and follow Birds Point Road 5 miles to the entrance of the property.
3. From I-5 in the Medford, OR Area (from the Southwest) - Take Exit 30 onto Highway 62 (a.k.a. Crater Lake Highway) and travel Northeast. At the Highway union with Highway 230, stay left and merge onto Highway 230. Stay on Highway 230 until the intersection with Highway 138 (stop sign). Turn Left onto Highway 138 for approximately 9 miles to just past mile marker 73. Turn Right (North) onto Birds Point Road and follow Birds Point Road 5 miles to the entrance of the property.
4. From the Bend area (from the Northeast) travel South on Highway 97 to the Highway 138 turnoff. Turn Right (West) onto Highway 138 and travel approximately 27 miles to just past mile marker 73. Turn Right (North) onto Birds Point Road and follow Birds Point Road 5 miles to the entrance of the property.
5. From the Kalamath Falls area ( from the Southeast) travel North on Highway 97 to the Highway 138 turnoff. Turn Left (West) onto Highway 138 and travel approximately 27 miles to just past mile marker 73. Turn Right (North) onto Birds Point Road and follow Birds Point Road 5 miles to the entrance of the property.
You may have heard or read that Crater Lake National Park is closing for 3+ years.
Well, it's not! So, what exactly is going on?
There's some trail rehab & construction - but the park is open during the construction.
First, some details on the park's layout to help you understand what's happening.
The vast majority of Crater Lake National Park consists of hiking trails and viewpoints overlooking the lake at various points along the perimeter. If you've never been, it's one of the most beautiful and picturesque bodies of water you could ever lay eyes on and should be on everyone's bucket list. In addition to the viewing areas, there's a Visitor Center, Park Headquarters & Historic Lodge. NONE of that is closing or being impacted, with the exception of one (1) trail - Yes, 1 Trail.
Crater Lake National Park has one, and only one, access point down to the water's surface. The trail is located on the Northeast side of the lake, and because of its location, the trail is typically open only a few months per year (roughly July through September most years). It's a popular trail, but a relatively small percentage of the total visitors to Crater Lake National Park actually hike the trail because of the length and the difficulty of the hike. That is the trail that is being impacted.
It's called the Cleetwood Cove Trail, and it's about a one-hour hike down (longer back up) a switchback trail to the water, where you can jump in if you want (the water is what you might call – brisk). This is also the trail you use to access the boat tours on the lake. To be clear, you've never been able to go "boating" in the traditional sense at Crater Lake. The National Park offers sightseeing tours around the lake a few months out of the year (usually a little shorter window than the trail is open). They are the only boats allowed on Crater Lake. In addition to a short operating window, the boat tours have also been a little hit-and-miss over the last number of years. In the past 10 years, the tours have operated in 7 of those years.
The Cleetwood Cove Trail needs rehabilitation and the concrete boat docks for the boat tours are beginning to crumble into the water. As a result, they will close the trail and the boat tours for about 3 years while they rehabilitate the trail and install new boat docks. That's it. This trail is the only thing in Crater Lake National Park that is closing. Everything else is scheduled to operate as usual.
That doesn't mean this area has to always be empty. When you start reviewing camping options, your history will display here to help compare sites and find the best stay. You will be able to share your stay information with friends or family and save it for a later time if you have a KOA Account.
Make checkout easy by booking all your reservations at once. Add your sites from different campgrounds into your shopping cart* and then choose checkout.
