Sunset: Prelude to a Memorable Night
Native Americans living in the U.S. Pacific Northwest about 7,700 years ago witnessed the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama, a towering volcano in southern Oregon. It was the largest eruption in the Cascade Range in the past one million years and one of the largest in the world in the past 12,000 years. Collapse of the summit formed a caldera 8 x 10 km (5 x 6 mi) across, which now hosts picturesque Crater Lake. With a maximum depth of 594 m (1,949 ft), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the most pristine on Earth. It’s also a spectacular setting for an overnight adventure.
I arrived at the rim of Crater Lake Caldera on the afternoon of June 26, 2025, where I was treated to a beautiful sunset that foretold a memorable night.
A few hours later from my new vantage point on the opposite side of the caldera, the Milky Way had ascended and shone brightly above the lake and Wizard Island, a post-caldera cinder cone. Standing alone in the darkness among billions of stars and hidden worlds was a feeling I’ll long cherish - and hope to repeat many times in the future.
Milky Way over Crater Lake, Oregon. View is to the southeast, with the Crater Lake Caldera rim on the skyline and Wizard Island in the lower right. Photo by Dan Dzurisin, Nikon Z8, Nikon AF DX NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED.
Milky Way over Crater Lake, Oregon. View is to the east, with the Crater Lake Caldera rim on the skyline and Wizard Island in the lower right. Photo by Dan Dzurisin, Nikon Z8, Nikon AF DX NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED.
