Crater Lake Facts for Kids

A Picture of Crater Lake
  • Lake Name: Crater Lake
  • Location: Klamath County, Oregon, USA
  • Type of Lake: Volcanic Crater Lake
  • Lake Size: 4.49 cub miles
  • Average Depth: 1,148 feet
  • Maximum Depth: 1,943 feet

25 Crater Lake Facts for Kids

  1. Crater Lake is a freshwater lake located in Crater Lake National Park.
  2. Crater Lake and Crater Lake National Park are in Oregon, USA.
  3. Crater Lake is a volcanic crater lake created by the collapse of Mount Mazama around 7,700 years ago.
  4. The GPS coordinates for Crater Lake are 42.95°N 122.10°W.
  5. Crater Lake was discovered by American prospector Wesley Hillman in 1853.
  6. There are tributary rivers flowing into Crater Lake, all its water is obtained from precipitation (snow and rain).
  7. The lake retention time for water in Crater Lake is between 150 and 250 years.
  8. The surface of Crater Lake is 6,178 feet above sea level.
  9. Crater Lake has a length of 6 miles and a width of 5 miles.
  10. The surface area of Crater Lake is 20.6 square miles.
  11. The length of the shoreline of Crater Lake is 21.8 miles.
  12. Crater Lake holds 4.49 cubic miles of water.
  13. The average depth of Crater Lake is 1,148 feet.
  14. Crater Lake has the third deepest average depth in the world.
  15. The deepest point of Crater Lake is 1,943 feet.
  16. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States of America.
  17. Crater Lake is the ninth deepest lake in the world.
  18. The surface temperature of Crater Lake ranges between 33 and 66 °F.
  19. Crater Lake has two islands, Wizard Island and Phantom Ship Island.
  20. Wizard Island is over 315 acres big reaches a peak elevation of 6,933 feet.
  21. Phantom Ship Island is a rock formation and the appearance of a ship sailing on Crater Lake.
  22. Phantom Ship Island is a rock formation and the appearance of a ship sailing on Crater Lake.
  23. There are no fish native to Crater Lake, however fish were stocked in the lake between 1888 and 1941.
  24. The only two species of fish found in Crater Lake today are kokanee salmon and rainbow trout.
  25. In 2002, the U.S. state of Oregon issued a specialty license plate featuring Create Lake.

Additional Resources on Crater Lake

  • Crater Lake – Learn more about Crater Lake on the U.S. National Park Service website.
  • Facts About Crater Lake – Find more facts about Crater Lake Lake National Park on the U.S. Department of Interior website.
  • Maps of Crater Lake – View color and topographical maps of Crater Lake on the National Park Maps website.
  • Crater Lake – Wikipedia – Explore the Wikipedia webiste to learn more about Cracter Lake in Oregon, USA.

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