crater lake trolley

The trolley ride is a must for anyone who would like to do the Crater Lake rim by vehicle. The road is a bit treacherous and I do advise having a professional do the drive for you. The sights are quite literally amazing and the ride itself very informative. The view of the lake is a bucket list item for sure. We weren't brave enough (with kids) to hike down to the lake, although I foresee doing this in the future.

Enjoyed the ride. Was a beautiful day with great vistas. We were limited because of road construction so we had the full time, but 2/3 of the ride. But it was fine. The volunteer ranger was interesting and personable. We stopped several times to get out and take photos. I had made reservations but didn't realize you don't actually pay until you're on site so a little confusion there but quickly resolved. So word of caution,despite having a reservation, you still need to make time to pay. The person behind me was equally confused so I didn't feel bad that I was confused. Well worth the money.

Having been told there was no need to buy tickets for the trolley to meet us at the Amtrak train, when the train was late we were told we needed to have a ticket; then told they do not "meet the train" (though their website and Amtrak say they do); then told trolley only goes up once at 9:30am. Our train was 6 hours late. What was frustrating was calling by cell phone from train and getting 3 different stories! Then, they could not promise a trolley ride down from Crater Lake! We were trying to be eco-friendly- which they advertise - but found ourselves stranded. Thank God for Enterprise Car Rental who met us at the train and whose 2 day cost was actually less than the RT trolley ride!

Had a great time on the trolley. Ranger Madeline Rose made the time so much more interesting and fun. She was a great story teller and had lots of interesting facts about the lake, park and area. Our driver said she was one of the best and he was correct. She had show & tell with many of her facts (rocks, photos, etc.). The ranger started off the tour by asking each passenger to tell where they were from and had they ever visited CLNP. It was a great way to hear from other travelers and find out if you had neighbors on the trolley. Lots of stops along the route except for those closed due to road construction. The facts I learned were beneficial as I visited the park on my own afterward. The tour ended with our ranger telling why she became a ranger...So interesting!!!

This was a great way to learn a lot about crater lake and the park. The trolly has a park ranger on board that answers any questions that the visitors have. The trolley also makes multiple stops around the lake to take pictures from various view points which is nice. It is kind of expensive but in the end I believe it is the best way to see the lake. Reserved our tickets before our trip which is probably wise during the busy season because there is a limited amount of seats.

We had a wonderful time taking the trolley.With all of the road work being done there the trolley was the way to go , Our ranger was the best I don't remember his name (red hair) Loved all of his visual effects in telling everyone about the park and area around it. The female driver Ida? Wonderful.. The weather was hot but the trolley was cool , we took the first tour in the morning glad we did as the park was filled with people when we got back 2 hours later..... Every stop was spectacular. 1 more thing to scratch off the bucket list..... Just remember to use the restroom before the tour. Its right next to the trolleys.

Wow! An amazing 2 hour journey with a ranger - couldn't ask for more! We stopped at all the look-outs and had plenty of opportunity to take pictures and ask questions. Take your own water and don't plan on any bathroom breaks!!A great way to see the lake!!

We got Ranger Dave who has worked at crater lake for 8 years & I believe 11 summers at Crater Lake. He obviously knew every fact about it & shared it in a fun way with us. 2hr 15 min drive around the rim with about 6 stops or so (each 5-10 min) each. Enough to take some photos, get a few facts, ask a few questions. Important tip here is to get there about 30 min before the trolley time, to buy your ticket, I'd suggest sitting in the last row (doesn't matter which side) but more importantly grab 2 seat cushions as the seats are hard & the roads are horrible.

What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know this service existed. Our family took this trip last year to Crater lake. It was most memorable. The ride encircled the entire rim of the lake stopping at different sites allowing us plenty of photo opportunities. A park ranger told of its history. This year we will be taking our visiting guests from Australia. We are proud of our spectacular scenic country and proud to show it off to the world in such an ecologically friendly manner. I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone.

The trolley ride, driver, and naturalist were excellent. It was nice to sit back and let others who know a lot more than I do, do the work.With the hotter temperatures I recommend going in the morning. Except while we were there 2 of the 3 mornings were hazy and it cleared up in the afternoon.....

I'm not normally a fan of being in the tourist cattle drive so when my wife brought this activity up; i eye'd it with suspicion.But it turned out to be money and time well spent.The trolleys are modest size so I do not believe that even a full-load would feel like a cattle drive. In our case, it was our family and one other. So we had the luxury of almost a private tour.The interpretative ranger that narrated our tour was just awesome (Ranger Annie ... go Terrapins). She was very knowledgeable, knew how to weave a good story and did a great job interacting with the kids.We had a awesome sunny day and Crater Lake just sparkled. I was able to shoot great pictures from the ~8 or so stops along the rim drive.Rim Drive is short enough to do the trip once with the ranger for the great information and a second time to dawdle or picnic as the family likes.We came back after Annie pointed out Sun Notch and hiked the short circle around the meadow for great views of Mt Thielsen and Phantom Ship.

A very nice 2 hour tour around the rim with multiple stops for viewing and picture taking. The park guide was very informative and was quite the learning experience!

This is the way to experience beautiful Crater Lake. The Ranger on board shared his vast knowledge with us about crater lake. The bus driver made several photo stops. Sit back, relax, enjoy the beautiful views and leave the driving to them!

We knew before arriving we would be short on time so we made reservations to ride the trolley, I'm so glad we did because they were sold out when we arrived. We were pleasantly suprised to see that a Park Ranger would be our tour guide. This was a great experience, if you are driving it is difficult to see everything because your so busy watching the road. This is the way to go, great views, great turnouts, the Park Ranger was awesome and engaging with lots of information and facts, and no worries about making the drive, just enjoy!!

We enjoyed our 2 hour trolley journey (10:30am-1:30pm) around the rim of Crater Lake before the weather turned in mid-September. The trolley left exactly at 10:30am so show up 15 minutes ahead if you have to buy your tickets. I had done the Wizard Island Boat tour the prior day, so when I saw the same Park Ranger on board the trolley as was on the boat, I was worried there was going to be a lot of duplication. The Ranger recognized our group, and did a nice job of not repeating the same information. At the same time she made it fun and interesting and since she was a local she could give insights to the general area that others could not.It was great to hear about the surrounding mountains and the Crater Lake native folklore. This was only $25.00 per person and it was nice not to have to drive around the Crater by car and take photos, but instead ride the trolley. We had made a reservation in advance (recommended during high season). We met the trolley at the community center about 2 blocks from the Crater Lake Lodge. The seats were hard but they gave us a cushion to soften the ride. My favorite stop was the water fall. The sun was out but the winds were strong.