Hiking the Wizard Island Summit Trail in Crater Lake National Park
Distance (+Summit Loop & Witches Cauldron): 3.0 miles / 4.8 km
Elevation Change: ~750 ft. / 229 m
The Wizard Island Summit Trail, commonly called the Wizard Island Trail, in Crater Lake National Park is a fun but not too challenging day hike on Wizard Island that climbs steadily from the boat dock to the island’s volcanic summit, where hikers are greeted with amazing views of Crater Lake’s deep-blue waters and the surrounding caldera!
That said, the Wizard Island Summit Trail is the more 'challenging' of the two day hikes on Wizard Island, as the Fumarole Bay Trail is much flatter in comparison. For this reason, if you are interested in hiking both trails on Wizard Island, I highly recommend hiking to the Summit Trail first, because Fumarole Bay is much better for spending more time swimming in the lake when the weather is nice.
All this goes without saying that there is only one way on and off Wizard Island: the Wizard Island shuttle! This is why both the Wizard Island Summit Trail and the Fumarole Bay Trail are two of the most exclusive day hikes in Crater Lake National Park, and it’s why reading and understanding all the details discussed below is crucial to securing a ticket for the highly competitive boat shuttle!
How to Book a Crater Lake Boat Tour/ Wizard Island Shuttle?
All boat tours on Crater Lake, including the shuttle to Wizard Island, are operated by one private company, meaning that all reservations must be made directly through the company, not the National Park Service.
That said, both the tickets for the boat tours on Crater Lake, as well as the Wizard Island shuttle, are extremely competitive and sell out within minutes of being released, which is 24 hours prior to the start of the tour.
This means that the only way to secure one of these competitive reservations is to be online, ready to book just a few minutes before the start of the tour, one day in advance. Then, when the minute changes, refresh the page and book as fast as possible!
I can say from experience that boat tours on Crater Lake are not nearly as competitive as others around the country, like Havasupai Trail reservations, but definitely don’t forget the time to be online. You may miss out if you do!
The only exception to all this is if there is a no-show, or a tour doesn’t completely sell out, which is rare when the weather is nice. If you don’t have a reservation, it’s certainly worth asking those who are working when you arrive, but don’t think of this last-second strategy as a good strategy—especially when traveling with a big group!
Book Here: Crater Lake Boat Tours
Wizard Island Summit Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Wizard Island Summit Trail is located at the Cleetwood Cove Trailhead.
Before arriving, know that even though the parking lot is fairly big, it almost always fills up fast during the busy summer travel season.
This means that, if you have a specific boat tour reservation time, plan to arrive well in advance to give yourself time to find parking, along with time to hike the trail down to the water.
Google Maps Directions: Cleetwood Cove Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Crater Lake
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Crater Lake National Park.
That said, there are Black Bears in Crater Lake National Park, and while carrying bear spray is allowed, encounters with hikers are considerably rare.
Hiking the Wizard Island Summit Trail
The Wizard Island Summit Trail begins by hiking the Cleetwood Cove Trail to Crater Lake.
If you’d like to learn more about the Cleetwood Cove Trail, click the link below to read all the details in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Cleetwood Cove Trail
Crater Lake Boat Dock
When the Cleetwood Cove Trail reaches Crater Lake, it will pass directly by the boat dock and check-in booth for all the tours on Crater Lake, including the Wizard Island shuttle.
After checking in, be sure to line up about 10–15 minutes before boarding, have your ticket in hand, and have everything you will need for a few hours on Wizard Island—especially plenty of water!
Wizard Island Shuttle
From the boat dock, the Wizard Island shuttle travels about 5.5 miles (8.6 km) to get over to the Wizard Island boat dock on the south side of the island.
While that may sound long, the boats move very fast, meaning that the whole trip should take somewhere between 10-15 minutes—unless the captain spots the Old Man of Crater Lake on the ride over!
Wizard Island
When the shuttle arrives at Wizard Island, be sure to listen carefully to the mandatory return time in order to take the shuttle back over to Cleetwood Cove.
That being said, it may be worth setting yourself an alarm to start hiking back from the Wizard Island Summit or Fumarole Bay, as paying for a rescue pickup is not only inconvenient, but also very expensive!
Wizard Island Summit-Restroom Junction
Almost immediately after getting off the boat dock, the Wizard Island Trail splits, with a short path that leads to the only restroom on the island.
From here, go straight for both the Wizard Island Summit Trail and the trail to Fumarole Bay.
After the initial junction, the Wizard Island Trail will climb two switchbacks up the adjacent volcanic slope to reach the split for either Fumarole Bay or the Wizard Island Summit Trail.
Wizard Island Summit-Fumarole Bay Junction
At about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) into the hike, the Wizard Island Trail splits.
Once here, go right at this junction to begin hiking the Wizard Island Summit Trail, as the trail to the left is the route to Fumarole Bay.
Read My Separate Post: Fumarole Bay Trail (Coming Soon)
Once on the official Wizard Island Summit Trail, the hike begins ascending almost immediately, climbing roughly 660 ft. (201 m) in about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) from this point to the top.
Since visiting Wizard Island inevitably means spending a lot of time in the sun — including the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the boat shuttle, the Wizard Island Summit Trail, and the Fumarole Bay Trail — not to mention the journey back, I highly recommend wearing a good hooded sun shirt for the long day outside!
One will certainly be a luxury—more than you may initially think!
After the Fumarole Bay junction, the Wizard Island Summit Trail climbs 6 or 7 switchbacks, depending on how you count, from the split to the loop around the caldera at the top.
On a typical sunny mid-summer day in southern Oregon, the hike to the top of Wizard Island can be very hot! This is another reminder to not only prepare in how you dress but also to pack plenty of water.
Your experience on Wizard Island is largely left up to your preparation, which is to say, don’t expect the shuttle boat company to come prepared with what you might have forgotten.
Pack food, water, sun protection, a towel for swimming, good hiking shoes and anything else you can think of, as nothing would be worse than forgetting one of these crucial items.
This is the view looking south toward Rim Village and the Crater Lake Lodge.
These photos are from late July, but if they had been taken even just a few weeks earlier in the month, there would have been a considerable amount of snow on Wizard Island—which, hopefully, helps show just how fast snow sticks around, but also how quickly conditions change from winter to summer.
After the longest switchback up Wizard Island, the summit starts to feel a lot closer as the trees begin to thin, the higher the trail climbs!
When boat shuttles start at the beginning of the summer season, these steep sections can be particularly difficult and dangerous if there is still snow on the trail.
With that in mind, both micro-spikes and poles may be necessary to stay safe in the early summer season!
From this final switchback, there is only about 100 ft. (30.5 m) more to climb to reach the Wizard Island Summit Loop.
Wizard Island Summit Loop Trail (Witches Cauldron Junction)
After about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from the boat dock, the Wizard Island Summit Trail reaches the loop around the Wizard Island Caldera, also called the Witches Cauldron.
In total, this loop is nothing more than an easy 0.25-mile (0.4 km) hike around the steep caldera, with incredible views of Crater Lake from all sides of the island!
In addition, the point where the trail reaches the summit loop is also the junction for the trail down into the caldera, which you can learn about in more detail at the end of this article.
I chose to go left in the clockwise direction around the Wizard Island Summit Loop.
Wizard Island Summit
The top of this rock is the summit of Wizard Island, standing at about 767 ft. (234 m) above the surface of Crater Lake below, according to the National Park Service.
That said, depending on who you ask, the section of trail just ahead may be the true summit—though it is certainly very close to say for sure!
The trail down into the Witches Cauldron can be seen on the far side of the loop.
This southernmost section of the Wizard Island Summit Loop is the section, previously mentioned, that may or may not be the true summit of Wizard Island.
Wizard Island Summit Loop Junciton (Witches Cauldron)
When the Wizard Island Summit Loop returns to the beginning, there’s the option to go left, back down to the Fumarole Bay Trail and boat dock, or right to begin the Witches Cauldron Trail to the bottom of the caldera.
Witches Cauldron Trail
I chose to go right to begin the 0.1-mile (0.2 km) Witches Cauldron Trail down to the bottom of the crater.
This section can be particularly loose and slippery, and some hikers may prefer to bring trekking poles, especially if there is snow in the crater!
Witches Cauldron
This is the Wizard Island Caldera, also known as the Witches Cauldron, which sits about 60 ft. (18.3 m) below the rim above.
That said, the hike down really isn’t terrible—just steep!
It only adds about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to the hike overall, but I can certainly see why some may not say it’s worth the effort. However, it would definitely be cool around early to mid-July, when the snow is melting rapidly, as a small pond forms in the caldera before it dries up, as shown here toward the end of the month.
This is the view looking back up!
