13 Wizard Island Facts: Know All About This Bewitching Body Of Water

Situated in the heart of Crater Lake National Park, Wizard Island is a surrounded by a bewitching body of water that has long been shrouded in mystery.

This small, yet captivating island was named after the wizard who is said to have created Crater Lake. People have reported witnessing eerie campfires here on the small island at night over the years.

Origin Of The Island's Name

This Island has a very interesting story behind its name.

This volcanic island, who some believe is named after its wizard hat shape, rises 767 ft (233.78 m) over Crater Lake's surface.

On its peak, a crater over 300 ft (91.44 m) across was the reason for it being labelled 'Crater Lake' by a former journalist in 1869.

Another local story suggests that the wizard who is said to have created Crater Lake is named Klamath.

There are several different theories about how Wizard Island got its name, but the most popular story is that Klamath cast a spell on the island to protect it from intruders.

Mount Mazama, a big complex volcano, erupted catastrophically roughly 7,700 years ago, generating the caldera that presently surrounds Crater Lake.

Following the massive caldera-forming eruption, a 4,000 ft (1,219 m) deep crater now sits where the mountain formerly stood.

A succession of minor explosions during the next few hundred years built multiple small cinder cones on the caldera floor, later converting to rock.

It formed almost 2,700 ft (822 m) above the caldera floor's lowest point and the lake's deepest point.

Merriam Cone, another massive cinder cone, is located near the lake's northeast corner.

Despite rising nearly 1,400 ft (426 m) above the caldera floor, Merriam Cone's top is still 505 ft (154 m) below the normal lake level in the world.

Merriam Cone originated underwater, based on its surface characteristics and the lack of a crater.

National Park Status

The status of national park was given to this area in the '90s

• John Wesley Hillman was the first non-Native American explorer to report witnessing the 'Deep Blue Lake' in June 1853.
• The lake has been renamed at least three times; Blue Lake, Lake Majesty, and eventually Crater Lake. It is now a part of the Crater Lake National Park.
• Native Americans of the Klamath tribe, whose ancestors may have seen the fall of Mount Mazama and the construction of Crater Lake, have long revered the lake as a holy spot.
• Legends speak of a fight between the sky deity Skell and the underworld god Llao. Mount Mazama was demolished in the fight, resulting in Crater Lake, known as giiwas in Klamath.
• Crater Lake was used by the Klamath people for vision quests, which typically entailed climbing the crater cliffs and other perilous feats. Those who were successful in such expeditions were frequently thought to have greater spiritual abilities.
• Crater Lake is still revered by the tribe as a mystical location.
• Currently, access to Wizard Island to the public is only allowed during the summer months of the year. This is when the Crater Lake Oregon boat trips are in operation. At other times of the year, there is snow in the area.
• The trips begin in Cleetwood Cove at the north rim of the lake and travel counterclockwise around the lake, stopping at a pier at Governors Bay on the south side of Wizard Island.
• Passengers on early-morning ship voyages may opt to stop on the island, but they must be willing to spend the whole day on the island if succeeding boats are too crowded to accept further passengers.
• Disembarkation is not permitted on late-afternoon boat journeys. Since overnight camping is prohibited, a final boat is despatched at the twilight of each day to pick up any stragglers.
• On Wizard Island, there are two trails to hike; one that switchbacks up the slopes of the cone and around the crater on top, and the other meandering from the dock to the island's western edge.
• Visitors will be transported by commercial tour boat to the Wizard Island boat pier, where the hike to the peak begins. The dock's elevation is 6,176 ft (1882 m).
• At first, the tread steadily ascends north-eastward from the pier. A short way from the trailhead, the terrain steepens and switchbacks bring hikers to Wizard Island's 6,940 ft (2115 m) summit. Because there's no overnight camping allowed, hikers must complete the hike within a day.
• There are about 30 picturesque pullouts on the trip around Rim Road.
• Visitors may view volcanic ash frozen into 100 ft (30.48 m) tall solid rock formations at Pinnacles Overlook.
• Stopping at Videa Falls gives you a glimpse of a flowing cascade, and is one of the greatest viewpoints to see some of the park's plant diversity.
• People stop at Pumice Castle Overlook for a one-of-a-kind, colorful location.
• Crater Lake was created by the eruption of a volcano.
• Crater Lake was formed when Mount Mazama, a 12,000 ft (3657 m) tall volcano, erupted and fell to form a cinder cone.
• Mount Mazama was a sacred site for the indigenous Makalak people who resided in the surrounding surroundings.
• According to Makalak folklore, the mountain's collapse was caused by a fierce conflict between the spirits of the sky and the spirits of the mountain.
• The cataclysmic explosion signified the end of the conflict, but many people were devastated by the loss of the holy volcano. Take time to reflect on Crater Lake's holy heritage while you explore it.

The Depth Of The Water

Crater Lake is the deepest lake formed because of volcanic eruptions in the United States.

• Crater Lake, at 1,943 ft (592 m), is one of the deepest lakes in the world and the deepest in the United States.
• The lake has a circumference of over 5 mi (8 km) and is encircled by sheer granite walls that climb up to 2000 ft (609 m) above the lake's waters.
• The hue of Crater Lake is determined by its vast depth, cleanliness, and clarity of an average of 103 ft (31.39 m) deep, as well as the way sunlight interacts with water.
• Water molecules absorb the longer wavelengths of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens while scattering the shorter wavelengths of blue and purple.
• The dispersed deep blue light penetrates further into the clear water before being redirected to the top, where visitors can see it.
• Any of the unabsorbed green sunlight is reflected back up along the margins where the water is shallower.
• The lake's color can change from day to day depending on the wind, cloud cover, and the angle of the sun throughout the year.
• Crater Lake is one of the snowiest spots in the United States, and the world within a lake, with an annual average of 43 ft (13.10 m) of snow.
• Three additional volcanoes developed out of sight and beneath the lake as it filled. The Rhyodacite Dome rock formation is the most recent, occurring around 5000 years ago.
• Between 1888 and 1942, five different kinds of fish were brought into Crater Lake. Around 60,000 rainbow trout and kokanee salmon are still thriving.
• Over 165 species of phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as invertebrates, have been identified by scientists in the lake. Amphibians, such as the native Mazama newt, live in shallow places but are threatened by the introduction of crayfish, a predator.
• At the deepest point ranging from 100 -400 ft (30.48- 121.92 m), large colonies of native moss on the rim of the lake.
• The lake's present blue water level is maintained because the amount of rain and snow balances the rate of evaporation and seepage throughout the year. In the last 100 years, the lake level and area have hardly fluctuated by 16 ft (4.8 m).
• It's interesting to know that Crater Lake has a retention period of 157 years (the amount of time water spends in a certain lake) in form of water or snow.
• The lake waters have a coastline of 21.8 mi (35 km).

The Size Of Wizard Island

Wizard island is quite large to be situated within a lake.

• The formation of Wizard Island is by a volcanic cinder (mountain) cone near the west end of Crater Lake in Oregon's Crater Lake National Park. The island's peak has an elevation of 6,933 ft (2,113 m) above sea level or roughly 755 ft (230 m) over the lake's typical surface.
• The cone is crowned with a volcanic crater 500 ft (152.4 m) broad and 100 ft (30.48 m) deep. William Gladstone Steel dubbed the crater the 'Witches Cauldron' in 1885, and he also named Wizard Island at the same time. The island has a total land area of 315.85 acres (127.82 hectares).
• The lake's water is famous for its magnificent blue hue and originates straight from snow or rain; there seem to be no inlets from the other water sources. This means that no silt or mineral deposits are transported into Crater Lake, allowing it to keep its rich hue and ranking as one of the cleanest and purest in the world.
• Another mysterious island in Crater Lake National Park is Phantom Ship Island. This 300 ft (91.44 m) island with massive rock formations rises roughly 160 ft (48.76 m) above the lake's surface and resembles a sailing ship. When observed in varying lighting or weather, this rock formation appears and disappears from view, thus the ghostly moniker.