Crater Lake in Oregon or Glacier National Park?

This is a question for those of you who have been to both places:

If you had a week in early September to visit only 1 of them, which would you choose, all things considered?

Thanks

Crater Lake in Oregon or Glacier National Park?

Oops, I forgot to include some information. I have never been to either place and I enjoy some hiking, but am more of a scenic sightseer. My dates are September 1st through the 8th.

Crater Lake in Oregon or Glacier National Park?

I can%26#39;t compare the two locations for you.

We did spend 5 days at Glacier and enjoyed it. Here%26#39;s a link to a trip report and several pictures showing what some of the trails and scenic areas look like.

http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/glacier_np.htm

To most enjoy Glacier, you need to do some hiking in my opinion. Not extensive back country jaunts, but get out on the trails a little.

Crater Lake is a beautiful site but I would find it hard to fill a week there. Glacier has a variety of scenery: mountains, lakes, forests. Even the shorter moderate hikes offer you the chance to see and enjoy many things. The GTTSR is a wonderful drive and the vistas unbelievable. If you want scenery and photo taking opportunities, I would go to Glacier. The first week of Sept. should be great. Call now for reservations. I would try to stay a few nights on each side of the park (Village Inn or Lake McDonald lodge on the west and Swiftcurrent or Many Glacier on the east). You can also make a daytrip to Waterton from the Many Glacier area.

I%26#39;ve been to both. Crater Lake is amazing but really that%26#39;s the whole show there. Once you see you%26#39;ve seen it all. There%26#39;s a lot more variety in Glacier. That week in Sept. is typically of of the driest or most sunny in the Northwest so if there was a time of year to do Crater that would definitely be it. A week would definitely be too much for just Crater Lake but nearby there are lots of other interesting things such as lava caves, waterfalls and the area around Bend is very scenic. But there%26#39;s a lot more to do and see at Glacier.

I%26#39;ve been to Crater Lake but not Glacier. Crater Lake can really be seen in a day. Based on what I have read on Glacier, I think it might be easier to fill a week of time there.

However, as Sequim said, there is more than enough in Oregon to fill a week. You can incorporate Crater Lake nicely into an Oregon trip. Bend is great, as Sequim mentioned, and you could even include Mt. Hood,, the Columbia River Gorge, and some of the Portland attractions. If you enjoy the coast, you could even substitute some time there instead of seeing some of the things I mentioned. Take a look on the Oregon forums. There are many regulars who would be glad to make suggestions for you on sights to see. Have fun planning!

I agree, either would be good, but as you%26#39;ve seen in this forum, Crater Lake can be done in one day. However, Oregon is one of my favorite places to visit. I worked for a hotel chain in the state, and was able to see almost all of the state from the Cascades west to the coast. Oregon has the most covered bridges in the US, and along the Columbia River on the old highway, spectacular water falls. The Oregon coast is even more beautiful than Northern California, and that%26#39;s saying a lot. We also love Glacier, and if you have to choose just one place to go for your vacation, that would be it. We fell in love with the Many Glaciers Lodge, and the spectacular scenery there.

Crater Lake is one of my favorite places on Earth but you don%26#39;t need a week there. As others said, you may want to make it part of an Oregon vacation. I also love Oregon and highly recommend it.

That said, Glacier is amazing and beauriful. You will be able to fill a week in Glacier especially if you like to hike. A week will also allow you to really explore all areas of the park. The Two Medicine area, which is a bit east of GTTS Road, is definitely worth a day or two. And the Many Glacier area is prime for hiking. I didn%26#39;t make it to the North Fork area but I%26#39;ve heard that it is a beautiful area with great hiking.

Enjoy!

Thanks for your input everyone. I%26#39;ll be going to Glacier in September, based on your comments here and in the Crater Lake forum. Maybe next year I%26#39;ll fly into Reno and do a combination of Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake and a jetboat from Grant%26#39;s Pass.

Yes, next time if you do the Crater Lake trip from Reno be sure to make a visit also to Lassen Peak NP. Lots to see including bubling mud pots ala Yellowstone as well as if you are inclined you can climb to the top via a trail from the road%26#39;s high point near Eagle Pk. Even just going part way up affords spectaular views to the E-SE. Lassen would be a great addition to Crater with much of the same volcanic history.

This time around...enjoy Glacier!

When you do go to Crater Lake, be sure to go north into the Newberry Volcano area and Sun River. It is a very interesting visit, and really part of a Crater Lake trip.

Lava Tube

Museum of the High Desert

Lava Cast Forest

lots more!