# Crater Lake area in October?



## durkind (May 24, 2004)

Looking to do a Fall trip somewhere and was wondering what the weather is like in Southern Oregon--Crater Lake/Medford/Ashland/Klamath. Does the Rim road close in October? I hear the riding is wonderful, just not sure if would be too chilly by then. Any info would be great.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

It will be cold. The road might be closed:



> The 33-mile Rim Drive around Crater Lake is a two lane road that has more than 20 scenic overlooks. From mid-October until mid-June, the north entrance and Rim Drive are closed to the public due to deep snow and ice buildups along the road. Rim Drive around the east side of the lake can be closed earlier than mid-October and may not open until July.


You can see the current road conditions







.

My wife and I drove up to the visitor centre in a sunny break between storms one winter. On the access road from to the south end there was hard-packed snow on the road and 10 feet berms either side for about 10 miles. It was like driving down a bobsleigh run. Lots of fun once you got used to being completely surrounded by snow and figured out the level of grip. This was an old 4WD CRV with regular tires and no chains (though we had them in the car in case the going got tough).


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

durkind said:


> Looking to do a Fall trip somewhere and was wondering what the weather is like in Southern Oregon--Crater Lake/Medford/Ashland/Klamath. Does the Rim road close in October? I hear the riding is wonderful, just not sure if would be too chilly by then. Any info would be great.


The rim drive closes when weather forces it to close. This can be in late October if winter hits the mountains early or well into November.

Crater Lake is going to be starkly different from Medford/Ashland and even K-Falls. Medford and Ashland are pretty dry and relatively warm in fall whereas Crater Lake can get heavy snowfall. That said, I've ridden Crater Lake in October and even early November - it has been fantastic both times - virtually had the place to myself and weather was pleasant. You're generally above 7,000' on the rim drive so weather can be chilly and you need to be prepared for a mountain storm.


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