Crater Lake & Oregon Caves

Tour a marble cave with a ranger, then look down at the deepest blue lake in the country.

6.5 hrs drive · 4 days · Best for little kids to teens · Jul–Sep

Day 1: Drive north

The cave stays in the mid-40s F even in summer, and the visitor center has lent out jackets. Rangers turn the lights off at a few points. One parent said even her child who fears the dark loved that part. Pit Stops for Kids
Pumice Castle is easy to drive past, so watch for it on the map. Pinnacles is a 6-mile side trip that families say is worth it. If kids are too tired for the Watchman sunset hike, watch the sunset from a Rim Drive pullout. The World Is A Book

Oregon Caves tours require kids to be at least 42 inches tall and able to pass a steep stair test on their own. No carrying children. Discovery tour: $20 adults, $15 youth. Card only, no cash.
The Kids & Family Cave Tour runs from late June to early September and needs a reservation on Recreation.gov. Reserve other tours ahead too, since same-day tickets can sell out.
No Crater Lake boat tours in 2026 or 2027 because of Cleetwood Trail repair work. Rim Drive usually opens by July and closes with the first big snow or Nov 1. The entrance fee is $30 per car in summer, and no reservation is needed.
Summer trolley tours on Rim Drive last 2 hours with no bathroom stops. They usually run July to mid-September.
The 42-inch rule at Oregon Caves is strict. Kids also have to pass a steep stair test on their own, and nobody can be carried. If a child is too short, plan on the Junior Ranger program and the surface trails, since there is no childcare.
The tour has over 520 uneven steps, many with no handrail, and runs about 90 minutes. Summer and spring break tours often sell out, so book on Recreation.gov instead of counting on walk-up tickets.
The Crater Lake trolley leaves Rim Village hourly from 10 am to 3 pm, late June through September, and takes 2 hours. Kids 6 to 12 can earn a Junior Ranger badge by finishing 7 pages of the free book and showing it to a ranger.