Crater Lake

The deepest lake in the United States, filling a collapsed volcano/Water

Crater Lake in southern Oregon is the deepest lake in the United States at 594 meters and among the deepest in the world. It fills the caldera of Mount Mazama, which collapsed roughly 7,700 years ago after a massive eruption. The lake has no rivers flowing in or out; it is maintained entirely by precipitation and snowmelt balanced by evaporation and seepage. This purity gives it a stunning deep blue color and remarkable clarity, with visibility sometimes exceeding 30 meters. Wizard Island, a cinder cone that formed after the caldera collapse, rises 230 meters above the lake surface near the western shore.