Written by Jan Zarella

Biking the Crater Lake North Entrance Road in Mid-December!

  • When: December 13, 2025
  • Where: Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, AKA Crater Lake North Entrance Rd.
  • Distance: 18.5 miles round trip
  • Starting Elevation: 5800 feet
  • Ending Elevation (at Rim): 7300 feet
  • Logistics: Normally chains/traction tires needed/required and biking the road in December is NOT an option. The road closes at the Snowgate upon first significant snowfall or November 1, whichever comes first.
  • Permits: Sno Park Permit required to park
  • Who: Jan plus willing adventure victim

Trip Report

While looking at yet another dismal snow forecast with no temperature drops and only rain on the horizon, I noticed that Saturday, December 13th looked to be sunny, clear and a bit on the warm side. After some inward groans and moans and dreaming about snow, I thought, how can I make the most of this sunny, warm December day? So, I looked at the forecast for Diamond Lake: clear, sunny and 55 degrees, at 5,000 feet! “Wow”, I said to my husband, “We could bike the Crater Lake North Entrance road in sunshine, warm weather, with no snow and NO CARS, in the middle of DECEMBER!!! This will be a once in a lifetime chance!” Mentioning how rare this opportunity was squashed any arguments against my adventurous idea, so we got up early Saturday AM, made some coffee and oatmeal to go, pulled our bikes from the garage, pumped up our tires and got on the road.


In year’s past, this is what a December trip to Crater Lake would look like!

We arrived at the Sno Park to sunshine, no wind and not one single car in the parking area! How could such an amazingly beautiful, sunny day go un-seized? We walked our bikes around the snow gate and began our ride.

The first 3/4-ish mile got us to the informational/permit kiosk and the first bank of outhouses. Surprisingly, the bathrooms were unlocked and stocked with TP! The beginning of the ride is flat with only about 250 feet of elevation gain in the first 3.5-ish miles. Then the work starts! The road climbs from approximately 5800 feet to 7300 feet over about 9.25 miles.

Along the way we were treated with views of the Pumice Desert, Desert Cone, Red Cone, and Mt. Scott in front of us, with Mt. Bailey, Mt. Thielsen and Diamond Peak behind us. I was happy to see that there is still some residual snow from last season hanging around on several of the Mountains. There was even a bit of old snow on the side of the road, which was deeper than any recent snowfall, indicating it’s left over from last season!


Pumice Desert-Red Cone


Looking back at Pumice Desert, and Mountains


Old snowpack

After about 2 hours of riding uphill we were rewarded with a closeup view of the Watchman that looms over the Crater rim, and the final “prize” for our efforts, a beautiful view of Crater Lake. This first viewpoint is located where the North Entrance road meets Rim Drive and has had some recent improvements, including new guardrails which serve to both protect the Lake rim from people, and keep humans at a safe distance from the rim. It appears they are making some new paths and the outhouse may also be getting some improvements. The parking area has yet to see improvements, but it’s in great shape.


the Watchman


Lake views for days

We took an extended lunch break, enjoying the view, sunshine and lack of wind, snapped a couple more photos of the lake and our bikes, took a couple selfies, and eventually tore ourselves away from the beauty to begin our descent back to the car. My average speed for the first 4 or so miles of descent was around 20-25 mph, with max speed of 30 reached. I took it a bit slow since there were some rocks and downed trees in the road, and new debris could have popped up during the day. The journey back down to the car only took about 45 minutes and immersed us in seemingly endless views of tall pines, the Pumice desert, and Mountains waiting to be blanketed in snow!


Our trusty steeds


Road hazards


Mountain views on the way down

I hope this truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but if you are ever presented with the option to bike the Crater Lake North Entrance in Mid-December with sunshine, no snow, no cars and warm temps, DO IT!!!

Gear List

  • Bike: Raleigh Port Townsend touring bike with road tires
  • Shoes: Dynafit Ultra 50
  • Tights: Salomon Shakeout Core Warm Running Tights
  • Shirt: Black Diamond Alpenglow Long sleeve
  • Gloves: Black Diamond Deploy Windhood
  • Socks: Darn Tough Prism Crew
  • Windbreaker: Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell
  • Snacks: Trail Butter Lil’ Squeeze (Dark Chocolate Coffee and Salted Brownie), GU Energy Gel Salted Watermelon
  • Pack: Black Diamond W’s Distance 4

Note

We did not ride our bikes to the viewpoint, we walked them up and down the gravel path, so as to respect our surroundings and preserve our National Park walkways.