10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Crater Lake National Park

1. THE OLD MAN OF THE LAKE

One of Crater Lake’s most well-known features, this ancient hemlock tree stump has mystified visitors and scientists for more than a century, as it floats perfectly upright and unanchored. The head and torso portion of the Old Man floats about four feet above the surface, while the lower part drops 30 feet into the water.

There’s also local lore surrounding the Old Man, including that he controls the weather. One story claims a submarine crew tied up the tree and then endured severe storms until they let the Old Man float freely again.

2. THERE IS A PHANTOM SHIP

Emerging about 160 feet above the surface of Crater Lake, this 300 foot island resembles a sailing ship. The Phantom Ship is composed of weathered andesite pinnacles about 400,000 years old. The formation is probably the remains of a filled fissure which was exposed with the caldera collapse of Mount Mazama nearly 8,000 years ago.

Depending on the weather conditions, the Phantom Ship seems to appear and disappear from sight, giving the formation its otherworldly nickname.

3. THERE IS NO WATER OUTLET

Where does the water in the lake go? No one knows! Because Crater Lake has no outlets leading to other water sources, the lake’s changing water level poses a puzzling scientific quandary. Precipitation rates are more than twice the evaporation rates, so a lot of water is seemingly unaccounted for.

Scientists have discovered that a steady flow is what keeps the water in balance. Water goes out of the caldera’s walls at a rate of about two million gallons of water an hour — amazing! But scientists are still trying to determine where that water goes, because there are no water sources that hold the same amount of water as the lake does.