Garfield Peak

Starting from the Crater Lake Lodge parking area, Garfield Peak wastes no time earning its moderate-strenuous rating. The first stretch winds through a canopy of mountain hemlock and Shasta red fir before the trees thin out and the real show begins. As you climb through open meadows via a series of well-graded switchbacks, Crater Lake keeps revealing itself in increasingly jaw-dropping angles — each turn wider and bluer than the last. The thousand feet of elevation gain hits steady but never cruel, more slow burn than leg destroyer. Near the top, the trail narrows along exposed ridgeline where pikas whistle from the talus and marmots sun themselves on warm rocks. The summit delivers a full-circle panorama: Wizard Island directly below, Mount Scott across the caldera, and on clear days, Mount Shasta floating on the southern horizon. This is the trail for hikers who want Crater Lake's best viewpoint without committing to an all-day death march.