Archive for June, 2009
More Room Photos!
Sunday, June 28th, 2009 Kid-Friendly Fun Near Crater Lake
Friday, June 26th, 2009Located near Crater Lake and the Crystalwood Lodge, the Train Mountain Railroad Museum strives to honor the history of the railroad. The Train Mountain Railroad Museum currently boasts just over 25 miles of miniature track and was recognized in 2004 Guiness World Records as the Longest Miniature Hobby Railroad.
From July 22-28, the Train Mountain Museum is hosting the Train Mountain Triennial International Train Meet. This event, which will feature a wide variety of miniature trains, will be of interest even to those who know little about trains. There’s only two days left, but there’s still time to come and check it out! For more information on the Triennial call 541.783.3030 or visit http://www.trainmountain.org/about.asp
For those who can’t make it out for this event, Train Mountain also gives miniature railroad rides on summer Sundays from 10am-3pm. The rides are free, but donations are accepted to cover the costs of fuel and maintenance. For more information on Sunday train rides this summer, please visit http://www.trainmountain.org
The Crystalwood Lodge is lcoated 18 miles from the southern entrance to Crater Lake and 25 miles from the Train Mountain Railroad Museum. For more information on enjoying your family vacation at the Crystalwood Lodge call 541/866.381.2322 or visit www.crystalwoodlodge.com
Check us out on Flickr!
Thursday, June 25th, 2009http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalwoodlodge/
Our Flickr account has updated room photos, photos of the kitchen and a few shots of the surrounding area.
Group Lodging at the Crystalwood Lodge
Monday, June 22nd, 2009With its quiet location and beautiful surroundings, the Crystalwood Lodge – which is located near Crater Lake – is a unique destination for a memorable group getaway. The Lodge contains seven rooms and can comfortably host up to sixteen people at a time. The main floor includes a spacious living room and dining hall, both well-suited to holding group meetings or events.
This year guests can enjoy the reduced costs and added flexibility of having full use of our commercial kitchen. The kitchen includes a walk-in cooler, freezer and dry storage, a propane grill and six-burner gas stove and a spacious food preparation area. Guests may freely use our dishes, silverware, table linens and pots & pans – all they need to do is bring the food! This means that you have the freedom to eat what you want to eat, when you want to eat it…and you can have the fun of cooking with your group! In addition, opening the kitchen up to guests has also enabled us to lower our room prices about 25% from their 2008 levels!
There are a great variety of leisure activities to enjoy at the Lodge and in the surrounding area; Westside Road is home to some great walking and hiking trails, and the Crystalwood Lodge rents canoes for those who want to take a paddle down Crystal Creek. A well-spent evening at the Lodge might include the indoor fireplace and a glass of wine, or watching the sky change above the hills and marsh as the sun falls behind the mountains.
So whether it’s a scrapbooking retreat, family reunion, class trip or construction crew, the Crystalwood Lodge offers a flexible and unique group lodging experience. Depending on season, availability and group size, the Crystalwood Lodge offers discounts for groups of more than six and Lodge Exclusive packages tailored to your groups’ needs.
For more information on having your group getaway at the Crystalwood Lodge, email us at reservations@crystalwoodlodge.com or call 866/541.381.2322
Last-minute booking discount this weekend at Crystalwood Lodge!
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
This coming weekend is the first of three summer weekends that visitors can see to National Parks free of charge! The National Parks Service has waived the entrace fees for this coming Saturday and Sunday at many parks including the Crater Lake National Park to encourage tourism.
In light of this opportunity, the Crystalwood Lodge is offering a last-minute hot deal to anyone who wants to take advantage of the deals at the National Parks. If you make a last-minute reservation mention this blog post, you will recieve 50% off of your stay! This offer is valid for Friday the 19th through Monday the 22nd only. A minimum stay of two nights is required.
Great Hiking & Riding Trails near the Crystalwood Lodge
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
The area that surrounds the Crystalwood Lodge is filled with a rich history and eye-pleasing diversity. Located off of Highway 140 on Westside Road, the Lodge is slightly off the beaten trail, but offers a lot of wonderful opportunities for taking in the outdoors. The Nannie and Cherry Creek Trails, which were once logging roads, are located less than a mile north of the Crystalwood Lodge. These trails are perfect for horseback riding, a day hike or a gentle evening walk with the dogs. Along the well-kept gravel trailhead at Nannie Creek, a plethora of easy, scenic walking/riding paths branch off. The trailhead extends up 5.2 miles to the main parking lot, where hikers can decide whether they want to take the easy hike up to the Puck Lakes (4.8 miles round trip) or the longer and more difficult hikes up to Marguerette Lake (12.8 mile loop) or Luther Mountain (16.7 mile loop). Peaceful, quiet and scenic, these trails include no entrance fees, gates, warning signs or asphalt intrusion, making a trip down these trails exploration of Southern Oregon at its best.
For the summer, the trails are generally snow-free and the trailheads easily managed by most vehicles. For guests who travel with horses, the Crystalwood Lodge does have four horse corrals and private riding trails available.
Lava Beds National Monument — A Perfect Day Trip From Crystalwood Lodge
Monday, June 1st, 2009
The Lava Beds National Monument is located in Northern California, just over two hours from the Crystalwood Lodge. The drive is easy and pleasurable; the landscape transforming from tall forest to open desert, dotted with small towns and large farms.
Visitors are welcomed to the monument by a vast expanse of land covered with dark black igneous rock, piled and scattered like the crumbles of an enormous chocolate cookie. Along the main road to the visitors’ center, there are several turn-offs for exploration of trails and old lava tubes. These tubes were created by volcanic activity from the Medicine Lake shield volcano – the most recent eruptions occurring as recently as 1000 years ago!
One of the most intriguing of these old lava tubes is the Skull Cave, which is quite impressive in size and has a uniquely colored residue on the rocks overhead. The cave derives its name from the variety of bones that early settlers discovered within it, a testimony to the location’s cultural significance for the Modoc Indians who once settled the land. After a relatively steep descent, visitors will find themselves in the chilly bottom of the tube. Using a flashlight, one can see that the rock is actually covered in a layer of ice – which seems completely unbelievable given the temperatures outside! In the early 1900’s, these underground ice patches were once used as resorts where guests could go skating and have dinner
About ½ an hour from the entrance, visitors will find the “cave loop” which can be explored with or without a tour guide. Don’t be fooled by the “more challenging/less challenging” ratings on the park brochure: some of the “more challenging” caves only require a bit of bending and ducking!
The Lava Beds National Monument is a good day trip that nicely compliments a trip to Crater Lake, and one of the many recreation activities to be found in the vicinity of the Crystalwood Lodge. The volcanic history of this area is not only fascinating for geology buffs, but an inexpensive and interesting adventure for visitors young and old. During the summer, the monument is open 8 am – 6pm daily and costs $10 per vehicle to enter. The monument lends out flashlights without charge, but well-prepared visitors should come equipped with good walking shoes, sunscreen, a sweater and plenty of water.
Additional information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/labe
Summer visitors can enjoy a variety of activities at the Lava Beds including cave tours, campfire programs and special events. For information on upcoming events, Angela Sutton can be contacted at 530.667.8113
Entering into Skull Cave at Lava Beds National Monument
38625 Westside Road
P.O. Box 1117
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
Direct/Toll Free: (541/866) 381-2322
Fax: (866) 294-4213
reservations@crystalwoodlodge.com