This coming summer will be the last chance to swim or take a boat tour in the waters of Crater Lake for an extended period.

Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only legal pathway to the shoreline of the United States’ deepest lake, will close in 2026 and stay closed for years due to a construction project, according to parks officials.

“The park is planning on starting construction in 2026,” a news release from Crater Lake National Park says. “Due to the extent work to be completed and short construction seasons, trail closures will be required and are expected during the duration of the 2027 and 2028 summer seasons.

“During this time, no boat tours will be provided and the trail will be closed due to construction and rockfall hazards. If construction goes as planned, the renovated trail will reopen in summer 2029.”

In an email to SF Gate, Crater Lake information officer Marsha McCabe confirmed that all access to the lake will be cut off and that visitors will only be able to enjoy views of the lake from above. Park scientists will be the only ones allowed the approach the lake, she said.

Although the news release says the trail will reopen in 2029, there appeared to be some chance it could reopen in 2028.

The Cleetwood Cove Trail is the most heavily used trail with thousands of park visitors hiking the trail to gain access to lakeshore each summer. At the bottom, there is a place to jump into the lake. The Cleetwood Cove Marina is the launch point for the concession-provided boat tours of Crater Lake and the park’s boats.

It’s not legal to access the lake by going down the lake’s cliffs into the caldera, and in fact there have been a number of rescues, deaths and accidents from people attempting to reach the lake through that method in the past.

“This project proposes to rehabilitate the trail and related infrastructure to ensure safe access to the lake, provide needed visitor services, and to protect the environment,” the news release said.

The work proposed includes:

• Rehabilitation of the entire 1.1 mile trail including improvements to trail tread and retaining walls.
• Rockfall scaling and mitigation along identified high risk zones.
• Removal and replacement of the failed bulkhead/dock with a structurally stable marina.
• Replacing the outdated and undersized composting toilets located near the marina.

The planning, design and compliance have been completed for the project, with the next step being solicitation of the construction contract.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social.