On the way back from the Oregon coast, my wife and I planned a 2-day stop at Crater Lake. I had reserved a campsite in the national park back in February and secured a coveted shuttle boat to Wizard Island on the first day they allowed reservations in May.

The morning before we arrived, we got the news that our Wizard Island shuttle was cancelled due to a maintenance issue.

So I came up with an alternate plan to visit peaks on each side of the lake. 5 to be exact. My wife liked the idea, so it was set.

We did a counter-clockwise loop starting in the south with Dutton Ridge. Dutton Ridge was a very easy ascent on open class 2 terrain. The views of the calm lake from the top were stunning! Dutton Ridge GPS track

Our next peak on the list was Cloudcap. Cloudcap is a minor peak. We simply parked at the Cloudcap overlook and hiked through the forest to the summit in around 20 minutes roundtrip. Cloudcap GPS track

Next on the list was Llao Rock. After reading the story of Skell and Llao, ancient Indian chiefs that did battle, it was really cool to climb the namesake peak. The peak was a relatively easy hike from the rim road. Since the area is closed to hikers when snowfree, we followed snow slopes all of the way to the summit.
Llao Rock GPS track

The next peak on our list was Hillman Peak. Not only was Hillman the most prominent peak of the day, it was also the only one that would offer up a technical challenge. Trip reports varied from easy class 3 to dangerous class 4. When we set off from the trailhead, we could see 3 or 4 people on the summit. About 30 feet below the summit, they informed us we were nearing the crux move. It was a bit challenging, but with adequate hand and foot holds, it was easy class 3. The top of Hillman Peak was amazing, as it is rocky and drops straight down into Crater Lake. This was Carrie's favorite peak of the day.
Hillman Peak GPS track

Our last peak of the day was The Watchman. The Watchman has a lookout on top and a nice trail the entire way. We joined dozens of others on the top, which has great views.
The Watchman GPS track

We both really enjoyed the peaks and the lake... one of our best days in the mountains to date! Highly recommended.

Just make your way to the Crater Lake Rim Road. You can enter the loop wherever and start ticking peaks off the list.

See the GPS tracks in the trip report above.