Steel Visitor Center

The Steel Visitor Center at park headquarters, about three miles south of the rim, is the year-round information stop for Crater Lake National Park. It is a small, historic building with orientation exhibits, a bookstore, restrooms, and a small post office where you can mail a postcard. Its highlight is the film shown every half hour, about 22 minutes long, which explains how the lake formed, its volcanic history, and the area’s cultural story, and it is a good primer before you see the water. Rangers can give you current road and snow conditions, which matter a great deal here because much of the Rim Drive is closed by snow for much of the year.