SWITCHBACKMOTO
Get the app
The Atlas/Oregon/Cloudcap Overlook

Cloudcap Overlook

Oregon
Region
Viewpoint
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas

Cloudcap Overlook is the highest point in Crater Lake National Park accessible to motor vehicles, sitting on the eastern rim at approximately 7,960 feet. The paved pull-off provides an elevated, unobstructed view across the deep-blue caldera to Wizard Island and the western ridgeline. It is reached via Rim Drive, the 33-mile loop road that encircles the lake, and sits roughly 17 miles northeast of Rim Village. The overlook is open only when Rim Drive is clear of snow — typically mid-July through October. Motorcycles pay a separate entry fee at park gates.

// The stop

Reaching Cloudcap Overlook means turning off Rim Drive onto a one-mile spur road — the highest paved road in Oregon — and climbing to the eastern rim at roughly 7,960 feet. That extra distance separates it from the overlooks most riders hit without leaving the main loop, and the view from the top reflects the elevation: an unobstructed, elevated sweep across the full width of the caldera, with Wizard Island visible on the far western side.

The environment up here is genuinely exposed. Whitebark pines along the rim are dwarfed and contorted by prevailing winds, a reliable indicator of what the weather can do at any season. Even in summer, temperatures at the overlook run noticeably cooler than lower in the park, and the wind can be brisk. Gear accordingly before you park.

Rim Drive — including the Cloudcap Spur Road — has been undergoing major rehabilitation work funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, so road conditions and access points may vary from season to season. The overlook itself is only reachable when the eastern portion of Rim Drive is clear of snow, which typically runs from mid-summer through October. Motorcycles pay a separate entry fee at the park gates.

// Why riders stop

The highest driveable point on the rim gives riders a bird's-eye perspective of the caldera that lower overlooks can't match — worth the extra miles on Rim Drive to reach it before or after Wizard Island comes into view.

// ShareFacebookRedditX
// Rider photos

Shot by the riders who've run it.

Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.

0 rider submissions
Sign in to add a photoUpload & tag from your profile
// Nearby & related
RouteOregon
7.5/10
Aufderheide Scenic Drive (Forest Road 19)
Oregon
The Robert Aufderheide Memorial Drive (Forest Service Road 19) is a 58-mile paved road through the Willamette National Forest connecting OR-126 (McKenzie River Highway) at the north to OR-58 (Oakridge) at the south. The road meanders along the wild and scenic North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette River and past Cougar Reservoir, Terwilliger Hot Springs, and Constitution Grove — a stand of 200-year-old Douglas fir. The pavement is smooth with consistent-radius curves and nearly neutral camber, making it a favorite for sport bikes and cruisers alike. The route is generally open April through November; not maintained in winter.
58
miles
RouteOregon
4.5/10
Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway (Century Drive)
Oregon
The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway — locally known as Century Drive — is a 66-mile loop through the Deschutes National Forest west and south of Bend, designated a National Scenic Byway. The route leaves Bend on OR-372 (Century Drive), enters the national forest as Forest Route 46, and passes more than a dozen alpine lakes set against the backdrop of Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, and the Three Sisters. Elevations peak near 6,500 feet. The byway is seasonal, typically open June through November depending on snowpack. Riders can extend the loop south to Sunriver or La Pine on the return.
26
miles
StopOregon
Dee Wright Observatory
Oregon
Dee Wright Observatory is a stone tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, perched atop a vast black lava field at the 5,187-foot summit of McKenzie Pass on Oregon Route 242. Through the observatory's porthole windows, riders can sight named Cascade peaks — North Sister, Middle Sister, South Sister, Mount Washington, and Mount Jefferson — across miles of hardened lava. A quarter-mile paved lava trail circles the flow. OR-242 (Old McKenzie Highway) is closed to motor vehicles from November through early July due to snow; when open it is one of Oregon's premier motorcycle roads.