Phantom Ship/Phantom Ship Overlook
Phantom Ship Overlook Nestled against the shore, Crater Lake’s “other island” escapes detection by many park visitors. Though it resembles a small sailboat, the island is as tall as a 16-story building. It’s made of erosion-resistant lava, 400,000 years old— the oldest exposed rock within the caldera.
Hidden near the lake’s south shore, however, is an equally interesting rock that goes undetected by many park visitors. As its name suggests, the Phantom Ship is elusive. This isn’t because it travels around the lake—while resembling a sailboat, it’s firmly anchored to the underlying bedrock. It’s because, depending on your location, the angle of the sun, the presence or absence of clouds, and whether or not the lake is calm and mirrored, you may or may not be able to see it. When you circle the lake on the Rim Drive, the island might seem to come and go like a “phantom.” Despite its ghostly appearance, the Phantom Ship is solid lava, 400,000 years old—a resistant remnant of rock along a partially submerged ridge between two scalloped bays.
