When we started planning our trip to Crater Lake National Park (and the rest of eastern Oregon) I declared we were going to take the boat to Wizard Island. I don't often make unilateral decisions like this so I believe the response was, "Um... Ok."

Don't get me wrong. Crater Lake is an amazing place if you do nothing more than stand on the rim and lose yourself in the azure waters. But what I wanted to experience was the Lake from the Lake, not 1,000 feet above it. I wanted to touch the water. (Plus Wizard Island is a wee little volcano that I could add to my list.)

I was a bit panicked when I failed to get advance reservations. I had visions of a missed opportunity because I hadn't been proactive enough in setting dates. Luckily, half the tickets are held for purchase 24 hours in advance. We had no problem getting next-day tickets, though be warned: They aren't cheap. For our family of five it cost $250. That's a lot to tack onto a 10 day road trip for a half day activity, but rest assured it was totally worth it. (You can also skip the full-lake tour and just get to the island to cut that cost about in half.)

Our day began early at the Mazama Cabins in the south of the Park. Cleetwood Cove, the only way down to the lake surface, is on the northern shore. Add in road construction and we budgeted two hours to make the short trip. We got lucky and had time to spare. That's why you see lots of selfies on the rim before we even got to the water's edge. (Note: Construction at the parking area at Cleetwood Cove requires using a shuttle bus as of summer 2016.)

Unlike fancy cruises that magically whisk you from place to place on a cushion of buffet tables you get to hike down to the dock. It's a little more than a mile and you drop a respectable 700 feet. Easy peasy on the way in. After a long day on the lake it's an equally respectable climb out.

The boats are nothing special. Neither are the bathrooms or life jackets, but they all serve a purpose. What was special was our National Park Service ranger who served as a tour guide on the way to Wizard Island and afterward as we completed the circuit of the lake. He had a pair of hilarious sunglasses that kept the kids entertained and knew his stuff. I'm sure some of it was scripted, but he answered questions without missing a beat. We learned quite a bit in the 45 minutes between the docks, but I couldn't concentrate with all the beauty presented before us.

Start with the water: Blue like I'd never seen before. So blue it didn't look real. Now look up 1,000 or 2,000 feet to the rim above you. It's almost a vertical cliff and more than anything else the sheer scale drives home how big an event the eruption of Mt. Mazama was. As you get closer, the perfect cone of Wizard Island becomes concrete rather than abstract. It doesn't seem possible nature could create something so symmetrical out of rocks.

Once we landed on the island we had three hours to explore before our boat left to complete the tour. We chose to head up to the summit of Wizard Island and hopefully get back down in time to visit Fumarole Bay, too.

Wizard Island is a cinder cone that grew out of the caldera (it's actually a caldera, not a crater, btw) before going extinct. The summit is about 765 feet above the surface and the trail is about a mile long. That makes it a decent climb, but it's made easier by a well designed and maintained tread. All along you get views across the water, but nothing beats the views from the top.

All around you is the crazy blue lake bound by vertical cliffs. Looking down into Fumarole Bay you'd be excused for thinking it was a tropical island given the turquoise and green as the water's depth changes. There are a few isolated pools among the volcanic rock that glow a magnificent green.

The summit itself has a short trail that circumnavigates the Witch's Caldron, a 100 foot deep depression in the center of the cone. White Bark Pines, gnarled by the harsh conditions, provide a stark contrast with the blue waters below. Although we could easily have stayed all day on the summit we hadn't the time.

We hustled down and followed the much rougher trail toward Fumarole Bay. I had hoped to get to the pools of emerald water, but we couldn't get there before our turnaround. We did have enough time to dip feet and heads in the lake, though.

Back on the boat we had about an hour boat ride continuing counter clockwise around the lake. While the first boat ride had been impressive, but without distinguishing features, the second boat ride was full of individual sights. We saw a glacier that is actually growing, a swath of green around a waterfall, the Phantom Ship, and the Pumice Castle. Each was expertly explained by our Ranger-Guide.

Sadly, the trip did come to an end as we pulled back in to the dock at Cleetwood Cove. We were gratified that we had chosen the morning trip and had nothing planned after. Trying to squeeze anything else into a visit to Wizard Island would be too much. Instead of being stressed and pushing, we had a magical day in one of Oregon's Seven Wonders.

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When you go to Crater Lake National Park be sure you carve out a day for a Wizard Island tour, but don't make it fixed in stone. It seems reasonable you will be able to buy tickets the day before so if you have multiple days when you could go hold off until the weather is right. Go in the morning before it gets too hot. Get up Wizard Island quickly and spend your time on the summit and in Fumerole Bay. Finally, wear boots with ankle protection because the rocks are amazingly sharp.