Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

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It's little wonder that Crater Lake – a vast water body formed by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama some 7,700 years ago – is so highly revered. The violent volcanic eruption, which caused the collapse of a tall peak, was witnessed by indigenous Americans and the story of the lake's creation has been passed down by the Klamath peoples, among others, in their oral legends. It became a sacred place to many who went to its waters to pray, mourn and seek understanding, as well as to hunt and forage. The deepest lake in the US, its startling clear blue waters still provoke feelings of awe.

Sacred and spiritually significant sites around the world (msn.com)

Crater Lake, Oregon, USA It's little wonder that Crater Lake – a vast water body formed by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama some 7,700 years ago – is so highly revered. The violent volcanic eruption, which caused the collapse of a tall peak, was witnessed by indigenous Americans and the story of the lake's creation has been passed down by the Klamath peoples, among others, in their oral legends. It became a sacred place to many who went to its waters to pray, mourn and seek understanding, as well as to hunt and forage. The deepest lake in the US, its startling clear blue waters still provoke feelings of awe.