Development Concept Plan, Amendment To The General Management Plan, Crater Lake National Park, Mazama Campground/Rim Village Corridor
PROPOSED ACTION AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
Recommended Plan
The recommended development concept plan is a variation of alternative C from the 1984 assessment, combined with elements from several of the 1987 alternatives. The plan provides a total of 220 lodging units in the park, +44 more units than were presented in any of the 1987 alternatives. (For comparison, the 1984 preferred alternative provided for a potential increase in overnight capacity ranging from 176 to 256 units, including 50 additional campsites at Mazama.) The plan proposes construction of a new lodge with approximately 60 rooms, a dining room, lounge, coffee shop, and some indoor parking in the Rim Village in a previously disturbed area adjacent to the existing cafeteria building. The new lodge will be designed for year-round use, serving both day visitors and overnight guests. Interpretive functions, including audiovisual facilities, multipurpose room, sales area, and exhibit spaces, will be incorporated into the design of the new lodge. Combining these functions will reduce the number of structures in the Rim Village and provide economies in construction and operation. Upon completion of the new lodge, the existing cafeteria building will be removed and the grounds restored and landscaped with native vegetation.
The existing parking areas adjacent to the rim will be removed and the area restored with native plantings and walkways to re-create the original historic landscape of the 1930s. Parking areas will be developed away from the rim in the previously disturbed cabin area and adjacent to the main park road in the general area of the existing septic system. The cabins have been removed. Excess roads in the picnic area, four comfort stations, and the community building will be removed. Informal picnic facilities will be provided adjacent to the new lodge. The Sinnott Memorial and the Kaiser Studio (rim visitor center) will remain. New access roads to the parking areas will also be developed. When completed, there will be five structures in the Rim Village compared to over 30 structures existing in 1984.
The historic Crater Lake Lodge will be fully rehabilitated to provide improved lodging facilities while preserving the historic character of the structure. The lodge will contain a restored dining room; exhibits with emphasis on the history of park architecture, the lodge, and the park; a restored but structurally modified Great Hall; and approximately 80 guest rooms with private bathroom facilities. Lodge rehabilitation will be carried out in accordance with the secretary of the interior’s “Standards for Historic Preservation Projects” and NPS-28, “Cultural Resource Management Guidelines.” A new access road (using existing picnic area roads) will be developed, and the parking area adjacent to the lodge will be relocated away from the rim. The existing employee dormitory in the Rim Village will remain.
The plan includes provisions for expansion of the approved cabin development at Mazama Campground (with emphasis on low-cost accommodations) and the development of concessioner housing, office, and management facilities in the existing developed area in Munson Valley. The exact location will be determined in a future NPS/concessioner housing study.
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