Development Concept Plan, Amendment To The General Management Plan, Crater Lake National Park, Mazama Campground/Rim Village Corridor
Visitor Services and Lodging
New Activity Center and Lodge
A new activity center, incorporating NPS interpretive functions, day use visitor services, dining facilities, and 60 guest rooms designed for year-round use, will be constructed in the Rim Village. The proposed location is a disturbed area adjacent to the existing cafeteria building (which will then be removed). The new facility design guidelines will be based on the architectural theme established in the park and most evident in the rustic style of the Munson Valley headquarters facilities. These guidelines address the basic principles of the rustic style – the use of native materials, complementary color schemes, scales, and sitings that harmonize with the natural environment – and significant features of the style’s historical application in the park. Public rooms will incorporate regional arts and crafts and appropriate rustic architectural detailing. Guest rooms will be comparable to new lodging facilities in other NPS areas and sized to accommodate families and individuals. The decor will be in keeping with the rustic architectural theme. The intent is to create a new facility that in time will become as much an NPS landmark as the nearby historic lodge is perceived to be.
The hotel and day use functions include a formal dining room, lounge with a view of the lake, a coffee shop designed to handle mid-day crowds as well as hotel guests desiring less formal dining, a gift shop (or possibly several smaller shops), and facilities for equipment rental in the winter. The coffee shop will conceivably offer table service in the morning and evening with a faster food service at mid-day. A limited number of employee quarters will be included in the hotel for key staff. In the winter, some guest rooms may be used by employees to ensure sufficient staff during periods when the park road may be closed. (Closures of up to three days have not been uncommon.) The facility will include indoor parking to provide covered winter parking for overnight visitors and storage for snow removal equipment and emergency vehicles.
Outdoor terraces will accommodate the large summer crowds, providing seating and a place to picnic and/or dine outdoors. Hopefully some terraces can be kept free of snow for use in the winter. Other, more secluded terraces, will be primarily for hotel guests. The new facility will be sited to minimize the problems of snow buildup that has plagued the existing lodge and the cafeteria building. Extensive wind tunnel testing, simulating winter conditions, has been used in studying preliminary designs, and additional tests may be conducted as design progresses. These tests are also being used to study the design of roads and parking areas.
Completion of the new hotel will provide winter lodging for the first time since the 1930s and will ensure that a range of accommodations suitable for individuals, families, and groups are available, particularly during the summer when the rehabilitated lodge, new hotel, and the Mazama cabins and campground are open.
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