Three observation bays are connected to the promenade with walls on both sides of the walk, but differ in being distinct pooling areas away from the main pedestrian circulation. In being built to take advantage of a view of prominence, each bay also represents a major structural undertaking. They vary in size and shape from one another, with the elongated Victor Rock Trail to the Sinnott Memorial being considerably different to a bay 400 feet east of the Kiser Studio which features a plaque commemorating the first NPS director, Stephen T. Mather. The third bay is a small loop walk below the lodge which forms an observation platform below the rim edge. Plantings were important to the design of all three bays and typically separate them from the main promenade. Portions of the promenade and bays have been rebuilt over the past 60 years, especially where slide areas in the caldera have undermined the wall. Large sections of the original structure, however, remain intact and serve as models for occasional reconstruction of segments prone to erosion. [3]
Small scale features include a variety of detail elements historically important to the designed landscape. These features added individual dimension to the design or collectively helped to define the rustic character of the landscape. Features in Rim Village are made of stone and include free standing boulders, benches, or masonry details such as steps and curbing.
Free standing boulders (as opposed to those incorporated within stone masonry) control vehicular and pedestrian circulation, accentuate planted shrubs or trees, and in some cases, were sculpted into drinking fountains. The campground contains a number of boulders used to delineate the limits of circulation, especially at points of entry and in areas intended for parking. They are also employed in heavily used places along the promenade such as the former Crater Wall trailhead. NPS crews also positioned boulders at this and other places on the promenade to lend interest to transplanted trees and shrubs. When used as drinking fountains, the boulders melded utility and design by going beyond the comparatively simple feature composed of pipe and bubbler to something reminiscent of a small spring among the rocks. The only one still in active use is adjacent to the Kiser Studio in one of the crosswalks. Not far away from it is a fountain incorporated into the parapet wall at the foot of the Victor Rock Trail. Hewn to resemble Crater Lake by a master mason named Joe Mancini in 1931, this is the only stone feature in the park to bear its sculptor’s name. Another boulder, albeit simpler, was formerly used as a fountain along the promenade near the Crater Wall Trailhead. It contrasts markedly with a “fountain” located in the campground, where pipes were fitted into a single rock six feet in height to achieve the effect of having three “bubblers” within the boulder which would run down its face. This feature may have been used as a horse trough since it is located near the bridle trail’s terminus.
The only stone benches in the district were built for the observation bay below Crater Lake Lodge. All three benches consist of a single rectangular slab, which is approximately four feet long, laid on two stone footings. Each was recessed into the slope but also has a backing consisting of rockwork similar to that used for the walls that delineate the bay.
Stone steps are masonry details built to allow for pedestrian circulation over abrupt changes in grade. Individual series of steps vary from 10 to 30 feet in length and are found throughout Rim Village. The best examples include steps which provide pedestrians access to the promenade across from cafeteria parking, two sets on the Victor Rock Trail, and those that lead to the observation bay below Crater Lake Lodge.
