Purpose of and Need for the Plan

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PURPOSE, NEED, AND SCOPING

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PARK

Crater Lake National Park is in southwest Oregon in the south- central portion of the Cascade Range (see Vicinity map). The park ranges in elevation from about 3,800 feet in the southwest corner of the park to just over 8,900 feet at Mount Scott. The flora of Crater Lake National Park is typical of the vegetation found throughout the Southern Cascades. Generally, the vegetation reflects a mosaic of forested and open nonforested areas. Vegetation ranges from a mixed conifer forest dominated by ponderosa pine at the south to high elevation mountain hemlock and whitebark pine forest at the rim. The park is regarded by many as a sanctuary for native forest and meadow communities.

Near the center of the park is the park’s most spectacular resource, Crater Lake. It is 1,943 feet deep, the deepest lake in the United States. The lake is in a caldera which was formed when the top of the 12,000- foot volcano erupted and collapsed. Over the centuries, the caldera has collected water from rain and snow to form the lake. It is about 5 miles in diameter and is surrounded by the jagged, steep- walled cliffs of the caldera left by the climatic eruption and collapse of Mt. Mazama about 7,700 years ago. The cliffs surrounding the lake rise from 500 to 2,000 feet above the lake’s surface.

From the rimmed summit, the land slopes gradually downward in all directions. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake. Evaporation and seepage prevent the lake from becoming deeper. Due to the topography, Crater Lake has no influent or effluent streams to provide continuing supplies of oxygen, nutrients, and fresh water. Crater Lake is considered a youthful lake with a high level of purity. The purity can be attributed to the absence of inflowing streams introducing minerals and other debris. The lack of dissolved minerals greatly restricts the growth of aquatic plants and the absence of sufficient carbonates inhibits the development of large shelled animals. The result is a high level of light penetration that exceeds other alpine lakes. Crater Lake holds the world record for clarity among lakes.

Visitors primarily come to Crater Lake National Park to view the lake. The inherit qualities of the lake and its setting provide breathtaking views from the rim of the caldera. The quality of the lake’s water enables sunlight to penetrate and create the renown blue coloration. The steep caldera wells and mirror- like reflections tinted in subtle shades. At times brilliantly blue; at other times buried in a mass of brooding clouds, Crater Lake has a mystic and inspiring quality.

The park encompasses approximately 182,304 acres and is heavily forested, except for a number of treeless and pumice- covered flats. The topography ranges in elevation from about 3,800 feet in the southwest corner of the park to 8,900 feet at Mount Scott, which is the highest point in the park. Streams originating on the slopes of the caldera form headwaters of the Rogue River to the west or join the Klamath Basin to the south and east. Steep- walled canyons cut in pumice, such as at Annie, Castle, and Sun Creeks, contribute to the ruggedness of the terrain.

Some of the nation’s best examples of blending rustic architecture and other built features within a national park setting can be seen in the park at Rim Village and at park headquarters in Munson Valley. This designed landscape was constructed over 15 years, beginning in 1926. Most of the features in these two areas are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Crater Lake superintendent’s residence at Munson Valley was designated a national historic landmark (NHL) because it is an outstanding example of rustic architectural design.

Crater Lake National Park is a vital element in a diverse regional recreation complex. Many visitors stop at the park as part of a north- south trip to various parks and scenic areas in Oregon and northern California. In southern Oregon, Crater Lake has historically been the leading visitor draw.

The park’s southern entrance station at Mazama Village is 76 miles from Medford and 56 miles from Klamath Falls and can be reached by Oregon State Route (OR) 62. During summer the park can also be reached from the north by OR 138. Both the south and north access roads lead to Rim Drive, a 33- mile roadway that circles the caldera rim. Pullouts along Rim Drive provide scenic lake views. Rim Drive is in the process of being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as part of an All-American Road ( as are south Highway 62, Munson Valley Road, and the North Entrance Road). Winter access is maintained only from the south and west on OR 62 through the Munson Valley headquarters area and up to Rim Village. Road closures, particularly between headquarters and the rim, are common during the winter because of frequent snowstorms.

Rim Village, at an elevation of 7,100 feet on the south edge of the Crater Lake caldera, has functioned as a year- round operation since 1948, although services are limited in the winter. Summer interpretive activities are provided from a small visitor contact facility near the rim and at the Sinnott Memorial overlook. The Sinnott Memorial is 25 feet below the rim on a precipitous cliff overlooking the lake. It has architectural significance as an expression of park rustic style in which the use of materials and siting blends seamlessly into the rim of the caldera. The Sinnott Memorial offers visitors a spectacular view of Crater Lake and is an ideal place to interpret the lake and caldera. Seasonal hotel accommodations are available at Crater Lake Lodge. Food services, gift sales, a picnic area, geology talks (summer only), and interpretive exhibits are also available at Rim Village.

Vicinity Crater Lake National Park

Mazama Village is about 7 miles south of Rim Village and is the primary overnight visitor use area in the summer. A campground, motel accommodations, a camper services store, shower and laundry facilities, a gas station, interpretive walks, and evening campfire programs are all available during the summer. The nearby Annie Spring entrance station is the first contact station where visitors arriving by way of OR 62 might encounter NPS staff during the summer.

Cleetwood is on the north shore of Crater Lake and is accessed from Rim Drive. It is about 6 miles east of the north junction where Rim Drive intersects the North Entrance Road. Cleetwood contains a parking area, a nonpermanent ticket sales structure, and a portable restroom at the rim. A trail descends the side of the caldera to the lake. The concessioner offers commercial boat tours of the lake, accompanied by NPS interpreters.

Park headquarters is about 3 miles south of Rim Village and serves as the center of NPS administration, maintenance, and housing. It also serves as the year-round visitor interpretation and orientation point. Park headquarters is in a historic complex of buildings at the central portion of the Munson Valley development area. Visitor information services and interpretive exhibits are provided in this complex at the visitor information center. Primary park administrative services are in the administration building. Storage and maintenance facilities are also in the park headquarters area.