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NATIONAL PARKS Crater Lake this summer: The place to be Comment By Lee Juillerat Klamath Falls Herald and News MailTribune.com By Lee Juillerat Klamath Falls Herald and News Posted May. 31, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jun 1, 2015 at 3:44 PM By Lee Juillerat Klamath Falls Herald and News Posted May. 31, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jun 1, 2015 at 3:44 PM » Social News CRATER LAKE — Major road and parking lot improvements, a possible Sister City agreement with China, the Crater Lake Lodge’s 100th anniversary, the National Park Service’s 2016 Centennial, expanded vehicle-free days and creation of a possible Crater Lake symphony are among many projects at a busy Crater Lake National Park slated for this season. “We’re expecting record numbers of visitors this year,” predicts park superintendent Craig Ackerman, who believes visitation for 2015, which peaks in July and August, will exceed the 530,000 figure reached last year. “I think this is going to be an over-the-top season.” Because of a major road and parking area construction project, some of this summer’s visitors may find travel in the park challenging. Ray Moore, Crater Lake’s chief of maintenance, said the first phase of a three-year $18 million project scheduled to begin in June will create delays for motorists along portions of Rim Drive between the North Entrance junction and Cleetwood Cove. This year’s focus will be reconstructing Rim Drive from the North Junction to Cleetwood Cove and completely reconstructing the Rim Village parking area between the outdoor restrooms and Crater Lake Lodge. At no time will the entire parking area be closed, but parking is expected to be limited. Motorists on impacted areas of Rim Drive could face delays of up to 30 minutes. Work on reconstructing and enlarging the Cleetwood Cove parking area, location of the only trail that goes to the lake, is planned for 2016. Cleetwood Cove trail, tour boats The Cleetwood Cove Trail isn’t expected to open until mid-June, when concession-operated tour boats will begin daily operations. Moore said the trail within the caldera rim “always needs a lot of work” because of damage caused by rockfalls, especially in low snowfall years. The two-hour long boat tours, which include talks by a park ranger, will be offered eight times daily with two tours available for stopovers at Wizard Island. In previous years, only two of the concessionaire’s three boats were used with the third kept at the Cleetwood Cove dock in case of an emergency. After discussions with the U.S. Coast Guard, it was learned holding a boat at the dock is not required. In case of emergencies, each tour boat has inflatable rescue rafts and a secondary motor. For the first time, a park ranger will be assigned to the Cleetwood Cove area, traveling between the rim and lake, to help prevent people from walking the trail with dogs, ensure trail walkers have adequate water and handle medical issues. Crater Lake Lodge Several to-be announced activities are planned in celebration of the Crater Lake Lodge’s 100th anniversary. The 72-room lodge opened for this season May 15. Mike Keller, Crater Lake’s manager for Xanterra, the park’s concessionaire, said commemorative products, such as plates and menu covers, will be offered along with a special program tentatively set for Aug. 25. Keller said some Mazama Village operations, including the cabins, stores and campground, will open this month. He said Crater Lake’s Xanterra staff will increase to 150 and 180 people later this month and reach a peak of about 210 during the summer. Sister City project Three delegates representing the Chinese province of Fujian spent three days at Crater Lake earlier this year during a tour of Southern Oregon. Ackerman said the Chinese government may send a larger delegation to the park in late June with the goal of signing a Sister City agreement between Crater Lake and Mount Wuyi World Heritage and Cultural Site. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have it done by November,” he said of signing an agreement. He said Mount Wuyi receives nine million visitors a year, compared to about 500,000 at Crater Lake, but noted the Chinese park does not have rangers or programs common in the U.S. “There’s a lot of benefit to their parks,” he said of why the Chinese support the Sister City program. “I saw plenty we can learn from them,” said Ackerman, who visited Mount Wuyi and said its shuttle system “would be the envy of any park in the U.S.” He also said tourism studies indicate China will have most inbound visitors from any country to the U.S. by 2017 “and they spend money.” Crater Lake is now planning to translate park brochures to Mandarin to accommodate Chinese visitors. Vehicle-free days Vehicle-free days, which proved successful beyond expectations last year, are planned to be offered yearly on the third and fourth Saturdays of September, or Sept. 19 and 26 this summer. In a significant change, this year’s vehicle-free days will include water stations, support vehicles, paramedics and rangers at selected locations, including Cleetwood Cove and Mount Scott. “It’s becoming really popular really fast,” Ackerman said of designated days when Rim Drive is closed to motorized vehicles from the North Entrance junction east to Cleetwood Cove and around the rim to Munson Valley. “The more you manage an event the more people will come. We’re looking at the potential for thousands of people,” he said, noting bicycling, running or hiking around portions or the entire 33-mile long Rim Drive is a non-polluting, positive activity that also serves as an economic boost to the park and neighboring communities. “What better way to see the park than on a bicycle?” 2016 NPS Centennial With the National Park Service anticipating its 100th anniversary in 2016, programs at Crater Lake and other NPS units are gearing up. Crater Lake will receive $53,000 for extra seasonal rangers. Marsha McCabe, Crater Lake’s chief of interpretation, said a selected seasonal ranger will help develop and oversee Centennial events, such as night sky programs. Crater Lake Suite Crater Lake has offered artist-in-residence programs for several years. The program allows emerging and established artists – painters, writers, graphic designers, photographers and others — to live and create art at the park for multi-week periods. Ackerman said the park is working with the Jacksonville-based Britt Music Festival, through a National Endowment of Arts grant, to work with a composer to develop a Crater Lake Suite. Under tentative plans, the Britt’s 90-member orchestra will debut the work at the park, probably in 2016. Following the inaugural performance, tentative plans call for smaller groups of the orchestra to perform the suite and other music near Rim Village and other lake viewpoints. By Lee Juillerat Klamath Falls Herald and News MailTribune.com By Lee Juillerat Klamath Falls Herald and News Posted May. 31, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jun 1, 2015 at 3:44 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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