Rim Drive

Infobox nrhp
name = Rim Drive
nrhp_type =hd


caption = Discovery Point viewing area
location = Crater Lake National Park
nearest_city = Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA
lat_degrees = 42
lat_minutes = 54
lat_seconds = 45
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 122
long_minutes = 08
long_seconds = 57
long_direction = W
built = 1926-1941
architect = John Sargent, Francis Lange, et al
architecture =
added = 2008
refnum = 08000041
governing_body = National Park Service

Rim Drive is a scenic highway in Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It is a convert|33|mi|km|sing=on loop that follows the caldera rim around Crater Lake. Because of the its unique engineering and the surrounding park landscape, the drive was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

History

Crater Lake lies inside a caldera created 7,700 years ago when the convert|12000|ft|m|sing=on high Mount Mazama collapsed following a large volcanic eruption. Over the following millennia the caldera filled with rain water forming today’s lake. [ [http://www.nps.gov/crla "Crater Lake - Like No Place Else on Earth"] , "Crater Lake National Park", National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, 8 March 2008.]

In 1886, William Gladstone Steel accompanied a United States Geological Survey party led by Captain Clarence Dutton to survey Crater Lake. During the visit, Steel named many of the lake's landmarks including Wizard Island, Llao Rock, and Skell Head. The lake’s natural beauty made a great impression on Steel. As a result, when he returned from the survey expedition, he began advocating that Crater Lake be established as a national park. [ [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/crlacr.htm "Park History"] , Crater Lake National Park, National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, 8 March 2008.]

On 22 May 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill making Crater Lake the Nation's sixth national park. The United States Department of the Interior was charged with developing road access and visitor services for the park. This was a difficult job because of the park’s remote location at the summit of the Cascade Mountains. By 1905, a "steep and tortuous" road to the crater rim had been completed. This access road was essential for the future development of the park. [Gilbert, Cathy A. and Gretchen A. Luxenburg, [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/rim/rimvill.htm#int "Historic Overview"] , "The Rustic Landscape of Rim Village, 1927-1941", National Park Service, Department of Interior, Seattle, Washington, 1990.]

In 1913, Congress appropriated funds for the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a road around Crater Lake. The initial road survey identified the northern end of Munson Valley, three miles (5 km) south of the rim, as the best site for the road crew's seasonal headquarters and supply depot. Not only was Munson Valley a central location, the surrounding area provided timber for constructing support facilities. However, World War I slowed down road construction. [Gilbert, Cathy and Marsha Tolon, [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/munson/munson.htm "History"] , "Cultural Landscape Recommendations: Park Headquarters at Munson Valley, Crater Lake National Park", National Park Service, Department of Interior, July 1990.]

The road around the lake was finally finished 1919. In July of that year, the National Park Service assumed responsibility for maintaining the new loop road known as "Rim Road". The roadway was only convert|12|ft|m wide and had other serious limitations including sections of road with grades as steep as ten percent. As a result, a major upgrade was needed soon after the original road was completed.Mark, Stephen R., [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/crla1/rimdrive2.htm "Construction of Rim Drive"] , "History of Rim Drive", National Park Service, Department of Interior, 2003.] Holleran, Patrick, [http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/CraterLake/CraterLake21.html#rimdrive "Rim Drive and Park Roads"] , "Park Vision", www.shannontech.com/ParkVision, 24 March 2008.]

Construction

the entire project was completed for two million dollars, a significant engineering accomplishment.

One of the main goals of the Rim Drive construction project was to blend the road into the natural environment. This was successfully accomplished. The road is built with gentle curves and there are no switchbacks despite the rugged terrain. Rustic stone guardrails were constructed along curves, at drainages, and at most of the Rim Drive viewpoints. While the observation points and turnouts provide spectacular views of the lake, the road itself cannot be seen from most of the observation points. Because of its unique history, engineering, stone masonry, associated hiking trails, and scenic vistas of Crater Lake, Rim Drive was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 30 January 2008.Mark, Stephen R., [http://ecfd.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/national_register_recent/klamath_craterlakenp_craterlakehd.pdf "Rim Drive Historic District"] , "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form", National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, 13 December 2007.] In addition, the American Automobile Association has cited Rim Drive as one of the ten most beautiful roads in the United States.

Route

, and Merriam Point). In addition to the main viewing areas, there are 15 turnout vista points along the road.

Heading northwest from the Crater Lake National Park headquarters in the Munson Valley Historic District, it is three miles (5 km) to Crater Lake rim and the Rim Village visitor area which is also a historic district. The Sinnott Memorial overlook is located in Rim Village. Leaving Rim Village, the speed limit is reduced to 35 miles per hour. Visitors reach the Discovery Point viewing area in just over one mile (1.6 km). From there, it is five miles (8 km) to the junction with the "North Entrance Road". Between these two way points visitors pass over the convert|7350|ft|m West Rim Summit. The section of Rim Drive between Rim Village and the North Entrance Road is known as "West Rim Drive". This part of the road is used heavily during the summer because it is the direct route between the park’s north and south entrances and passes by the Rim Village visitor area and the park headquarters at Munson Valley. It also offers classic views of Crater Lake and Wizard Island along the way.

Continuing north on Rim Drive past the North Entrance Road junction, visitors traverse the back side of Llao Rock. This is the beginning of "East Rim Drive". The next turnout for viewing the lake is approximately two miles beyond the North Entrance Road junction. Viewpoints along East Rim Drive are generally not crowded except at the Cleetwood Cover parking area which is at the north end of Crater Lake. Cleetwood Cove is the trailhead for the only hiking trail down into the crater. The National Park Service maintains a marina for boat tours at Cleetwood Cove.

Beyond Cleetwood Cove, Rim Drive becomes a one-way road running clockwise around the lake rim. Along this section of East Rim Drive there is a series of seven turnout-parking vista points. These turnouts retain almost all of their original stone masonry and offer spectacular views of Crater Lake. The first of these view points is located above Grotto Cove, about halfway around the lake from Rim Village. The next viewing area is Skell Head, about a half mile from Grotto Cove. The next five vista points are spread over the approximately seven miles. These stops are Cloudcap, Cottage Rocks, Sentinel Point, Reflection Point, and Kerr Notch. Each site provides a unique view of the lake and surrounding landscape include Mount Scott.

from near the East Rim Summit. Rim Drive then descends to the Sun Notch trailhead where visitors can hike to another viewpoint overlooking the lake. Rim Drive continues along the outer edge of Sun Meadow to a parking area in front of Vidae Falls, a convert|100|ft|m|sing=on cascade. Vidae Falls has a picnic area and a trailhead to a cinder cone called Crater Peak.

The final two miles (3 km) of Rim Drive passes by the Castle Crest Wildflower Garden. The half mile long Castle Crest Nature Trail takes visitor through a wetland wildflower meadow. The wildflower display is at its peak in July and August. Rim Drive terminates a half mile from the Castle Crest parking area, at the Munson Valley Road junction near the park headquarters and visitor center.

Access

Rim Drive has two access points. The south access begins at the park headquarters in the Munson Valley Historic District sixty miles north of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The road to Munson Valley is open year-around. However, snowfall in the park is heavy and winter storms make driving in the Crater Lake area unpredictable. [ [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/day.htm "Munson Valley"] , National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, May 2001.] [ [http://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/weather.htm "Weather"] , National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, 7 April 2008.]

. The North Entrance Road is closed in the fall and does not re-open until the following summer. [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/day.htm "Rim Drive"] , National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, May 2001.]

In the Crater Lake area, winter lasts eight months with an average snowfall of 533 inches (1,354 cm) per year, and many snow banks remain well into the summer. While the park headquarters and visitor center at Munson Valley and the Rim Village cafeteria are open year-around, Rim Drive is only open during the summer due to the heavy snowfall. In most places, the road is covered by more than convert|20|ft|m of snow with drifts as deep as convert|60|ft|m in some areas. Sensors buried in the roadway help snow removal crews locate the center of the road under the accumulated snow. [http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/brochures/facts.htm "Facts and Figures"] , National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, Crater Lake, Oregon, November 2001.]

During the summer, the National Park Service charges a $10 fee for private passenger vehicles entering the park. Commercial vehicles are charged between $25 and $200 depending on the vehicle's capacity.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/crla Crater Lake National Park]
* [http://www.nps.gov/ National Park Service]
* [http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/CraterLake/CraterLake21.html#rimdrive Park Vision - Crater Lake National Park]