Crater Lake Historic Rim Road Flyer Series

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road East Entrance & Pinnacles Valley Segments, 1913

East Entrance & Pinnacles Valley Segments Construction of Rim Road began in 1913 at the park’s historic east entrance located on Pinnacles Road. Crews worked northwest towards Lost Creek where Rim Road would split to begin its circuit.

While much of this section of the historic road was covered by the later Rim Drive, two segments have remained: the East Entrance segment located near the modern Pinnacles Overlook, and the Pinnacles Valley segment from Sand Creek rim to Wheeler Creek crossing. These two sections of historic road, both now largely overgrown by Lodgepole Pine, were the first legitimate roadway to offer access to the park.

When travelling the modern day Pinnacles Road or hiking the Pinnacles Overlook trail it is difficult to discern the original roadway. Small remnants of this time in the park’s history however are still present on the landscape. At the terminus of the East Entrance segment, at the park’s boundary, are two interesting historic features.

An original concrete and metal park boundary marker likely placed in 1908 is located just off the end of the Pinnacles Overlook trail. Before this marker, and hard to miss, is an original stone entrance pylon from 1937. This large masonry feature held an entrance welcome sign from its wooden arm until quite recently. The farther north segment of historic roadway, the Pinnacles Valley Segment, was the location of an Army Corps camp established in 1913 when construction of the road began. This camp would have acted as the headquarters for crews working that summer and as a location to store tools and materials. After the east entrance segments were completed the camp was converted to a designated campground for visitors and remained as so until the 1920s.

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Pinnacles Road

Rim Road Rim Drive Park Boundary

Pinnacles Valley Segment

Pinnacles Overlook

Why did the Army Corps begin Rim Road to the east of the park?

The East Entrance was the natural location for the beginning of roadway construction due to the proximity of a railroad stop. A temporary road already existed from the rail stop in Kerr to the parks northeast boundary. This allowed crews to more easily transport tools and materials to this location in the park than

East Entrance Segment

Dust on East Entrance Road, circa 1920s.

When constructing early roads in National Parks, approaches and viewpoints were important considerations for engineers and designers. Roads were purposefully placed on the landscape to enhance the visitor experience by following natural curves and ridges and framing sublime views. These sections of historic Rim Road did just that, by edging close to the side of the Pinnacles Valley in certain locations to allow views of the valley’s geological features and steep walls.

Stone entrance pylon constructed 1937, 2018.

Pinnacles Road, 1917.

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road Grayback Segment, 1914

Grayback Segment Once construction of the Pinnacles Road from the original East Entrance was completed, crews began to simultaneously move both north and west along the planned circuit. This segment of the original Rim Road constructed in 1914 was the first section completed to the west of Lost Creek. Five miles of this original section remain intact today repurposed as Grayback Drive, a road accessible to visitors on foot or bicycle. Another smaller section, only a half mile, has been repurposed as part of the Crater Peak Trail. Both of these sections helped develop access to the Munson Valley area, which was home to the headquarters of the Army Corps. This area was significantly changed in the 1930s by the addition of rustic style buildings, an architectural style characteristic of the park service at that time.

The Grayback segment is a unique remnant of the historic Rim Road as it is one of the few segments in the park to have been almost completely maintained. Due to its use as a motor nature trail and now as a road accessible to park vehicles (and hikers), it has been re-graded as necessary and maintains its 16 foot width. In some sections of the road, past efforts of surfacing with oil to reduce road dust are still visible. While hiking this meandering road consider the crews that cleared and graded along the ridge with tools available at the time. A testament to the ingenuity needed by these crews used to stand near this segment of the roadway in the form of a rock quarry and crusher. This site was constructed for the purpose of surfacing the road with gravel, a plan which never came to fruition. Due to the remote location of Crater Lake it was necessary for road crews to source as much material on site, hence the quarry.

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Rim Road Rim Drive

Park Headquarters East Rim Drive

Administration building, 2009.

The Grayback segment was laid out in a manner so as to entice early automobile visitors with framed views after travelling through thick forest and up winding curves along the ridge line. Drivers passed through various ecotones, the area where different ecological communities meet, as they ascended the ridge. After nearly 2.5 miles drivers would reach vistas stretching to the south with views of the upper Klamath Basin, Crater Peak, and Sun Creek Canyon.

The solitude and beauty of the Grayback segment was so alluring that in 1968 the road was established as a one-way auto nature trail for visitors.

Grayback Segment

Rim Road finish grading, date unknown.

Grayback Segment rock crusher, 1917.

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road Lightning Springs Segment, 1915

Lightning Springs Segment In the summer of 1915 Crater Lake Lodge opened its doors to visitors to the national park. Although crude at the time - with little electricity, thin walls, and no private restrooms - the lodge provided an alternative to car camping. That same summer, Army Corps crews continued an extensive grading operation to link the location of the new lodge, Rim Village, to the foot of Watchman. This new section of Rim Road culminated at the Lightening Spring Segment, a particularly challenging and beautiful segment of the roadway.

After reaching the base of Watchman at the end of the 1915 season engineers were faced with a difficult decision. Originally surveyors had wanted Rim Road to continue and cross the east face of Watchman, facing towards Crater Lake. This approach would have provided stunning and terrifying views for visitors. Due to the high cost of this alignment two other options were also considered: the construction of a bench road along the east side and the alignment of the road to the west of Watchmen. Ultimately it was decided that for the sake of crew safety, funding, and variety in views, the roadway would travel to the west of Watchmen during the 1916 season.

This alignment would provide views of the mountains to the west of the park, while the S-curve in the Lightening Springs segment provided the last view of the lake before travelling west.

Much of the Crater Lake Lodge you see today is unoriginal.

Watchman Overlook Lightening Springs Segment

S-curve section of road near the Watchman, 1917.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the aesthetic considerations of roadway engineering appears on the Lightening Spring segment. While ascending to the base of Watchmen from Lightening Springs, the road aligns in an S-curve, providing stunning views of the lake and Wizard Island. Engineering this alignment and the rest of the Lightening Springs segment in 1915 was no simple task. The steam shovel worked double shifts to grade the steep and rocky terrain. Morale and efficiency also waned as the crews reached higher elevations. At the end of the summer season however, lodgers at Crater Lake Lodge could drive their automobiles all the way to the base of Watchman, further north than anywhere else in the park.

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Rim Road Rim Drive

Crater Lake Lodge, 1917.

After decades of inadequate maintenance, the National Park Service completely rehabilitated the building. From 1989 to 1994 most of the lodge was reconstructed. Careful attention however was paid to retain the parks historic appearance while improving its safety and longevity.

Crews moving the steam shovel, 1915.

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road Watchman Segment, 1916

Watchman Segment As hikers being the initial ascent to the popular Watchman lookout they are following a remaining piece of the historic Rim Road. All the way from the north side of Watchman to the Devils Backbone, Rim Road’s historic route has been repurposed as part of the Rim Trail. Almost this entire section can be hiked, allowing modern visitors to experience the same journey taken by some of the parks earliest visitors in automobiles.

While the Watchman Lookout may appear to be the most historic aspect of this segment, the lookout was actually constructed 15 years after the road was completed. The trail that ascends Watchmen, east from the initial direction of the trail, was not part of the original Rim Road. The challenges of constructing this section of Rim Road were exacerbated by the need to haul water for the steam shovel to the work site. Along with needing fuel in the form of wood to run, steam shovels needed a supply of water. This water was hauled from Lightening Springs, climbing over 1,000 feet in elevation to reach the work crews. Late snow was also a challenge during the summer of 1916. Crews had to remove snow by hand from areas of the projected roadway. In other area the snow banks were so large that blasting was required to reach solid ground. In early November, after only being able to work for 3 months, a heavy snow storm hit the park and crews were forced to abandon there work at Devils Backbone.

How did Steam Shovels work?

Watchman Segment

Benching on Watchmen, 1917.

Constructed in 1916 this segment of Rim Road is one of the most spectacular in the park for its views, variety, and placement on the landscape. This segment took park visitors through forests of white bark pine and hemlock, up winding ascents, and to stunning views of Crater Lake and Wizard Island.

Much of this segment of Rim Road employed dry stacked masonry as benching and this is still evident today, particularly on Watchman. Benching helped provide stability for the roadway but proved hard work for road crews who constructed the walls by hand. High altitude on sections of this segment, the possibility of rock falls, a short and cold summer in 1916, and a lack of fuel for the steam shovel made the Watchmen Segment a challenging task for the USACE.

Watchman Overlook

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Rim Road Rim Drive

Snow removal on Watchman, date unknown.

Steam Shovels, invented in 1796, used the power of steam to move earth almost 25 times faster than the average man. A fire, stoked by a worker, heated a large water tank which then transferred steam to pistons to supply mechanical power to the arm of the Steam Shovel. Along with the worker tending the fire, one man controlled the arm and another watched the ground for sparks that could ignite fires.

Temporary USACE camp on Watchmen, 1917.

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road Cloudcap Segment, 1917

Cloudcap Segment The Cloudcap segment of the historic Rim Road deftly traverses some of the highest elevations crossed by the original road. From just past Cloudcap overlook to nearly the Grotto Cove overlooks, this one mile segment is only overlapped by the modern road for less than one mile and retains most of its original viewpoints. Following gentle curves, the roadway passes through mountain hemlock and Shasta red fir, ascending Cloudcap to reveal stunning views of the lake and Wizard Island.

Along with two preserved viewpoints, this segment of Rim Road has also retained some of its original drainage and retaining walls. While drainage efforts in the form of ditches and slopes can be seen on many of the remaining segments of Rim Road, the Cloudcap Segment still has an original culvert. The culvert, a tunnel which allows cross drainage, no longer functions but its presence provides insight to the engineering required to build a roadway in the early 20th century. At another place on the road a large section of historic dry stacked masonry retaining wall is evident and can be viewed best from the modern Rim Drive. Retaining walls are designed to resist the lateral pressure of soil. On the Cloudcap segment the use of a retaining wall allowed engineers to build the roadway up with fill along a steep slope.

Although road engineering has changed significantly since the early 1900s some practices have remained the same.

Cloudcap Segment

Cloudcap Overlook

Overlook on Cloudcap Segment, 2018.

In 1917 roadway crews picked up where they had left off grading in 1915, when grading connected Sentinel Rock to Cloudcap. This previous work had taken nearly a month and a half and relied largely on the work of the steam shovel to create heavy sidehill cuts. During the summer of 1917, after another longer than expected winter, crews moved north and began to descend Cloudcap to Skell Head. This 1.2 mile preserved section travels much closer to the rim of the caldera than Rim Drive and provides two overlooks teetering on the edge of the rim.

Due to road obliteration efforts in the 1930s, the entrances to Rim Road off of Rim Drive on the Cloudcap segment are largely hidden. Within the forest however much of this segment lies untouched, retaining much of its historic character.

East Rim Drive

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Rim Road Rim Drive

Overlook on Rim Road, date unknown.

When driving along the modern Rim Drive keep an eye out for culverts, often hidden by rocks or vegetation.

These modern culverts are very similar to the historic culverts used on Rim Road. Despite decades of technological improvements in road engineering, this simple method of cross-drainage has remained largely the same.

USACE camp, 1917.

Crater Lake’s First Circuit Road Before the modern Rim Drive encompassed Crater Lake’s deep blue waters an earlier road offered visitors the opportunity to traverse Oregon's only national park. Rim Road, constructed between 1913 and 1918 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowed daring visitors to travel the circumference of the lake by automobile. This original road was constructed in segments stretching both north and west beginning at the park’s original east entrance.

Using only simple tools available at the time - like hand tools, horse drawn plows, and steam shovels Rim Road’s construction was a daunting task undertaken before the National Park Service was even established. Crews of men worked every summer season for nearly six years to create the 12 to 16 foot wide unsurfaced roadway, battling with late snow, high altitude, and difficult terrain.

Archeological resources and sites are protected under federal law. If you find archeological artifacts within Crater Lake National Park please do not disturb them. Inform a Park Ranger of the location and nature of your finding. Your cooperation will help preserve the unique history of Crater Lake.

Drivers on Rim Road, date unknown.

While Rim Road initially served its purpose as a circuit around Crater Lake, by the 1920s changes in automobile technology made the roadway unsuitable. In 1931 construction began on the modern Rim Drive, the roadway visitors still use to enjoy the sights of Crater Lake. Although Rim Road’s tenure in Crater Lake was short, it represents a technological feat and is part of the larger history of automobiles in America’s national parks.

Crater Lake, 1912.

Text & Design: Althea R. Wunderler-Selby, Greg Hartell Internship in Historic Preservation, 2018 Editor: Stephen R. Mark, Crater Lake Park Historian Published by the Crater Lake Natural History Association

The Original Rim Road Grouse Hill Segment, 1918

Grouse Hill Segment

In the summer of 1918 crews began work on the last remaining section to complete the circuit of Rim Road. Only twelve miles remained, and despite a late start due to funding issues and labor shortage, a vehicle drove the complete circuit for the first time on October 3, 1918. While enough labor was obtained, many of the men were inexperienced, so much of the grading on the Grouse Hill segment was completed by hand using shovels. Along with finishing the circuit road these crews also replaced some of the park’s temporary wooden bridges with fill. Despite these improvements and the completion of the circuit the USACE estimated that only 44% of the project was complete in 1918. Much of the remainder yet to be completed involved surfacing and paving, which never came to fruition due to a lack of funding exacerbated by World War I.

The construction of Rim Road from 1913 to 1918 was rife with challenges. When exploring this final segment of the road consider two things: how did crews communicate across extreme distance and harsh environments, and how was water supplied to crews stationed at various locations within the park throughout the span of construction? The solutions to both of these questions were not simple. Over the course of the 5 year project crews strung telephone line to each new camp location. Some of this original telephone wire is still visible in trees along the Grouse Hill Segment. Water, both for consumption and to power steam shovels, was attained in various ways. When the crews were close to a spring water was hauled by wagon. In other areas too far from a spring, pumps were constructed to draw water up from the surface of the lake to a camp. One such pump was used to supple water to a camp located near the Grouse Hill Segment.

North Junction

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Rim Road Rim Drive

Drivers on Rim Road, 1920.

This remaining section of Rim Road began in an open pumice field, travelling through mountain hemlock and Shasta red fir forest, until reemerging high above the lake for a picturesque view. Today the Rim Trail, from North Junction until the trail terminates at the PCT, follows the path of the Grouse Hill segment. The roadway travels behind Llao Rock, further north than the Rim Drive, and is overlapped by the modern road for a small section, and then reemerges at Pumice Point close to the Rim of the caldera.

“First Car on Rim Road”, 1919.

Steam Shovel on Rim Road, September 1917.