NPS Photo BackgroundThe Cleetwood Cove Trail is the most heavily used trail in the park and the only permitted access to the shore of Crater Lake. Every year, thousands of park visitors hike this trail to swim, fish, sunbathe, take a concessioner-operated boat tour, or otherwise enjoy the deep-blue waters of the lake. The park is planning a construction project to rehabilitate the trail and related infrastructure to ensure safe access to the lake, provide needed visitor services, and protect the environment.
NPS Photo Project PurposeThe purpose of this project is to address critical safety issues with the Cleetwood Cove Trail and Marina while ensuring continued protection of the lake and surrounding environment.Project work includes:
NPS Photo Project NeedThe Crater Lake caldera is a dynamic environment with highly erosive soils making trail maintenance a challenge. Over the years, the trail has experienced severe tread loss and retaining walls have been undermined. Geotechnical studies completed in 2017 and 2018 identified rockfall hazard zones along the trail and recommended slope scaling (manually dislodging loose rocks and bounders from the slope and cliff faces that could fall) and other protection measures.The marina bulkhead and dock system failed in 2016 due to unstable slopes at the marina, rockfall damage, and high energy waves. This facility needs to be redesigned and replaced. Additionally, the marina restroom at the lakeshore has composting toilets that cannot keep pace with current levels of use. Project ScheduleThe park has finalized the design and anticipates awarding of a construction contract in late 2025. Construction is anticipated to begin in early summer 2026. The project may take two or more years to complete due to the very short construction season at Crater Lake. It is anticipated that the Cleetwood Cove Trail will be closed to the public during construction due to limited access and rockfall hazards. NPS will work to provide frequent updates on closures and attempt to maintain as much public access as possible.
NPS Photo Frequently Asked QuestionsWhen will the project to rehabilitate the Cleetwood Cove and Marina begin and how long will it last? The project is now scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026 and will take three years to complete due to the scale of the project and the short construction season at the park (July – September).Why is the project not starting until 2026? The project to rehabilitate Cleetwood Trail and repair the failing facilities at the Cleetwood Marina has many complex components. The National Park Service took the time and care to ensure the design met the needs of the project while protecting the park’s primary resource - Crater Lake. The significant annual snowfall at the Crater Rim limits access to the site and construction work to a few summer months. This summer, potential construction contractors will have the opportunity to visit the site prior to preparing construction cost proposals to ensure pricing is accurate and efficient. By the time a construction contractor is selected, and pre-construction preparations are completed, the remaining summer construction season will likely be too short to begin on-site work. We look forward to construction beginning in summer 2026. Why will the project take so long? This complex project has multiple components including rock scaling, trail rehabilitation, removal and replacement of the failed marina, and replacing outdated composting toilets. The Cleetwood Trail and Marina are in a remote part of the park with only trail access to the work zones. Crater Lake also has a very short construction season every year. The Cleetwood Trail and surrounding areas are not usually free of snow until mid to late June. Snow can return to the park as early as mid-September. That's why it will take 3 summers to complete less than one year's worth of work! Will the park be open during construction? Yes! The park and all other operations will remain open during construction, and it is possible to get excellent views of the lake from many locations along Rim Drive and park trails. Visitor can have a great experience at the park without hiking the Cleetwood Trail. Why does the trail need to be closed to do this project? It will not be safe for the public to be on the trail or at the lakeshore during construction. Loose rocks will be knocked down from the caldera wall and no one can be in the area when that is happening. The trail will be completely torn up and impassable to make the greatly needed improvements to the trail surface and retaining walls. There will be frequent helicopter trips to remove materials from the failed bulkhead and move materials to the construction site along the lakeshore. The Cleetwood parking lot will also be closed to stage all the construction operations and materials needed on site. Will anyone have access to the lakeshore during the construction? For safety and to facilitate work on the project (which includes rock scaling along the caldera wall), the Cleetwood Trail will be closed to the public during construction. As a result, there will be no public boat tours on the lake during the summers of 2026, 2027, and 2028. The long-term lake monitoring program will continue during construction. How many people hike the Cleetwood Trail each year? The Cleetwood Trail is the most heavily used trail in the park, and an average of 54,000 park visitors hike the trail each year. That is about 10% of park visitors. There are many ways to enjoy the lake and experience the park. 
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Last updated: April 2, 2025