Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

On a wall inside the Crater Lake Lodge hangs a faded black-and-white photo taken in 1916, as guests gathered in the sun-lit dining room of the brand new lodge. Aside from their formal outfits, the scene looks almost identical today.



Crater Lake Lodge, perched on the southern rim of blue-hued Crater Lake, was completed in 1915, and aside from a few renovations over the past century – an expansion in the 1920s and '30s, and an extensive restoration in the '90s – it remains largely the same, for better or for worse.



Whether you rest in a leather chair by the fireplace, stare out at the beautiful lake or dine between timber and stone walls, it's all pretty much the same experience you would have had a century ago.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Rocking chairs line the deck of the lodge, looking out over Crater Lake.

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There's little need for the lodge to evolve. Owned by the National Park Service and run by private hospitality company Xanterra, the lodge is designed for simplicity and practical function. All 71 guest rooms take up the top three of four floors, while the main level consists of the lounge, restaurant, front desk and a small display dedicated to the building's history. A deck runs along the back side of the building, lined with rocking chairs that look out onto the lake.



Don't expect to find a game room, fitness center or other entertainment inside. Crater Lake itself provides the entertainment with hiking trails, boat tours and one of the most scenic roads in the Pacific Northwest. You don't come to the lodge to spend your time there; you come to the lodge to have comfortable accommodations in a beautiful national park.



Last week I stayed in a standard lakeside room at the lodge, which was small and cozy, the single window looking out onto a gorgeous slice of the lake. The bathroom was modern, the queen bed comfortable enough, the room offering just enough space for two people. The décor appeared dated to the 1990s, but that somehow felt more appropriate for a building stuck in time. After all, you don't spend much time staring at the walls.



Rooms run from $201 to $268 per night (as of fall 2018), and definitely require reservations in advance. Already rooms for next summer are filling up fast, as the lodge is open only from May to October because of snowy conditions the rest of the year.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The view from a window in a standard lakeside room.

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Downstairs, the lounge was warm and inviting, with ample seating around several fireplaces and beside big windows with views of Crater Lake. The blue from the lake spilled in with the light, mixing with the gray stone and dancing orange flames, casting a comfortable glow against the timbers that stood proud throughout the building. If the view wasn't so nice, it would be tempting to spend the afternoon in a big chair inside.



The restaurant retains that same rustic charm, but the food, too, is stuck in the past. Like many lodge restaurants in America's national parks, the menu offers a standard lineup of steak, chicken, fish, pasta and salad. The food, far from inventive, didn't exactly elicit excitement. I ordered the salmon, which was cooked well but buttery, accompanied by a bland side of risotto and roasted zucchini.



It's tempting to want something more from the restaurant, but its limited menu is an obvious result of that same practicality. Not only does the lodge need to feed a large number of people in a remote location, day in and day out, but its patrons come from around the world, and most surely don't arrive with expectations of high-concept food. If you want an inventive dining experience, go to Portland – at Crater Lake Lodge you just get dinner.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

One of several fireplaces in the common areas on the main floor of the lodge.

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Link: Crater Lake Lodge photos available to purchase

At the end of the day, the century-old lodge does what it's always done: give shelter to those visiting the rim of a lake in the crater of a collapsed volcano. Despite the amenities, Crater Lake remains a rough and rugged location, where snow banks in winter can bury the building, and one slip from the rim can send you tumbling to the rocks below.



In that setting, it can be comforting to have a hot meal and a warm room for the night. It's not luxurious by modern standards, but it doesn't need to be. Crater Lake Lodge offers a more rustic luxury, cozy with the necessary amenities. On the rim of the beautiful volcanic lake, it's hard to ask for more.



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The bed in a standard lakeside room.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Guests dine inside the lodge restaurant for dinner.

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Steven Nehl/The Oregonian

Wind blown snow drifts cover the historic lodge in winter.

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