New Crater Lake operator gets (mostly) positive review in its first year at the park

A new concessioner at Crater Lake National Park has been a breath of fresh air.

ExplorUS, the Kansas-based company in charge of Crater Lake’s lodging, dining, retail and boating operations, received a largely positive performance review from the National Park Service after its first year on the job, federal records show.

Explor Crater Lake, a subsidiary of ExplorUS that operates at the park, received a “satisfactory” review from the National Park Service in 2024, according to documents provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request. The federal agency’s Annual Overall Rating reports use a four-tiered system that assigns a concessioner a rating of superior, satisfactory, marginal or unsatisfactory.

ExplorUS took over the concessions contract in 2024 after the Na tional Park Service accused its predecessor, Philadelphia-based Aramark, of a litany of wrongdoings at Crater Lake, leading to the company’s ouster.

The latest performance review for ExplorUS is a big improvement over Aramark’s ratings at the end of its tenure in southern Oregon. In 2023, Aramark received an unsatisfactory annual review, following two consecutive years of marginal ratings. The reviews, combined with a series of detailed allegations and incidents included in the reports, surfaced by an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive, led the National Park Service to force Aramark out at Crater Lake.

After ExplorUS took over the contract last spring, company leadership promised a “clean turn of the page” at the troubled park – a promise that it appears to have kept. The National Park Service praised the company’s quick transition into the park, as well as its regular maintenance, work on major projects and good communication with park officials.

“This contract transition occurred in April right before opening for the season – a challenging situation for a new company with little familiarity with the complexities of the Crater Lake concession operations,” Scott Clemans, region spokesperson for the National Park Service, said over email. “Despite that, the ExplorUS team ensured that their operations opened on time and met the needs of park visitors.”

While largely positive, the 2024 review isn’t entirely glowing.

The National Park Service knocked Explor Crater Lake for poor health inspections at the Crater Lake Lodge and Annie Creek restaurants throughout the season, records show. Inspectors found ongoing issues with food labeling, storage and cleanliness, as well as kitchen areas in need of repair, according to the report. Subsequent inspections showed improvement at the lodge, as the concessioner proved to be “very open and motivated” to make changes, the report said – though issues persisted at Annie Creek.

The company also failed to submit proper insurance documents, including a list of required reports at the start of its contract, according to the review. Explor Crater Lake finally submitted documents in November following multiple requests, the National Park Service said, but a third-party auditor found the company’s coverage was not compliant with its contract. However, those issues now seem to be resolved: Clemans said the company is “currently in compliance with all required insurance coverages.”

A single case of bed bugs was also reported in one of the employee dorms, which was reportedly contained to one bedroom and handled quickly, according to the review. The National Park Service chastised Explor Crater Lake for not reporting the incident, an oversight the concessioner chalked up to a miscommunication.

“The first season was filled with a lot of learning,” Will Boas, vice president of operations for ExplorUS, said in an emailed statement. “Given the extraordinary circumstances and short window of time before the park’s opening we are gratified by the positive visitor feedback we received over our first season and look forward to implementing more improvements for enhanced guest experience.”

Major issues that plagued Aramark’s tenure are largely absent from the ExplorUS review.

The Rim Dormitory, which houses up to 70 seasonal employees, had previously been singled out for its particularly poor condition, receiving a score of zero out of five on its 2023 inspection. In 2024, the dormitory received a score of three, with no reported incidents or significant issues. ExplorUS is in the beginning stages of rehabilitating or rebuilding the dorm – a long-awaited project that Aramark reportedly put off for years.

Explor Crater Lake also received positive marks for its environmental management, despite a “fuel release incident” last May, just after the company took over operations at the park. According to the annual review, a faulty heating oil tank at Crater Lake Lodge was mistakenly filled, spilling an unspecified amount of diesel fuel that was caught by a containment unit.

The incident echoes a similar event under Aramark’s watch in 2023, when the same tank at the lodge spilled approximately 4,500 gallons of diesel fuel into an underground concrete vault that is designed to catch spilled oil. No fuel was released into the environment in either incident, and the tank has since been repaired, the National Park Service and ExplorUS confirmed.

Unlike previous years’ reports, no incidents of sexual assault or sexual harassment among employees, or injuries to visitors, were reported in the 2024 review. The National Park Service said all incidents related the concessioner were included in the report.

Boas, when asked whether there were any challenges not present in the 2024 review, took the opportunity to laud Explor Crater Lake’s accomplishments last year instead.

“We implemented and completed many improvements in a short window of time with the installation of the new fuel tank at Mazama Gas station, multiple improvements to employee housing and renovation of the Rim Dorm, hiring a robust staff to service visitors,” Boas said. “Looking forward we have multimillion projects still to come.”