Facilities at Olympic National Park’s Lake Crescent Lodge are undergoing extensive renovations that are expected to be mostly complete for the 2012 spring opening.

The four Roosevelt Fireplace Cottages will open with new furnishings, draperies, and remodeled bathrooms that include decorative tile, new flooring, and pedestal sinks. These cottages are the lodge’s most expensive and difficult to reserve rooms. We know, because we have never been able to bag a night there.

The 13 one- and two-bedroom Singer Cottages will have new roofs, furnishings, draperies, and remodeled bathrooms. Landscaping surrounding the cottages, including the walkways and lawns, will be restored.

Lake Crescent facilities also include three motel-type buildings, each with ten rooms that will undergo significant changes. Our favorite of the three, Marymere, will have new furniture and updated bathrooms. Pyramid rooms will have new draperies, soft goods, and furniture moved from the Singer Cottages. Storm King will have new drapes, soft goods, and its bathrooms will be totally gutted and restored.

The main lodge building, constructed in 1916 when it was known as Singer’s Lake Crescent Tavern, will have second-floor administrative offices converted into three additional guest rooms bringing the total number of guest rooms in this building to eight. All these rooms are on the rooms are on the second floor and require guests to utilize community showers and bathrooms. Rooms in the main lodge are the least expensive guest rooms at Lake Crescent Lodge.

Here's a video of the grounds from our visit last year:

Olympic National Park concessions specialist Lisa Hilt said nearly all renovation expenses are being absorbed by ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, concessionaire at Lake Crescent Lodge since 2010.

Neither ARAMARK nor the National Park Service would indicate the expense associated with the renovation. ARAMARK won a 10-year contract for the lodge that was formerly managed by Forever Resorts following its acquisition of National Park Concessions.

ARAMARK is also the concessionaire for Sol Duc Hot Springs and Kalaloch, two other lodging facilities in Olympic National Park, and for nearby Lake Quinault Lodge in Olympic National Forest. The park’s other lodging facility, Log Cabin Resort, is currently without a concessionaire