Roads at Crater Lake National Park are gradually opening for visitors.

Along with the North Entrance Road, which was cleared of snow and opened late last week, a portion of East Rim Drive between the North Junction and Skell Head is open for vehicle travel. The section of East Rim Drive from Skell Head south of the park headquarters, including the Pinnacles Road, was still closed because of snow and the need to perform road repairs.

Opening the North Entrance is always a key factor in increased tourism at the park because it lures large numbers of visitors traveling from Bend, Roseburg and other areas who then drive to Rim Village before leaving the park by the South Entrance.

Likewise, visitors from Klamath Falls, Medford and Northern California enter by the South Entrance and exit through the North Entrance. Park officials note the road openings help disperse visitors, which relieves congestion along West Rim Drive and at Rim Village.

Superintendent Craig Ackerman said that despite more than 600 inches of snow over the winter, warming temperatures are allowing road crews to open sections of Rim Drive at a faster pace than during years of lower snowfall.

No date has been set for offering ranger-guided lake boat tours.

Three new, larger, quieter and more fuel-efficient boats were airlifted by helicopter to Wizard Island in late June to replace a trio of smaller, aging tour boats.

Along with allowing boat captains to become familiar with the new boats, the new crafts must be inspected and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard. Crater Lake Hospitality, the park concessionaire that manages lake boat tours, had hoped to begin offering tours this week, but current estimates indicate the rides could begin by mid-month.

Park officials said earlier this week that trails accessed by the closed section of East Rim Drive were also closed, include the Mount Scott, Plaikni Falls, Crater Peak, Castle Crest and Sun Notch trails. Other trails, including Watchman Peak and Garfield Peak trails, were also closed because of snow and ice. The Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only trail that accesses the lake, including the dock with the tour boats, is open.

The Steel Information Center in Munson Valley remains closed for ongoing construction. The Rim Village Visitor Center is open, as are the Crater Lake Lodge and Rim Village Cafeteria-Gift Shop and concession facilities near the South Entrance.