CURECANTI NATIONAL RECREATION AREA: ELK CREEK VISITOR CENTER REHABILITATION

Along the Gunnison River, Curecanti National Recreation Area included a series of three reservoirs best known for water-based recreation such as salmon and trout fishing, but also offered hiking, boating, camping, and bird watching. The Elk Creek Visitor Center, located within the recreation area, provided park information, boat permits, interpretive displays, a book store, reservations for boat tours, etc. DHM designed improvements for accessibility to the visitor center as well as a general rehabilitation for the facility and its adjacent courtyard. Three design concepts were generated for the courtyard. Options included elements of rock wall, seat wall, and an amphitheater. The design reduced overall disturbance as feasible, and landscape disturbed by construction was restored to a native vegetated condition. In keeping with the native landscape and how the landscape is managed today, minimal evergreen and deciduous trees strategically located to maintain open views from the visitor center.