The electricity generated by OLT's hydroelectric plant is finite. Grid power is miles away. We can make about 62 kilowatts of continuous power. When people turn up their cabin baseboard heaters, that uses electricity. When people cook on the stoves, that uses electricity. When the dryers in the laundry room are spinning, that uses electricity. Vehicle campers that plug into those sites with electricity use electricity. When the air temperature is in the single digits, the water in the pools loses heat more quickly. The heated pools are heated by the electricity that is left over after all the primary uses. When it's cold and breezy, the pools will not be as warm.

A few years ago we had drought conditions and we couldn't generate as much electricity because there was less volume of water. When we removed the wood stoves in the cabins in an effort to eliminate fire danger, the cabins were then heated exclusively with electric heat. Now the cabins are heated geothermally and the baseboard heaters are used mainly to boost the temperature on cold nights. There are other ideas in the works to more efficiently use the available power. We would like the heated pools to remain a constant temperature. However, there are still trade-offs. The fact remains, when we use electrical power in other places there is less to heat the water in the heated pools.

Plan ahead - be prepared. The night time temperatures are cold. Indoor accommodations are typically reserved in advance. Winter campers have many choices and there is no tent site fee for tent camping October through April. Most winters, for most of the winter, there is snow on the ground. Winter campers should be prepared to clear the snow from their tent site to suit their needs. All visitors should bring good footwear, the trails can be slippery. A nice option is a good terry cloth bathrobe for wrapping up quickly as you get out of the water. The road is usually cleared but good tires make it easier to get around and provide a measure of safety as you travel on the highway. Watch the weather and check the road conditions. Winter days can be sunny and bright.

This December we remodeled the kitchenette and bathroom in the Visitor Center! The kitchenette has a new commercial refrigerator which required a wall being removed and refinished. The new fridge has a glass front and meat freezer which makes shopping more convenient. Cabinets were rehung and the kitchenette looks great! The bathroom walls, ceiling and floor were redone, including a beautiful mural! The remodel work was donated by Volunteer Adam Richards. Thank you so much Adam, we love the improvements!