Chemult, OR (CMO)

Located in a national forest, Chemult offers access to nearby Crater Lake. The area is also known for hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fishing and hunting opportunities.

Palmer/Kranz Street and Depot Street
Chemult, OR 97731

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $261,106
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 2,798

Ownerships
Routes Served
Contact
Local Community Links

Facility Ownership: Amtrak
Parking Lot Ownership: Union Pacific Railroad
Platform Ownership: Amtrak
Track Ownership: Union Pacific Railroad

Coast Starlight

Alex Khalfin
Regional Contact
governmentaffairssea@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Located a block off of the Dalles-California Highway (US Route 97) in Fremont-Winema National Forest, the Chemult station consists of a platform and a small building that stands on the far side of the parking lot. The structure, completed in November 2010, contains a waiting room and welcome center. It replaced an earlier metal shelter that was not insulated and therefore cold during the snowy winters common to the region while hot in the summers.

The station/welcome center features a random rubble stone base in tones of brown and grey; vertical board and batten wood siding; and a steep gabled roof designed to shed snow. Passengers may take a seat inside the waiting room or, in nicer weather, gather beneath the large and welcoming porch whose wooden rafter is exposed to show the component parts such as the king post, bottom chords, and trusses. The connections between these elements are further emphasized by prominent metal gussets. With its stone and wood accents, the shelter recalls the rustic architecture found in nearby national parks and forests.

Concurrent with the construction of the new shelter, Amtrak installed a 550-foot long, 8 inch high, concrete platform with tactile edging; ramps and sidewalks; and accessible parking spaces. Along the platform, a canopy and windbreak protect travelers from inclement weather. A kiosk in the waiting room provides information to rail and automobile travelers passing through the area.

Constructed through a joint effort of the Oregon Department of Transportation and Klamath County, with assistance from Amtrak and Fremont-Winema National Forest, the shelter/welcome center cost approximately $731,000. Funding was obtained from the following sources: $125,000 through ConnectOregon, a state grant program intended to improve transportation networks to foster economic development; $25,000 from Klamath County; and $581,161 through the Federal Highway Administration’s Forest Highway Program, which provides funding for the design, operation, and maintenance of public transit facilities on public lands. The project was eligible for the last program since Chemult is located in a National Forest. The new platform and ramps were funded by $150,295 made available through Amtrak’s Mobility First Program.

Chemult was established in 1924 as a station stop for the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Cascade Line. During construction it was known as “Knott.” The station’s name was changed to Chemult when the line opened and a post office was established in 1926. The name comes from a Klamath chief who was one of the 26 who signed the Klamath Lake Treaty on October 14, 1864.

The town lies southeast of Eugene, in a high, rugged region about 30 miles north of Crater Lake. The area is well-known for hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fishing, and hunting. In January, competitors vie for cash prizes during a series of popular dog-sled races.