Finding a suitable location and designing the earthwork for a discovery center in a hypothetical new state park

If the Quartz Creek watershed is ever acquired by the state for a park, there would be necessity to build several structures in order for it to run like a State Park. Many state parks have welcome centers with park and natural history information for all ages. Some even have vendors that serve food or cabins for people to stay in. In this example, I demonstrate how to find and calculate the earthwork involved in constructing a large welcome center on a scenic overlook. This site must be large enough to fit buildings, parking, necessary fire lanes and a hospital sized helipad.

By comparing the viewshed of each potential site, we can better quantify and qualify a "good" view. This can be done by comparing the furthest extent that can be seen, comparing the total viewable surface area, or by comparing the count of specific desirable or undesirable features within the viewshed.

Comparing the terrain of the best sites. More sloped area are more expensive to build on. While site #4 has a better view of South Sister, it is much steeper than site #3 and further from the main road.