, 1923-02-22

scouts. Campfire Girls and their friends. There
were ample hotel and camp accommodations ano
sport programs.
So much for winter sports in New England ant
the East. Now for n jump across the continen
to national parks of the Scenic West.
Right here. however, it is well to note that oui
national park system, containing nineteen reserva
tions. offers all-year attractions to the tourist
aside from the question of winter sports. Three OF
our national parks are all-year resorts-Grand Can
yon, Hot Springs and Hawaii.
Yosemite, Mount Rainier and Rocky Mountain
are the three Western national parks where the
winter merrymakers most do congregate. They are
all three easily accessible. They all three Offer
magnificent scenery. They all three offer natural
Fairgrounds unsurpassed in the world. Enthusiasts
believe that a very few years will see them as full
of visitors In winter as In summer.
Yosemite is now an all-year national park under
the auspices Of the national park service. There
were ASP visitors from November /. 1921. te
March l, 1922. and the attendance this winter has
been much greater. Most of the merrymakers STICK
to the floor of Yosemite Valley which is sheltered
The harder spirits climb to Glacier Point on the
heights above. In a year or two there Will be a
model winter hotel. an all-year motor road into the
valley and maybe a mechanical lift to Glacier Point
Yosemlte's Christmas tree is "A living Sequola. &C
feet high.
Mount Rainier has unusual sport in the snow be
cause of its topography and climatic conditions.
The mountain Is 14.40S feet high and. with Its
stones, covers 100 square miles. Its lower slopes
are heavily timbered. Then there is n flower zone
Then comes the everlasting snow and Ice. SO Wis
Itors bent on winter sport can have II the year
round. The big hotel in Paradise Valley (5,4OO ele-
vntIou) Is close to the snow and Ice. The season
officially begins June II. The international ski
tournament Is held I'm July each year. So you can
have winter sport one day and summer sport the
next. .
Rocky Mountain National park offers absolutely
the real thing In the way Of play In the snow with
lack Frost. Fern Lake with Odessa Lake close
hv) has been selected for winter sports and Is n
natural playground tucked away in n deep valley
ON the enst slope. right under the giant peaks OF
the Continental Divide. It's ten miles or so from
Estes Pnrk, the east entrance to the national park.
Won can get part way from Estes Park by nutomo-
bIle. Then the road quits. Then you've got to hit
the trnIl on snowshoes or skis, md you've got to
baul in your durel by toboggnn. why7 Because
the snow Is too deep for n packhorse; you're trnv.
cling nm among the branches NJ the pine trees. And
whom YOU get 10 Fern Lake you'll live In log cabins.
And there's the lake $500 e%levation) In front Of
Won and natural toboggan slides and ski-runs be-
hind YOU and snowshoeing everywhere. Magnii'
cent scenery Is all around yon.
Though there were i,0ii.J02 visitors 10 the ma.
,tonol marks last summer. the American people are
only lust beginning to know something about these
nublic Fairgrounds. For example,. the average
American assumes that because Rocky Mountain
National park Is perched on the Continental Divide
IL is terribly cold in winter. Well. the report ~ the
United States weather bureau for the seven days.
january 111T. 1928. shows these maximum temper
atures A. AZ. 40. ~. IS, 30. 80; minimum tempera.
lures, 30, 10. %. II. %. II, 30.
Nearly 1000 rcd-blooded visitors have had the
fun OF getting up 10 Fern LIKE and down again
this winter. to say nothing Of the playground Joys
The climax OF the fun Is the two weeks ut the end
of February aud the beginning OF March.