The Holly chieftain., 1923-02-22
SCH1

scouts, Campfire Girls and their friends There
we're ample hotel and camp Accommodations and
sport programs 10y
So much for winter sports in New England and
the East. Now for jump across the continent
to national parks of the Scenic West
Right here, however, 1t Is we'll to note that our
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 allyear 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 oner
magnificent scenery. They all three offer natural
Fairgrounds unsurpassed in the world. Enthusiasts
believe that very few years will see them as full
Of visitors In winter as In summer.
Yosemite Is now all-year national park under
the auspices Of the national park service. There
4,1S2 visitors from November l, 1921. to
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
model winter hotel, an all-year motor road Into the
valley and maybe mechanical lift to Glacier Point.
Yosemites Christmas tree Is living Sequoia, w
feet high.
Mount Rainier has unusual sport in the snow be-
cause of its topography and climatic conditions.
The mountain is 14,4O3 feet high and. with Its
slopes, covers 100 square miles, Its lower slopes
are heavily tlmbered. Then there Is flower zone
Then comes the everlasting snow and Ice. So Wis
Itors bent on winter sport can have 1t the year
round The big hotel in Paradise Valley g. 400 ele
yation) Is close to the snow and ice. The season
officially begins June 10. The international ski
tournament Is held In 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
Jack Frost Fern Lake with Odessa Lake close
by) has been selected for winter sports and is a
natural playground tucked away In deep valley
on the east slope, right under the giant peaks OF
the Continental Divide. It's ten miles or SO from
Estes Park the east entrance to the national park
You can get part way from Estes Park by automo
bile Then the road quits Then you've got to hit
the trail on snowshoes skis, and you've got to
hau In your dufel by toboggan Why? Because
the snow Is too deep for packhorse; you're trav
cling up among the branches Of the pine trees. And
when YOU get to Fern Lake you'll live In log cabins
And there's the lake (s,5OO elevation) in front of
YOU and natural toboggan slides and skruns be-
hind you and snowshoeing everywhere. Magnif
cent scenery is all around you.
Though there were ,044,502 visitors to the ma
t,ona marks last summer, the American people are
only Just beginning to know something about these
public Fairgrounds. For example, the average
American assumes that because Rocky Mountain
National park is perched on the Continental Divide
II ia terribly cold In winter. Well the report OF the
United States weather bureau for the seven days.
January 11-17, 1923. shows these maximum temper
atures: A. Al, 49, 81, 4s, So so; minimum tempera.
lures, 80. 10, %. II. %, IA. 80.
Nearly 1900 red-blooded visitors have had the
fun Of getting up to Fern Lake and down again
this winter to say nothing Of the playground Joys
The climax Of the fun is the two weeks at the end
Of February and the beginning Of March.