Evening star., 1935-07-21
Holiday Land
Continued From Third Page.)

JSAA AbhJ R&RSA w WV - ~~~N -
still In seventh place, star route mail
carrier passes the camp twice daily.
Arrangements may be made with the
postman to secure for you vegetables,
fruit, etc., from farmers in the vicinity.
One trail of particular historical in
terest leads to Signal Knob, 4 miles
from the camp, which was used as q
signal station during the Civil War.
There are still evidences Of earthen
breastworkS.
NEW MARKET GAP FOREST
CAMP, elevation 1000 feet-From
New Market, Va, at the intersection
Of U. s. IL and 211, it is miles by
hard-surfaced road to the top Of Mas
sanutten Mountain where camp has
been provided one-half mile east Of
the top. The facilities are identical
with those at Elizabeth Furnace. The
Forest Service recommends the view.
North River Gap Forest Camp, ele-
vation 1900 feet - This camp Is "a
miles west of Harrisonburg, Va. by
hard-surfaced road. It contains about
acre and besides the usual facili-
ties, an open shelter for cooking in
bad weather. One-fourth of a mile
west of the camp Is Falls Ford, a small
waterfall, with a wading pool for chill
dren, young and old. The same dis
tance east, between the camp and
Stokesville, Va, is natural 'swimmin'
hole" Several good trout streams are
to be found in the vicinity and the
lucky disciples of Izaak Walton will be
able to reduce materially the cost of
their outing by catching dinner.
In permitting the Federal Govern
ment to acquire the national forest,
the State of Virginia did not cede over
its jurisdiction of fish and game. State
laws and county ordinances govern
hunting and fishing throughout the
George Washington Forest and non-
residents must obtain from the State
license costing from SO to SIS, &C
cording to the reciprocal charge in
their home State. No charge is i'm
posed by the Forest Service but hunt
ers and fishermen are expected to reg
lister with the forest supervisor or
nearest ranger and get registration
certificate. A store where supplies Of
all kinds may be bought operates in
Stokesville, one-half mile from the
North River Gap campgrounds.
Elliott Knob Forest Camp, eleva-
ton 4,400 feet-Elliott Knob is the
highest peak in the forest. 4,473 feet
above sea level. 1t Is possible to get
a car within 2 miles Of this camp, To-
Gated about quarter of mile below
the summit. The trail Is in good
shape for packing equipment. The
nights are uniformly cold; so the For
est Service advises "a goodly supply"
of blankets. A 3o-foot steel lookout
tower from which it is possible on a
clear day to see almost 100 miles in
every direction, has been erected on
the mountain top. This Is a real
ck-to-nature camp" the Forest
Service says.
Provision has been made in the
George Washington Forest for per-
sons who want to build Summer
homes At the head Of Fort Valley,
on Passage Greek, connected by q
good road with the Lee Highway at
Luray, so acres have been set aside
for this purpose. One hundred home
lots about rs by $50 feet have been
laid of and are available to Summer
nome seekers in order of application
at an annual rental rate of SIS. No
camp may be erected at a cost of less
than S400 unless the work is done by
the applicant himself, in which case
the costs naturally may be less House
plans and specifications must be sub
mitted to and approved by the forest
supervisor before work is begun. If
you want to build yourself a Summer
camp here. write to the Forest Super
visor, Harrisonburg, Va, or the Forest
Ranger at Edith.
city Slickers" who have never seen
bear except in picture books OF
Western railroad folders may come
across one or two in the George
Washington Forest. Likewise, there
are. wild turkeys, grouse and deer. A
game refuge Of some 5000 acres has
been established in the Brooks Gap
section, Virginia and West Virginia,
and a nursery is maintained at Har-
risonburg where visitors can see tree
stock being developed for planting in
the region.
A MOTHER section of the huge
George Washington Forest, the
Natural Bridge division, extends south
ward from waynesboro to Buchanan,
Va. Despite its name, it does not in
clude the famous Natural Bridge,
which is on the west border of the
forest and costs money to see. Proba-
bly, the best route down Is via Char
lottesville, although it can be reached
on the U. S. 211-11 route leading to
Shenandoah National Park and the
Shenandoah and Massanutten divis-
ions Of the forest reservation.
To get to the Natural Bridge area,
turn left in Warrenton from U. s. 211
to q. s. 30. From Charlottesville,
where the motorist might do well to
pause for a glimpse of the charming
University Of Virginia campus, q. s.
$50 leads westward to the northern
brink of the forest.
The region includes among its at
fractions: The Peaks of Otter" at
the southern end, famed for the
grandeur Of the view from Top Rock,
3,875 feet high, and Apple Orchard
Mountain, more than 1000 feet high,
10 miles north of the Peaks and in
cluding camp site with accommoda-
tions for so. Summer homes also
may be erected in this area after the
proper preliminarieS.
In West Virginia, parallel to the
George Washington National Forests
Shenandoah division and only q lit
tie more than 40 miles to the west
ward is Monongahela National Forest.
The Government has been adding to
this unit recently by substantial land
purchases now In the process Of de-
velopment. Forest Service officials
say hunting and fishing in Mononga-