WHAT IS A NATIONAL FOREST? 



I*' 'TV 



Devil's Head Fire Lookout Station. 



on this high, bold rocky peak a forest fire patrol is able to watch over many miles of forest and to 

 quickly discover any fire within range of his telescope. 



Pike Forest. For instance the south- 

 eastern wing of this Forest and adja- 

 cent territory, involves a total area of 

 1,2G0 sc|uare miles, or thirty-hve town- 

 ships. 



i\ear the upper edge are Cheeseman 

 Lake and Dam, which together with 

 the South Platte River, form the most 

 important factors in the water supply 

 system of Denver. Near the base are 

 Pikes Peak and the municipalities. 

 Colorado Springs, Colorado City, Alan- 

 itou, and Cripple Creek, dependent 

 upon its watershed. Three of the nine 

 railroads crossing the Pike Forest are 

 in this section, together with the fa- 

 mous *"cog road" running between Man- 

 itou and the summit of Pikes Peak. 

 One of these is the Colorado Springs 

 and Crii)ple Creek route, considered 

 among the finest and most popular 

 scenic mountain trips in America. A 

 few miles west of Colorado Springs 

 and cn^ssing a portion of the Forest is 

 the wonderful "High Line Drive," an 

 automobile thoroughfare built along 

 the crest of the mountains and reveal- 

 ing to the tourist a magnificent view 

 of mountains and plains for miles 



around. In addition to these routes of 

 travel there is the L^te Pass road, form- 

 ing part of the state and transconti- 

 nental highway Ijetween Colorado 

 Springs and Leadville, built by con- 

 vict labor, together with the elaborate 

 system of roads and trails crossing the 

 Forest in all directions. 



Included in the Pikes Peak region, 

 within and adjoining the Forest, are 

 many of the most wonderful nature 

 freaks in the Rocky Mountains. The 

 Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, with 

 its reproduction of the CliiT Dwelling, 

 the historic L'te Pass. Cheyenne Can- 

 yons, Cave of the \\'inds. Se^'en Falls, 

 Crystal Park, Mount Manitou incline 

 railway, and scores of other scenic at- 

 tractions drawing thousands of tour- 

 ists from all parts of the country to 

 that section. It is estimated that fully 

 half a million sightseers visit this por- 

 tion of the Pike Forest every summer. 



Following the lines of railroad are 

 numerous towns and settlements, while 

 scattered throughout the Forest are 

 hundreds of summer and year-long 

 residences, stores, hotels, schools, and 



