ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK 



729 



astounding; in fact there are meadows here and there that 

 are fairly carpeted with Indian Paint Brush, cohmibine 

 and an ahnost inexhaustible variety of mountain wild- 

 flowers. The general effect of a short trip through the 

 richest portion of this scenic area leaves the impression 

 of having passed through a kaleidoscopic range of colors 

 that is never to be forgotten. 



Almost half of the Park lies to the west of the Con- 

 tinental Divide, and while it is sufficiently broken in con- 

 tour to disturb the complacent bosom of the effete east- 

 erner, despite the fact that his sojourn on the Atlantic 

 Coast enables him to negotiate the approach to Brooklyn 

 Bridge without any marked acceleration of the heart 

 action, it is still not nearly so rugged and difficult to 

 travel through as is the eastern portion. Nevertheless, to 

 many, the western half has its charm of forest cover, 

 larger lakes and flowing streams which present a more 

 j)eaceful and inviting picture. After all, to leave the 

 sights of towering sky-scrapers, deafening riveting 

 machines and roaring traffic, where all of the forces of 

 nature seem to be fighting one another as agents for man 

 in his pursuit of the elusive cartwheel of commerce, and 

 to arrive at a scene where the forces of nature, undirected 

 by the hands of man, have been shattering granite peaks 

 into natural sky-scrapers, is not altogether a complete 

 change, and viewed in this light, the western half of the 

 Park may present the more attractive picture, excluding, 

 of course, the valleys that seem to focus in the vicinity 

 of the village of Estes Park. 



There is a road, skirting about two-thirds of the west- 

 ern border of the Park, which runs almost due north and 

 south along the Kawuneeche Valley. This road leads 

 south to the village of Granby on the Denver and Salt 

 Lake Railroad. Its northern extremity is nowhere 

 in particular. About two-thirds of the way down the 

 western border of the Park, however, there is the 

 town of Grand Lake, on the northern shores of a lake 

 of the same name. 



Despite the fact that in our Government bulletins we 

 find Grand Lake described as " a thriving centre of hotel 

 and cottage life," there are many who will argue that its 

 greatest asset is the fact that the surface of the Lake is 

 8,369 feet above the sea and over LOOO miles from New 

 York. The Lake itself, while not within the legal bound- 

 aries of the Park, is still embraced on three sides by these 

 boundaries, and is, therefore, substantially within the 

 Park. Its surface covers approximately one square mile 

 and constitutes perhaps one of the most charming sheets 

 of water in this part of the State of Colorado. Its outlet 

 is into the Grand River. It is supplied from the innumer- 

 able lakes and snow-banks of the Divide through Tona- 

 hutu Creek and, most ingenious of names, the North 

 Outlet and East Outlet. The last two named of these 

 creeks or streams heads in a series of really beautiful lakes 

 in the valleys of which here and there are to be encoun- 

 tered the numerous groves of aspens with their birch-like 

 bark standing out like silver shafts against the back- 

 ground of vivid green. Along these streams, as along 



most any other in the Park, there are to be found beaver 

 dams that raise the level of the water here and there to 

 make small hand-mirrors for the gods. 



In the northern portion of the Park, which is closer 

 to the village of Estes Park, there is the llallet Glacier and 

 Crystal and Lawn Lakes offering themselves upon the 

 altar of scenic fascinations in their portion of the Park. 

 The Black Canyon Creek and Roaring River branches of 

 the Fall River head in Lawn Lake and present for those 

 who love the view of moving water perhaps as interesting 

 a side trip as can be found. There is also the Cache La 

 Poudre River which heads in the Poudre Lakes at the 

 crest of the Divide, but only six or seven miles of its 

 headwaters are within the boundaries of the Park. 



It is to be deeply regretted that when the Park was 

 established, sufficient area was not enclosed within the 

 boundary lines to include another district of scenic beauty 

 which lies about ten miles south of the present southern 

 Park boundary. The Continental Divide runs almost due 

 north and south after it emerges from the southern end of 

 the Park. Ten miles south of the Park boundary is the 

 Arapaho Glacier, which is one of the largest glaciers in 

 the district. Just south of the Park boundary, not more 

 than a half mile as the crow flies, are the two St. Vrain 

 Glaciers. The eastern slope of the Divide is dotted with 

 lakes as plentiful in number as the district in the vicinity 

 of Long's Peak and Hallet Peak, while the western slope 

 is richer in scenery than is the western slope of the Divide 

 inside the Park. As a matter of fact, the entire area from 

 the present Park south to and including Pike's Peak, in 

 the vicinity of Colorado Springs, should be thrown into 

 a national park and developed to the highest possible 

 degree for the use of the public. 



This stretch of territory is almost entirely scenic in 

 character, and while it possesses fairly large forests, is 

 so broken in contour as to reduce materially the com- 

 mercial value of the standing timber. There is a material 

 percentage of the population of the United States that is 

 in real and serious need of a public playground where 

 they can forget for the time the sweltering heat of the 

 Middle West. These people turn instinctively to the cool 

 heights of the Rocky Mountains which are within easy 

 striking distance. Nothing, therefore, could be more 

 logical or more fitting than that a Federal Government, 

 which boasts of the fact that it is operating exclusively 

 on the pro bono publico theory, should take steps to de- 

 velop this one of its national assets, at least to that degree 

 which would make it available for the great population 

 that needs it most. Whether or not those to whom votes 

 are as precious as poverty to a pawn broker can be led to 

 snitch a side of bacon from the pork barrel with which 

 to grease the wheels of justice, is a question of grave 

 doubt, but if this cannot be done, at least steps should be 

 taken to further the present wise policy of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture to develop the recreation resources of the 

 National Forests. As a matter of fact, so long as the 

 National Forests are not entirely within the boundaries of 

 the National Parks, there are going to be those who will 



