Farther out on the ridge, and so placed as to obtain an almost unrivaled 

 view of mountains, valley, and Old Ocean, lies Camp Merriam. 



The last of the Mt. Lowe group to be named is Switzer's Camp. This 

 lies twelve miles from Pasadena, up the wonderful Arroyo Seco Canon and 

 at an altitude of 3,500 feet. During the summer months a stage runs to 

 and from the foot of the burro trail leading to the camp, and its manage- 

 ment carries guests all the way to the camp in a little over three hours. 

 At Switzer's there are cottages delightfully located amid the most entranc- 

 ing of virgin forests. There is fishing and shooting and well-ordered 

 entertainment. 



MOUNT TAMALPAIS 



1 



MT. TAMALPAIS is situated just north of the entrance to the Golden 

 Gate within a distance of less than two hours' ride from San Fran- 

 cisco. Although but about half a mile in height (2,592 feet), It 

 commands a view of the mountains, bays, and ocean which is 

 unsurpassed from any other mountain peak In the world. From 

 the summit of Mt. Tamalpais you can get the actual height, right from the 

 level of the sea, while from most of the moutain peaks, which may be higher 

 in actual elevation, you do not get the expanse of view on account of the 

 surrounding hills and valleys being also of a high elevation. 



It was on account of Mt. Tamalpais standing as a sentinel overlooking 

 the entrance to the Golden West that the Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway 

 was built in 1896, so as to give all an opportunity of beholding a never to 

 be forgotten panorama of mountain scenery, ever picturesque, ever chang- 

 ing, ever new. 



There are 281 curves in a distance of 8 1-5 miles, during which there 

 is an ascent of about 2,500 feet, nearly a half mile, the steepest grade 

 being about seven per cent. If in following the tortuous course the curves 

 had been continuous, there would be forty-two complete circles made. 

 The longest straight piece of track is but 41 3 feet. 



Immediately upon leaving Mill Valley the road enters a fine forest of 

 redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), for which California is famous, and wind- 

 ing through the beautiful canon of Blithedale, along its ever-flowing creek, 

 past numerous suburban homes, with their pretty ponds and lakes, and 

 Marsh's Japanese Village with its quaint Oriental houses. 



Crossing the head of the canon the road swings back, gradually rising 

 until there are no trees to obstruct the view except where wooded canons 

 are crossed, filled with redwoods, madronos, oaks, and laurels, lending a 

 pleasant variety to the trip and preparing for the next outburst of the 

 panorama on a broader scale. Curving through the canons, looking down 

 their steep sides, the road crosses over Slide Gulch, through McKinley Cut, 

 around Summit Avenue, into Mill Valley Canon, the vast panorama expand- 

 ing every moment as the Bay of San Francisco opens out. Mt. Diablo in 

 the east slowly pushes all its great bulk above the Coast Range. 



The mountain features are wonderful. To the south we overlook the 

 mountains of the Santa Cruz Range, and behold dark Loma Prieta fifty-odd 

 miles away, and Mt. Hamilton with its Lick Observatory. 



Winding around the edges of grand canons, we see far below us the 

 different curves in the serpentine road. Nearing the end of our journey the 

 road turns in an easterly direction, and there bursts upon us one of the 

 grandest panoramas of the whole trip, as it is here that we have the first 

 view of the country to the north. 



The gray volcanic cone of Mt. St. Helena lifts its graceful summit to 

 view, and the huge basaltic cliffs that flank it on the right are easily discern- 

 ible fifty-six miles away, while at our feet is beautiful Lagunitas, the water 

 supply of San Rafael, San Anselmo with its theological colleges of gray 

 stone, and San Rafael resting gracefully on a broad slope. 



