FOREST RECREATION DEPARTMENT 



273 



FROM MAINE TO FLORIDA 



By Thomas H. Gill 



"T^ ASILY accessible to our massed population of the At- 

 ^^ lantic Coast lie the National Forests of the East in 

 District Seven. These, from a recreational standpoint, 

 present a quite different situation than is found in the 

 West. The Western Forests were carved, for the most 

 part, out of undeveloped public domain. The Eastern 

 Forests are being built up piece by piece, as a mosaic is 

 laid. Economic development coming prior to the estab- 

 lishing of these forests has resulted in a situation where 

 resort and summer home sites are already in private 

 ownership and the recrea- 

 tional function of the for- 

 ests of the East consists in 

 providing tributary play- 

 grounds, picnic and camp- 

 ing grounds for tourist, au- 

 tomobilist, fisherman and 

 hunter. 



Since nearly four-fifths 

 of the total population of 

 the United States live in 

 close proximity to the east- 

 ern National Forests, the 

 question of distributing 

 the greatest good to the 

 greatest number resolves 

 itself into holding open to 

 the public every available 

 campsite, every spot of 

 scenic beauty, and in mak- 

 ing them accessible . to all 

 the people. 



Happily, the eastern va- 

 cationist has the length of 

 the United States from 

 which to choose, for the 

 mountains of the Atlantic 

 seaboard are dotted with 

 the forests from Maine to 

 Florida. 



Northmost of all is the 

 White Mountain National 

 Forest lying within New 

 Hampshire and Maine and 

 embracing the nigged 



A BEAUTY SPOT OF AN EASTERN FOREST 



Rugged canyon walls, as interesting as any in the Rockies, thrust 

 up from this splendid water feature, the Tallulah Falls of the 

 Shenandoah National Forest of Georgia. 



slopes of the Presidential Range. Here is a land of 

 unalloyed hearts desire to the lover of the outdoors. 

 Among its landmarks of beauty are The Lakes of the 

 Clouds, located 5,000 feet above the sea; Snow Arch, 

 King's Ravine, and that great natural curiosity, "The 

 Old Man of the Mountains," Carter Notch, with its twin 

 lakes surrounded by high cliffs and alpine vegetation, 

 contains one of the stone huts where the mountain 

 climber finds shelter and food. Within the boundaries 

 of the forest are many ponds and streams well stocked 



with speckled trout, where 

 at evening, white tail deer 

 come silently to drink. 



North and south of Ashe- 

 ville. North Carolina, 

 stretches the Pisgah Forest 

 traversed by the Pisgah 

 auto road. Here the tour- 

 ist may motor to within a 

 mile of the summit of Mt. 

 Pisgah, leave his car on 

 Government parking 

 ground, climb to the top 

 and lunch at the hotel on 

 Pisgah Ridge. 



In Arkansas the Ozark 

 Forest offers its highways 

 and byways further west 

 lies the Wichita Forest 

 with its buffalo herd and 

 its scenic highway. To 

 fishing enthusiasts or lov- 

 ers of water sports the 

 Florida National Forest, 

 close to Camp Walton, af- 

 fords many interesting 

 trips. Sowhetheryouwish to 

 spend January on Skis or in 

 a bathing suit, whether you 

 wish to cast a fiy for speck- 

 led trout or troll for tarpon, 

 you can find your pet out- 

 door enjoyment somewhere 

 in our Eastern National 

 Forests. 



ALASKA-THE ALLURING 



By John D. Guthrie 



A SEA trip with a scenic panorama unmatched any- 

 where awaits the summer tourist visiting National 

 Forests of Alaska. Leaving Seattle, Washington, or 

 Vancouver, or Prince Rupert. R. C, you can take a com- 

 fortable ocean steamer and start on a trip through the 



"inside passage" where slopes of eternal greenness delight 

 the eye. Here and there are waterfalls to break the cur- 

 tain of green, and above all, snow-capped mountains 

 piercing the very heavens. Southeast Alaska is a series 

 of countless g^reen islands, separated by innumerable 



