346 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



temptation of 



its beauties un- 

 til he sudden- 

 ly realizes that 

 his allotted stay 

 is up. The 

 fact remains, 

 however, that 

 the impression 

 generally is 

 that there is 

 nothing to the 

 Yosemite Na- 

 tional Park 

 other than the 

 Valley itself. 



The Yosem- 

 ite National 

 Park is more 

 readily acces- 

 sible than most 

 of the others, 

 being reached 

 by a branch 

 line from the 

 main lines of 

 the Southern 

 Pacific and 

 Santa Fe Rail- 

 roads which 

 traverse the 

 great central 

 valley of the 

 San Joaquin. 

 The terminal 

 of the branch 

 line is El Por- 

 tal, from which 

 the hotel on the 

 floor of the 

 Yosemite Val- 

 ley is reached 

 in an hour and 

 a half by mo- 

 tor bus. El Portal is at an 

 elevation of approximately 

 two thousand feet above the 

 sea level and is just a mile 

 or so outside the Park 

 boundary. The stage road 

 follows the Merced River 

 and climbs two thousand 

 feet beside a roaring cascade 

 to the floor of the Yosemite 

 Valley. From El Portal to 

 the floor of the Valley is 

 but ten miles and in this 

 distance the entire Merced 

 River drops through a dif- 

 ference in elevation of nearly 



Mirror Lake 

 before th 

 "clothing 



ONE OF THE MANY BEAUTY SPOTS OF THE YOSEMITE 



is the Morning Mecca of the tourist in the valley. When seen in the 

 e canyon breeze is astir, its placid surface is a mirror that joins the 

 the palpable and familiar with the golden exhalations of the dawn." 



MIRROR LAKE, YOSEMITE 

 By E. DlTHRIDGE 



Before the sun has climbed the rocky wall 

 Or yet the woodland day is well begun, 

 Perfect the mirror lies, revealing all, 

 Before the sun. 



Down the steep cliff the lessening shadows run, 

 While startled echo answers when we call, 

 And earth and mirrored image seem as one. 



Dimpling the lake, the fishes leap and fall ; 

 Oh, hasten ere the web of morn is spun, 

 To gain this valley, this enchanters' hall, 

 Before the sun. 



two thousand 

 feet, hurling its 

 white spray 

 against the can- 

 yon walls and 

 moss- covered 

 banks that bor- 

 der its course 

 to the Valley 

 below. As the 

 road climbs, 

 the canyon 

 walls become 

 more and more 

 precipitous, 

 until, near the 

 top, a distant 

 view of the top 

 of the great El 

 Capitan is had 

 from occasion- 

 al turns in the 

 road. Water- 

 falls pouring 

 over the sides 

 of the cliffs 

 become more 

 numerous and 

 impressive. 



The road 

 comes out upon 

 the floor of the 

 Valley after 

 crossing the 

 river at Poho- 

 no Bridge and 

 swings along 

 the southern 

 side of the Val- 

 ley close to the 

 foot of Bridal 

 Veil Falls, 

 where the tol- 

 erant driver 

 will stop the machine long 

 enough to permit the enthu- 

 siastic photographer to ex- 

 ercise his kodak on the Falls 

 and the great El Capitan 

 across the Valley. The floor 

 of the Valley from this point 

 to its head is almost level 

 and the drive along it, were 

 it improved even as well as 

 the drives in our small vil- 

 lage parks, would be one of 

 the most fascinating and 

 gloriously beautiful to be 

 had in the world. Stretches 

 of the river flowing between 



early morning, 

 rising sun in 



