(goc% {Mountain T}7onbetCan^ 



through the Boulder, Left Hand, Big Thomp- 

 son, and two St. Vrain canons. 



The drainage of the western half of the Park 

 concentrates in the Grand River on the west- 

 ern boundary and reaches the Pacific Ocean 

 through the Grand Canon of Arizona. A num- 

 ber of streams rise in the eastern side. These 

 assemble their waters in the Platte River out on 

 the plains. In their upper course, all these 

 streams start from the snows and come rush- 

 ing and bounding down the roughest, steepest 

 slopes. 



The climate of the eastern slope is compara- 

 tively dry and mild. The winters are sunny, 

 but little snow falls, and the winds are occasion- 

 ally warm and usually extremely dry. Though 

 only a few miles from the eastern slope, the west- 

 ern rarely receives a wind, and its snow-fall is 

 more than double that of the eastern. 



Numerous authors and artists have made 

 long visits in this region, and its scenery has 

 received their highest praise. Bierstadt, the 

 artist, came here in 1870. A few years later he 

 was followed by the famous authors Isabella 



346 



