370 



Sierra Club Bulletin 



with plans for the future development of the trail system. On July i, 

 1917, funds were made available for the construction of a new trail, 

 some eight miles in length, between the McClure Fork of the Merced 

 River and Tuolumne Pass, by way of Babcock and Emeric lakes. The 

 completion of this trail will shorten the distance between Merced Lake 

 and the Tuolumne Soda Springs by some three or four miles, and will 

 eliminate that portion of the present trail which passes over Vogelsang 

 Pass and which, because of its high elevation, is late to open, danger- 

 ous, and extremely hard to maintain in a passable condition. 



PATENTED LANDS 



During the past year an important step has been taken toward acquisi- 

 tion by the Government of privately owned lands within the park. Dur- 

 ing the year exchanges of land and timber were effected with the Yo- 

 semite Lumber Co. by which the Government acquires title to nearly 

 7000 acres of land and 150 acres of timber only. Of this total amount, 

 790 acres include the timber and were acquired for purposes of protect- 

 ing roads within the park. The remaining lands are either cut-over 

 lands or lands upon which reservation of the timber has been made. In 

 addition to this, an exchange was effected with the city and county of 

 San Francisco whereby the Government acquires title to 360 acres of 

 land in the vicinity of Hog Ranch. In each case, in return for such 

 titles, the Government has granted timber rights on lands in localities 

 where the loss of the timber will not in any way affect the scenic fea- 

 ture of the park. By these two exchanges the Government has acquired 

 nearly 40 per cent of the privately owned lands in the park. Privately 

 owned lands in the park still exist to the extent of about 11,000 acres, 

 but in view of the fact that the Government has no accessible timber 

 which could be disposed of without affecting the scenic features of the 

 park, it will be impossible to acquire further private holdings by this 

 method of exchange. The problem, therefore, of securing funds for the 

 purchase of such lands is one that should be given consideration and at- 

 tention. . . . 



VISITORS 



Visitors to the park during the period October i, 1916, to September 30, 

 1917, reached a total of 34,510. The fact that the majority entered the 

 park in private automobiles, and the further fact that the number of 

 people so entering was far in excess of the number traveling by this 

 method during the previous year, is evidence that it is this class of trav- 

 el that must be given the bulk of consideration in future park develop- 

 ment work, both on the part of the Government and the concessioners 

 operating within the park. Roads and public parking places must be 

 given special consideration by the service, and garage facilities and hotel 

 and camp accommodations which appeal to this class of travel must be 

 maintained by the concessioners. . . . The total number of automobile 

 visitors utilizing the free public camps during the season of 1917 was 

 10,598. This compares with 4038 for the season of 1916. . . . 



