قراءة كتاب Sequoia [California] National Park

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Sequoia [California] National Park

Sequoia [California] National Park

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دار النشر: Project Gutenberg
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fir, cedar, black oak, and other trees are the noblest of their kind. Upland meadows painted with flowers; many rushing rivers and creeks, as well as lakes well stocked with trout; glacier-hewn valleys; monolithic rocks, and snow-capped mountain peaks all contribute to furnish perfect conditions for enjoyment of outdoor life and the study of nature. Below are listed but a few of its scenic and other attractions.

Middle Fork and Hospital Rock.—The motorist first enters the park via Ash Mountain headquarters, and the road leads up the gorge of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

Hospital Rock, tourist center and public campground, is 5 miles beyond Ash Mountain on the road to Giant Forest, at 2,700 feet elevation, and is an all-year-round center of park activities. The Buckeye store sells general supplies, photographs, films, curios, etc., and furnishes light meals and overnight accommodations.

At or near Hospital Rock are historical and scenic attractions of great interest. There are Indian pictographs, and a mammoth boulder marks the old headquarters of the Yokut Indians. Moro Rock towers 4,000 feet above. The Kaweah River gorge is full of pools, cataracts, and waterfalls. The fishing is excellent. Short-trail trips lead to the Giants Rock Pile, the Big Pool, Buckeye Flat, Red Rock Gorge, and other interesting walks. Deer are numerous and very tame in this vicinity.

A narrow 2-mile road above Hospital Rock leads to Moro Creek, where there is a public campground and point of departure for high mountain trail trips. Magnificent views of the Great Western Divide, with its 12,000- and 13,000-foot peaks, may be had from this road.

Buckeye Flat is a newly developed area on this road, half a mile above Hospital Rock. This is a delightful public campground, beside the rushing Middle Fork, with the usual accommodations. Though particularly beautiful in the spring, it is attractive throughout the year.

Paradise-Atwell Trail connects Atwell Mill Station on the East Fork with Hospital Rock on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River. It joins the Atwell-Hockett Trail, permitting direct access to the Hockett Meadow country from the Middle Fork district.

Continuing up the Middle Fork, under the shadow of the Great Western Divide, is Redwood Meadow with its interesting grove of Big Trees. To its left, at Bearpaw Meadow, a hikers' camp is maintained during the summer season. The camp is within easy walking distance of Giant Forest and is a convenient base for trips to Tamarack Lake, Hamilton Lake, or Kaweah Gap.

Giant Forest and surroundings.—On a plateau ranging in elevation from 5,500 to 8,000 feet and running back to mountains 11,000 feet high. In heart of park, including major woodland attractions, the Tokopah Valley, and several lakes.

East Fork or Atwell Mill region.—The Mineral King Road leads through this region to the resort of that name just outside the park at 7,800 feet elevation. At Atwell Mill are to be found the finest stands of young Sequoia in the park.

The Atwell-Hockett Trail.—This trail is built on the highest standards. It permits easy travel, whether on foot or horse, and provides a direct route from Atwell Mill into the Hockett Meadow country, famous for its miles of plateau and meadows. Beyond Hockett Meadow is the Quinn Ranger Station, also the fine Garfield Grove of Big Trees.

South Fork or Hockett Meadow region.—From Clough Cave Ranger Station, at 3,000 feet, through the Garfield Grove to the fine camping and fishing country at Hockett Meadows, 8,500 feet. Accessible by trail only.

Kern Canyon district.—This area of more than 300 square miles embraces the upper Kern River, its tributaries, and the Kern Canyon. It is a wild, immense country of forest, granite, lakes, and streams, varying in elevation from 14,494.7 at the summit of Mount Whitney to 6,400 feet at the Kern Canyon Ranger Station at the lower end of the canyon. Excellent camping and fishing country. Accessible only by trail.

OUTSTANDING VIEWS

Two miles by road or trail from Giant Forest is Moro Rock, one of the great monoliths of the Sierra Nevada, others being El Capitan and Half Dome in the Yosemite, and Tehipite Dome in the Kings River Canyon.

Moro Rock is 6,719 feet above sea level and over 6,000 feet above the San Joaquin Valley. From the summit, which is easily reached by a rock and concrete stairway, to the silver streak of the Kaweah River at its base, is an almost sheer drop of 4,119 feet. The panorama of the Sierra Nevada, Alta Peak, the San Joaquin Valley, and the distant coast range is equal to that otherwise obtained only by long and expensive pack trips to the high mountains. Climbing Moro Rock is "mountaineering de luxe."

Hanging Rock, Moro Vista, Profile View, Echo Point, and Kaweah Vista are viewpoints on the rocky escarpment of the Giant Forest Plateau near Moro Rock. Each offers some special view or attraction. Hanging Rock is a huge erratic boulder poised for a 3,000-foot drop to the yawning canyon beneath. Echo Point and Profile View disclose unexpected profiles of Moro Rock, and at the former a resonant echo reverberates from the painted cliff across the chasm.

Beetle and Sunset Rocks, a few hundred yards from Giant Forest camps, are bold granite promontories overlooking the valley and the Marble Canyon. They are favorite spots for picnic suppers and sunset views.

Lodgepole Campgrounds and Tokopah Valley are 4½ miles by road from Giant Forest. The former is the auto camp favored by those who want to live in an open pine forest and beside running water. The swimming pool here also attracts campers. Two miles above the campgrounds, by trail along the north bank of the Marble Fork, is Tokopah Valley, of cameolike beauty, hewn by glacial action from the ribs of the earth. It is a miniature Yosemite, a narrow valley with towering cliffs, waterfalls, talus, meadows, and moraine. It affords one of the favorite short hikes in the park.

Colony Mill and Admiration Point, a 9-mile side trip by road from Giant Forest, are often overlooked by visitors. The views from Colony Mill Ranger Station are superb, while the mile side trip by trail down to Admiration Point permits a view of the Marble Falls, a 2,000-foot cascade in seven distinct waterfalls.

Marble Fork Bridge, 4½ miles from Giant Forest, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, is favored by those who like to be near a stream and to fish. It may be reached by road or by the Sunset Trail. This is a favorite retreat with hikers as well as fishermen. The setting is beautiful and the views especially fine. A natural swimming pool adds to its attractiveness.

By parking at the Little Baldy Saddle on the Generals Highway a fine view may be had by hiking a mile and a quarter to the top of the dome. The panorama spread out is a reward worth twice the effort expended.

THE GIANT FOREST DISTRICT

The Giant Forest is the name given the largest grove of sequoias, which is more than a grove. It is a Brobdingnagian forest. Here is found the General

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