1, the date of opening of the Tioga Road, to about the middle of August an average of when it is necessary to lay out camp grounds and assign campers to designated camps as The demand for camping space near the Mariposa Grove of big trees is one that I believe should be given consideration, and a suitable site has been selected just below the Fallen Monarch and near the new Ranger station, where it is recommended camping Lack of space and the demand that I am sure will follow the announcement be allowed. that camping will be permitted may make it necessary to set a limit on the time campers will be allowed to stay. For Hotel and hotel-camp facilities. As early as the first of June the park faced a shortage in hotel and hotel-camp accommodations, and before the end of the month it was necessary to turn people away in large numbers, and the city offices of the operating companies were instructed to refuse reservations until the situation was relieved. several weeks every bit of available space was occupied, numbers of persons being accommodated in the schoolhouse, in warehouses, and by Government employees in their quarters, and as all available camping equipment was in use additional facilities could not be provided in the public camps which were accommodating over 100 per cent more It was necessary for this office to issue notices warning prospective than ever before. visitors not to come unless they had their own camping equipment or unless they had confirmed reservations. It is not possible to estimate the number of people who were turned back as a result of these conditions, but I believe that if there had been sufficient available accommodaAt any rate it is evident that more hotel tions the maximum number of people in the park at one time would have been nearer 8,000 than 5,000, as was actually the case. and hotel-camp accommodations must be provided another year if we are not to face a repetition of this year's congestion, and I believe that instead of having this class of accommodation for 2,500 as is now the case, there should be room to handle not less than The most crying need along this line is, of course, a first-class hotel capable 5,000 people. of accommodating not less than 400 guests to replace the altogether inadequate and impossible Sentinel Hotel, but Yosemite Camp should also be extended and additional faciliThe decision to abandon the lodge at Lake Tenaya and ties provided at Glacier Point. reestablish it at Tuolumne Meadows is, I believe, a wise move, as the possibilities for healthy development are undoubtedly better in the latter location. SEQUOIA AND GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARKS. WALTER FRY, Superintendent, Three Rivers, Calif. GENERAL STATEMENT. The General Grant National Park The Sequoia National Park was created by act of Congress of September 25, 1890 (26 Stat., 478), and act of October 1, 1890 (26 Stat.. 650). was created by act of Congress of October 1, 1890 (26 Stat., 650). Exclusive jurisdiction Exclusive jurisdiction of these reservations of the territory so set aside was ceded to the United States by act of legislature of the State of California approved April 15, 1919. has not yet been accepted by act of Congress. It has an area of It has The Sequoia National Park is located in Tulare County, Calif. The Sequoia Na161,597 acres and ranges in altitude from 1,100 to 11,900 feet. The General Grant National Park is located one-half in Tulare County and one-half in Fresno County, Calif. an area of 2,536 acres and ranges in altitude from 5,250 to 7,631 feet. tional Park derives its name and much of its interest from the presence of many large groves of "big trees" (Sequoia washingtoniana), and the General Grant National Park was thus named by reason of the "General Grant tree," so widely known for its size and beauty. Both of these parks are situated in the southern portion of California, about midway between the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, and contain an aggregation of the most magnificent mountain scenery The forests within their borders contain the greatest to be found on the continent. groves of the oldest and largest trees in the world. Park headquarters are located at Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, 19 miles inside the park line from the west entrance, during the summer season, and at a point 2 miles east of Three Rivers, 4 miles outside the park line from south entrance during A telephone system connects both these headquarters with Genremainder of the year. eral Grant Park, fong-distance service at Three Rivers, and the various outpost stations A civilian force of 11 men as park rangers was employed throughout the reservations. In Sequoia Park and of 3 men in General Grant Park during the season of heavy traffic. The disTen of these men were assigned to various outposts throughout the parks, and four men made it their special duty to care for the welfare of the traveling public and to see that sanitary measures and grazing regulations were properly enforced. tance from Giant Forest headquarters to General Grant Park by road is 95 miles and by trail 32 miles, and from the Three Rivers headquarters by road is 63 miles and by trail Lemon Cove, nearest railroad station from Giant Forest headquarters, is 40 34 miles. miles, and from Three Rivers headquarters 10 miles. WEATHER. A plentiful The winter season of 1918-19 was mainly noteworthy for ample but rather poorly The rainfall season started during the month of October distributed rain and snowfall. and ended during the month of May, with a seasonal total of 14.28 inches. Some snow supply of snow fell on the higher mountrains, but the snow did not pack as usual and during the warm rains which fell on the snow in the latter part of May all was melted at one time, thus leaving the mountainous region practically bare of snow. remained on the northern slopes of Alta, Silliman, and Vandever Mountains in Sequoia Park. As a result of these abnormal weather conditions the water run-off in all the park streams was lower during the summer and autumn months than at any time noted since the park records have been kept. No rains fell at the main tourist camps during the open park season. The atmosphere was at all times cool and pleasant. TRAVEL. California is the wonderland of the motorist. Its scenic grandeur of mountain and sea is now attracting the attention of motorists from all parts of the United States, and touring the national parks was the greatest outdoor sport of the year in California. There was appreciable increase in the number of people visiting the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks this season. Much of the credit for the influx is due to the completion of the newly paved highways which lead up to the parks and the advertising sent out, which paints the truthful glories of the scenic wonders embraced in our national parks. The parks were officially opened this season between the dates of May 24 and October 10, on the former of which all park concessioners commenced operations. Owing to the high elevations where the main tourist camps are situated in the parks, there was but little travel to them prior to the date of their formal opening, other than to that section designated as the Elk Park, which is situated along the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River at a much lower elevation in Sequoia Park. The following table shows the total travel to the parks for the year ending October 12, 1919: Sequoia National Park Stage Co Sequoia National Park. Making park trips with private transportation: With automobiles, paid and complimentary, and on those roads where no fee is exacted. With automobiles, second trip-- With other private transportation, as wagon, horse, and afoot.... Grand total.. Travel by different entrances: Giant Forest Road.. Elk Park Road.. Mineral King Road. Trails, all sources. Total 292 19, 300 4,822 6, 029 30, 443 13, 217 10, 550 4, 551 2, 125 30, 443 1 Includes 4,822 people making park visit in second-trip automobiles, which are not counted. A fee of $2.50 was charged for tickets of passage on the Giant Forest Road, which were good for the entire season, but no fee was exacted for passage on the Mineral King County Road or the Elk Park Road, which was constructed by the Mount Whitney Power & Electric Co. Complimentary tickets were issued to officials of adjoining States or counties and to officials of the Federal Government visiting the park. General Grant National Park. The aggregate number of persons making trips to General Grant National Park during the season of 1919 was as follows: Includes 3,707 people making park visit in second-trip automobiles, which are not counted. A fee of 50 cents was charged for tickets of passage, which were good for the entire season. Complimentary tickets were issued to officials of adjoining States or counties, and to officials of the Federal Government visiting the park. ROADS. Public sentiment in California is solidly behind extensive highway building. With a total appropriation of $70,000,000 for good roads, California has exceeded every other State in good-roads building. Besides this, the counties of the State have voted many millions of dollars for good roads. In this both Tulare and Fresno Counties, in which the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks are situated, have been foremost, and within the next two years there is every prospect of developing paved highways to the parks. This will do away with the dirt roads and reduce the excessive grades. Construction of 30 miles of paved roads between Visalia and Three Rivers on the Tulare County highway system leading to Sequoia Park has already been completed, at a cost of $300,000, and there is now made available by reason of the State bond election, which was carried on July 1, 1919, the sum of $300,000 for reconstructing and paving the remaining 14 miles of road between Three Rivers and the park. This road is intended to make the park more accessible to motorists and tourists and is generally known as the Whitney-to-the-Sea highway. There is also incorporated in this same bond issue $100,000 for the purpose of extending the Kings River Canyon Road on into the famous Kings River Canyon, a distance of some 20 miles. This road connects up with the General Grant Park roads at the north park entrance and will be of material benefit to the park traffic, as it is the only road leading to the region and all traffic passing thereover will necessarily have to go through the park. As the result of what is now being done in California in matter of constructing good highways leading up to the parks, it is evident, in order to meet the ever-growing demands of the traveling public, that two important sections of new roads be constructed in Sequoia Park just as soon as funds can be procured for the purpose. These two proposed roads, with respect to their names and locations, are as follows: 1. Middle Fork-Giant Forest Road-10 miles. This road to lead out from the Middle Fork Road at Hospital Rock and connect up with the Giant Forest Road at a point near Giant Forest. If constructed, this road will be the means of opening up to automobile travel one of the more scenic portions of the park, do away with all steep grades now to encounter, furnish entire separate route for travel to Giant Forest, and, by reason of the fact that the road will be located on the south side of the mountain slope where snow never lies during winter, travel can pass thereover to and from the Giant Forest camp at all seasons of the year, thus permitting opportunity of maintaining Giant Forest an open camp the year round, as against five months under existing conditions. 2. Sequoia-General Grant Park Road 10 miles.-Between Mable Fork River crossing and Clover Creek at north park boundary. This important section of road should by all means be completed in the very near future, as by such procedure many additional camp sites will be opened up to the public, and the road will form a connecting link between Sequoia and General Grant Parks and the Kings River region over which automobiles can pass on one of the most scenic mountain drives known on the American continent. The Giant Forest Road within the Sequoia Park, 30 miles in length, was put in excellent condition for travel early in the spring, and has remained in fairly good condition throughout the season. It has required but little additional attention. The Elk Park Road, 10 miles in length, was repaired by the Mount Whitney Power & Electric Co. early in the season and remained in good condition thereafter. The Mineral King Road within the park, 11 miles in length, was repaired by the county of Tulare early in the season, and the county has since kept a small crew of men at work on the road. General Grant Park.-There are 13 miles of roads within the park, all of which were put in good condition for travel early in the season, but the heavy traffic made necessary the doing of some additional work on the roads during the summer season. TRAILS. There are 244 miles of trails in Sequoia Park, all of which are in good condition. There are, however, about 4 miles of the Little Kern River Trail that should be relocated and constructed on better grade. There are 10 miles of trails within General Grant National Park, all of which are in fairly good condition. TELEPHONE LINES. There are 100 miles of telephone lines in the Sequoia National Park system, and 11 miles in General Grant National Park system. Both systems were gone over early in the season and put in good working order, as result of which excellent service has been maintained thereover throughout the season. |