REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT, Ashford, Washington, October 10, 1911. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the condition of affairs in the Mount Rainier National Park for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, and for the season of 1911. By the act of Congress approved March 2, 1899 (30 Stat. 993), certain tracts of land therein described, lying in the State of Washington, were set aside for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States, to be known as the "Mount Rainier National Park." This park is 18 miles square, with an area of 207,360 acres, and lies wholly within the Rainier National Forest. The summit of Mount Rainier is about 1 miles southwest of the center of the park, but the reservation includes substantially the whole mass of the mountain proper, with its wonderful glacial system, which is said to be the largest radiating from any single peak in the world. The park by said act is placed under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, who, among other things, is authorized to establish rules and regulations and cause adequate measures to be taken for the preservation of the natural curiosities, timber, mineral deposits, game, etc., and the removal of unlawful occupants or trespassers. TOPOGRAPHY. Mount Rainier is situated apart from and to the west of the main range of the Cascades. The ridges which radiate from it are high and broken. The entire area of 324 square miles included within the boundary of the park is very rough and mountainous. The summit of Mount Rainier is 14,526 feet in altitude. The lower valleys of the Carbon and Nisqually Rivers are not more than 2,000 feet above sea level, but the general elevation of the park exceeds 4,000 feet. Although there is little rain or snow from July 1 to the middle of September, the precipitation during the remainder of the year is very great. The season of tourist travel is confined largely to June, July, August, September, and the first part of October, although parties of tourists enter the park for snowshoeing and winter sports. During the winter months the Government road is kept open for sleighs as far as Longmire Springs. Beyond this point the park is impassable for horses. The summit of Mount Rainier is accessible from Camp of the Clouds in Paradise Valley, and from St. Elmo Pass, between the White and Emmons Glaciers. The difficulty of the ascent depends largely upon the condition of the snow fields, which vary from year to year. It is dangerous and should not be attempted unless the party is accompanied by an official guide. Between and below the glaciers are numerous open slopes and valleys which are covered with luxuriant growths of grasses, sedge, and flowering plants. These parks are diversified by growths of alpine fir and hemlock and by many small lakes and running streams. They present a pleasing contrast to the snow fields and rugged peaks by which they are surrounded, and are greatly admired by visitors. Paradise Valley is the most frequented of the many parks. The Government road running through this park and for some distance beyond the Camp of the Clouds makes it easily accessible for tourists. Near Paradise Valley and at the headwaters of Tahoma Fork is Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, so named from the circumstance that it was formerly the favorite resort of a small band of Klickitat Indians. Grand Park, between the main and west forks of White River, is one of the largest and most beautiful of these open tracts. At the altitude of 6,000 feet it is an almost level grassy plateau, the greater part of which is entirely without timber. Moraine Park, between the Sluiskin Range and the Carbon Glacier, is a small and very attractive mountain valley. A natural stone bridge has recently been discovered near the west branch of the White River. The span of the bridge measures 150 feet and is 200 feet from the floor of the ravine which it crosses. This bridge overlooks two rock-bound lakes.' It is 1 mile from the Grand Park trail. In Indian Henry's Hunting Ground a waterfall with a sheer drop of over 200 feet was discovered during the month of August, 1911, and named Pearl Falls. FOREST CONDITIONS. The forest in the lower valley is of the type characteristic of western Washington and Oregon. The undergrowth is dense and the forest floor is covered with moss and with a litter of fallen branches and decayed wood. The predominant trees are the Douglas fir, hemlock, white fir, and cedar. At 3,000 feet these species occur together with the lovely and noble fir. From 4,000 feet to snow line the forest is distinctly alpine, and consists of mountain hemlock, alpine fir, and Alaska cedar. On the high ridges are numerous and extensive tracts of timber killed by fire before the creation of the park. These areas are reforesting very slowly. The high winds, scanty soil, short summers, and extremely cold winters are unfavorable to tree growth. Only a small quantity of the timber in the park shows signs of disease, although a considerable portion of it has passed maturity. Some means should be found for the removal of the dead timber at the lower elevations. The cedar may be cut into shingle bolts and marketed, but the other species of dead timber have a value for fuel only, and all that can not be used for this purpose should be piled and burned, as the fire danger from this source is very great. The utmost care should be taken to prevent injury to the timber in the small natural parks that surround the mountain. ROADS AND TRAILS. The Government road in the park was opened for travel to the Camp of the Clouds in Paradise Valley, a distance of 20 miles from the park entrance, late in the summer of 1910, although not completed |