ke came into existence. No such sight
is to be found elsewhere upon the earth. Within a circling rim of
cliffs, from eight hundred to two thousand feet high and nearly
vertical, lies the lake, rivalling the sky in the depth of its blue
coloring. The height of its encircling cliffs and its five-mile
expanse of blue water help to make the lake a spectacle grand beyond
description. At the present time the volcanic fires appear to be
entirely extinct.

[Illustration: FIG. 133.--CRATER LAKE

From the top of the cliffs two thousand feet above. Upon the right
is Wizard Island, a volcanic cone]

Forests of fir and tamarack have spread over the once barren slopes
of lava and pumice which extend back from the cliffs. In the hollows,
after the lingering winter snows have melted, there are grassy
meadows dotted with flowers. It is many miles from the lake to
any human habitation, and all the region about remains just as
Nature left it. It was a happy thought to make another national
park here.

[Illustration: FIG. 134.--THE PUNCH BOWL, YELLOWSTONE PARK]

We have already learned something of the grandeur of the Yosemite
Valley and have seen how it came into existence. The valley is
owned and cared for as a public park by the state of California,
but, with Hetch-Hetchy Valley, it is included in a larger park
under the control of the general government. Within the boundaries
of this national park, as in the case of the others described, the
natural features of the landscape, the forests, and the animals,
are to be left forever undisturbed. The Yosemite Valley, although
situated in the heart of the rugged Sierras, is reached by several
good wagon roads and many more people visit it than go to Crater
Lake, although the latter is fully as interesting.

[Illustration: FIG. 135.--THE FALLS OF THE YELLOWSTONE, YELLOWSTONE
CANON]

About a hundred miles south of the Yosemite is the General Grant
National Park. This park is of comparatively small size, but contains
a group of some of the largest and finest Big Trees in the country.
Still farther south there is a reserve called the Sequoia Park,
which contains the largest remaining groves of the Big Trees.

There are also many state parks scattered over different parts of
the Union. The establishment of these parks is intended to preserve
either the forests or natural scenery.

The retention by the state or general government of large tracts of
mountain and timber land, and of thos