You are here

Reader Participation Day: Rewrite a National Park Warning Sign

Share
Haiku warning signs

New York City warning signs as haikus. Warning sign in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Traffic warning street signs written as haiku are appearing on poles around the five boroughs, posted by the New York City Department of Transportation. The idea is that new, thought-provoking signs will make people pay more attention to warning messages. See some examples.

If that's the case, what about all those warning signs in National Parks? Could you improve on them?

In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the following message is at every trailhead: No guns, no pets, no bikes.

Complex fishing regulations are around every stream.

In Rocky Mountain National Park, signs ask hikers to stay on the trail as to not damage alpine tundra. Another says Vehicles, weapons, pets & bicycles prohibited

Calling all poets and haiku writers!

Try to rewrite any of the above messages or choose your favorite (or least favorite, in this case) message and rewrite it in a haiku, limerick, or poem.

Please let us know what the original sign said, what park it came from, and your rendition of it.

Comments

These signs are all over Great Smoky Mountains National Park  - Bob Was Here.  They warn visitors about the issue of defacing property.
There once was a man named Bob.
By habit a bit of a slob.
Leaving behind his name he did rob.
If sufficiently fined, he'll lose his job.


you have entered a place of wonder
a natural beauty so fair
the time has come for us to warn
"Please, dont feed our bears"

I dont have a specific sign, but I know in many parks people feeding bears indirectly (ie. leaving a mess at campsites) and sometimes intentionally is a major problem. Hopefully, this catchy rhyme will make them think again.


Condors eat your trash
This gives them bad tummy-ache
Carry it out, Dude.


"Hunting a species to extinction is not logical" Spock, Star Trek IV

I always thought that would be great to ward off hunters. ;)

to keep people on trails:

Strangers you'll never meet
Spent ages to create this trail
To keep the Wilderness safe from YOU.

Please stay on the trails they designed to let you wander through the wilderness without tearing up the Natural surroundings any further!


Human poo must go
So take your dumps to the dump
Be brave! Do it now.

The sign simply said:  RV Dump Station, at the Madison Campground, Yellowstone.



Yosemite ...


The trail is closed.
Lick the granite if you must.
The trail is still closed.


These are great poems and haikus.
I'm going to distribute them around the web, with full attribution, of course.
Keep them going.
Danny Bernstein
www.hikertohiker.com


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.