Think Twice Before You Take These Photos in a National Park
Updated: Jan. 17, 2023
Nature is no joke. Sometimes it better to focus on the moment in real life, rather than stopping to take a picture that could lead to a dangerous situation.
Don’t look down
“It only would have taken a sneeze to cause a real situation while on this path at Acadia National Park. Never again will I take this hike! Unbelievable that we were actually smiling at this point!” —Anita Funk. If you’re heading to a national park, you’ll want to try to take photos like these spectacular ones of parks.
Watch out for snakes
“While hiking in Everglades National Park we came across this yellow rat snake. It let us come very close and just seemed so nosy about us. We spent a couple of minutes checking each other out.” —Daniel Maloni
Be safe
“After my son interviewed for grad school in Maine, we decided to do some touristy things, including biking in Acadia National Park. Being silly, we decided to make our photo look like we were hanging over the edge.” —Debbie Haraszkiewicz
Take care on cliffs
“I am nervously sitting on the edge of one of the highest/steepest rock faces in the lower 48, Mount Siyeh, one of six peaks over 10,000 feet in Glacier National Park.” —Eric Fellegy. If you want to avoid the crowds, visit one of these secret national parks.
Don’t go hands-free
“My brother Jonathan was goofing off at the south entrance to Ptarmigan Tunnel in Glacier National Park. I took this picture to scare folks with when we got back home.” —Hannah Dupea
Don’t climb trees
“I took this picture on my 12th visit to the Grand Canyon. Even though I had been here 11 times before this, it was like my first time all over again.” —Joe Mastrandrea
Mother knows best
“On my first trip to the Grand Canyon by myself, I sent this photo to my mom. She was not amused.” —Lindsey Jacob. These are the best places to camp in national parks.
Don’t jump around
“We hosted an exchange student from South Korea and we thought it most necessary to show her the Grand Canyon since it is fairly near our western Colorado home. The student and my daughter gave me the perfect jump for joy shot for the camera.” —Lynette Rowland
Don’t interrupt mealtime
“Seeing a mother grizzly and her two cubs feeding on a bison at Yellowstone National Park is an experience few have had the opportunity to experience.” —Robert Killingsworth
Beware of bears
“These two are Alaskan Coastal Brown bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve were not really having a fight, but seemed to be playing a fight with each other.” —Sue Jarrett
Don’t cross the railing
“Last summer, I visited the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina and went to Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We couldn’t find a sitter for our gnome so we decided to bring him with us. We told him not to go over the railing but he’s a rebel.” —Amy Perkins. Check out these stunning photos of national parks in full bloom.
Watch out for flash floods
“This is a photo of The Narrows in Zion National Park. We hiked in the river for a total of 8 miles just two days before a flash flood took the lives of some visitors in another area of the park. We understood the risks involved and are grateful that our trip was safe and uneventful. Zion National Park is beautiful but dangerous, as well.” —Anita Funk
Keep your windows closed
“My husband and I were exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota from the safety of our van. We had already seen herds of wild horses and bison from a long distance. Suddenly we came upon a large herd of bison very near the roadway. This one looked right at us as if to say, ‘What are you doing here?’ We quickly moved on to avoid danger.” —Anna Spaulding
Look out below
“Here I am climbing out of the Grand Canyon. This photo was so much fun to take that I couldn’t quit laughing.” —Brenda Massad
Don’t lie down in the road
“This photo was taken as we started approaching Big Bend National Park and could see the mountains in the foreground. I stopped the car, got out on the highway and got down on my stomach to get this photo. This is an easy thing to do because on the roads near Big Bend, there is not much traffic.” —Dana Handy.
Move over for sirens
“We were on a wildlife drive in Yellowstone National Park when we heard a siren and then saw this scene coming down the road toward us. The ranger was trying to get the bison off the road, but it looked like he was trying to pull him over for speeding! It is amazing to watch the interplay of wildlife and people in the parks.” —Dave Gish
Pick a different campsite
“We were camping in Yellowstone National Park with our family and looking for an open campsite. Each was first come, first served, and often people would leave a sign or chair or other object at the site to let you know they were staying in that campsite. Never had we seen anyone go so far as to leave a bison there!” —Dave Gish
Avoid precarious perches
“We try to go to Colorado every year. Two years ago, we went to an area we had not explored and explored several national parks. We discovered so many beautiful areas. Good thing this log held up and I did not fall off.” —Dawn Phillips. Check out these breathtaking photos of national parks covered in snow.
Give mama moose some space
“On our way back from the Denali bus ride this mother moose was not happy with her young calf as the young one approached our bus. All the while he was coming closer and closer to check us out, but mom was grunting and snorting. We shot about 50 pictures of this wobbly youngster as he satisfied his curiosity about the big green thing in the road.” —Michael Abraham
Fuel up before sightseeing
“Have you ever decided to drive along the beach just for the thrill of it? We did at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. However, you should check the fuel indicator first! We realized it would be close after a few miles when the car gas indicator alarm went off, so we attempted to conserve fuel by pushing. As we progressed along the route with a few observers laughing, a man offered us a spare gas can he had in his truck. It was both a memorable but embarrassing experience.” —Raymond McDonald
Don’t turn your back on bison
“In 2013, I toured Yellowstone, Glacier, Custer’s battlefield of Little Big Horn, Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We were in search of a buffalo herd in the wild and we found several near the road, to observe nature up close and personal.” —Roger Dougherty. If you want to bring your pooch on your next adventure, these are the most pet-friendly national parks.
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