The Trail Conference is getting many requests from park partners
for more signage. The parks are having increasing problems with lost
hikers frequently calling in on cell phones. [Presumably pre-cell
phone most of these people bumbled their own way out of the situation,
probably with some discomfort but we are not aware of severe injuries
to lost hikers.]
It has been long standing (unwritten) Trail Conference policy to
minimize signs and use only blazes to guide hikers.
The basic problem is that there are a lot of hikers using the
trails who either have no guidebook or map, or can't read maps, or
have obsolete books or maps. For the most part, this is a hiker
education problem, not a signage problem except perhaps at trailheads.
The Trail Conference maintains trails in parks with a wide range of
public expectation from Jockey Hollow (the stroller set) to wilderness
trails in the Catskills. Signage appropriate to one may not be
appropriate to others.
Recent signage by parks
Many parks are following the USFS lead in signing trailheads and
interior intersections with Carsonite™ (fiberglass) wands showing
landowner and permitted uses, e.g. PIPC, Ringwood, Fahnestock/Hudson
Highlands.
Several parks (Blue Mountain Reservation, Ward Pound Ridge, Jockey
Hollow) have marked intersections with numbers keyed to their maps at
all intersections. These allow people who call in on cell phones or
have a map to unambiguously identify where they are.
Rockefeller Preserve has posts at all intersections naming the
trails at the intersection and having a "P" with an arrow
pointing the shortest way back to the parking lot.
Some parks have standard signs, e.g. Wawayanda (see picture below).
Suggested Guidelines
While the Trail Conference cannot dictate sign policies to our
partners, we can come up with suggested guidelines similar in spirit
to our Trail Maintenance Manual which many parks adopt.
TBD
Comments welcome! E-mail to
.
Pictures of Signs
Wawayanda State Park
References
Trail Building and Maintenance, Proudman & Rajala,
AMC 1981. p54-62
No rational - just construction details of
"traditional" wooden signs.
Signs, Trails, and Wayside Exhibits, Trapp, Gross &
Zimmerman, U. of Wisc. 1991
Front country signage.
Signage Design Guidebook, Mohonk Preserve 1995
Front country signage.
Local Management Plan of Dutchess/Putnam ATMC, 1993
4.3 Signs and Bulletin Boards
A complete list of signs is provided in the inventory in Appendix 9.8. DPATMC will post
signs where appropriate, using the following guidelines:
Follow applicable NPS, ATC, NYNJTC and NYS sign policies.
Use informational and regulatory signs to inform hikers, Trail neighbors, and
potential trespassers about restrictions that apply on the Trail and corridor lands.
Keep the number and size of signs to minimum.
Convey the message in a friendly and positive manner to the extent possible.
Post specific prohibitions in chronically abused or overused areas.
Use temporary signs to post trail closings or major relocations.
Request municipalities or other agencies to install NO PARKING or other regulatory
signs as necessary. The installer of such signs will be responsible for their maintenance
and replacement.
Request DOT to install and maintain triangular AT signs and hiker crossing symbols at
all major road crossings.
Use bulletin boards to reduce sign clutter. The bulletin boards will be located out of
sight of roads, typically 200 feet. The boards will contain: "Welcome" sign,
map, emergency phone numbers, brochures and other informational signs.
Post some designated parking areas as HIKER PARKING ONLY.
Post water sources at designated campsites as UNTESTED except where it is tested and
managed by others, e.g. Fahnestock group campsite.
