Let’s Be Careful Out There

National and state parks welcome millions of visitors each year, and they usually take home many good memories of hiking, camping, swimming, boating or just sitting around a campfire talking with friends.

Expectations run high. Maybe we’ll see a moose, a deer or even a bear. In national parks such as Yellowstone and Glacier, traffic jams – or bear jams, as they’re also known – can make for frustrations. Why’s that car stopping? Is there an accident? Nope, just a bear by the side of the road.

It’s easy to drop your guard, especially when visiting one of the major national parks, maybe because there’s so much infrastructure: asphalt roads, trails, gift stores, cafes, lodges, buses, trams, and plenty of traffic signs. Kind of like home. Where’s the danger? Getting hit by a car?

So maybe it’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security, especially in the big parks. But by end of summer, park statistics and news stories can paint a sorrowful picture.

Here’s a quick sampling of post-Labor Day Weekend 2009 headlines from the National Park Service for you to consider:

BIGHORN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA / Boy In Intensive Care After Suffering Rattlesnake Bite.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK / Hiker Dies In Fall From Fern Lake Trail.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK / Rangers Rescue Stranded Boaters From Snake River.

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK / Search For Missing Man Continues.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK / Injured Climber Medevaced From Longs Peak.

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA / Two Brothers Drown In Lake Mohave Cove.

LAKE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL RECREATION AREA / Man Paralyzed From The Neck Down In Diving Accident.

OK, summer’s almost over, but fall and winter offer great opportunities for visiting our national and state parks. Go visit a park in the off season. Have fun, camp, fish, ride your bike, or go climbing. But just remember, you’re not visiting Disneyland. When rangers try to share some ideas about being careful, or caution about a trail that is closed, take time to listen. They’re there to help you.

Take home good memories, lots of photos and a few souvenirs, not a busted arm, or worse.

And if you want to discover places in the West to visit, explore, do camping, hiking or sightseeing, visit OldWestNewWest.com Travel & History Magazine at http://www.oldwestnewwest.com/ for some ideas.