National parks and city gardens are really big treasures. Over 330 millions of tourists visited national parks in America last year. Why? American cities are famous of their city parks, botanical gardens, and green spots you can find at every step. People like spending time in nature with their families and friends. What is more, local parks and gardens are full of specially equipped zones where you can watch, touch, and feed animals, admire the variety of exotic nature, and go boating.

Speaking about national parks, you have to be well prepared. Think of renting a comfortable vehicle. You can rent a stick shift car in NYC or automatic transmission, no matter. The matter is your car must be safe and maximally comfortable. Don’t forget about essentials:

  • Comfortable shoes
  • GPS map
  • Bottles water
  • Food and snacks
  • Raincoat
  • First aid medications
  • Knife
  • Backpack

But it is important to learn the list of things you SHOULDN’T DO in the park.

Where butts go to die

 

DONTS

  1. Don’t leave garbage

There is a golden rule for all nature lovers: Don’t leave garbage! Also, don’t take anything from the park. It is better to take pictures. If it is a botanical garden, you shouldn’t pick flowers, stones, and other natural resources. Of course, it is even more important not to leave garbage after your visit. Make sure you cleaned the territory after your picnic and threw all the garbage to the recycle bin. If there are no bins near you, leave it in your bag, waiting for the right moment to throw it away.

  1. Don’t feed wild animals

Sometimes, wild animals come out of the forest and try to contact you, snag some bread or any other yummy. Of course, they used people feed them often. The animals are charming and it can be very surprising to find a sweet furry ball in your backpack. But feeding them is not a good idea. What is more, it is prohibited to feed animals in the national parks and botanical gardens. Human food can be harmful for wilds and often causes health problems. Don’t be tempted to feed animals and learn the product storage regulations and recommendations. Check the park rules before you go.

https://flic.kr/p/djA3jh

 

  1. Keep away from wilds!

This rule can be an important addition to the previous one. Just remember that you walking through the wild territory. Wild animals need much space, so try to stay away from them. Don’t come up close to the animals because you can fright them or change their behavior in one or another way. The federal law prohibits going up to the wilds, especially wolves and bears, closer than 300 feet. The restriction about bisons, deer, and other animals is no more than 75 feet. It is not a problem to visit the park website to learn more about animals you can see on your way and all existing rules about wilds.

Even if you see a bison, peacefully following you, don’t try to feed it and attract to your van. Don’t forget that you are a human and try to watch the wilds without touching them. By the way, modern cameras and smartphones give a possibility to take good pictures even from far.

  1. Watch you go!

Watch you go! Of course, it seems to be a good idea to get deep into the forest to take interesting pictures. Don’t you remember that all national parks and gardens have special touristic routes you should follow? Do you remember Yellowstone Park? It counts more than 900 miles of trails! Isn’t it enough for you? It can be dangerous to step away from a trail. Can you imagine what happens when millions of visitors go where they want! It can be really destructive for the nature and wild animals we try to keep in safe.

How to find a way? City parks and gardens are not very big in size. Just look at the map before you enter the park territory. Speaking about the huge territory of the National Parks, you’d better to follow the road signs. All the routes are equipped with the signs, pointing you the way and warning of danger.

Broken Arch, Arches National Park

 

  1. Don’t smoke

Smoking is prohibited in the park territory. People visit parks to enjoy the nature and get some fresh air. It is a hot question in the big cities where the green spots are rarely met. Also, smoking is dangerous for the park animals. Think about the fire danger. Most of the big fires are caused by smoking people.

  1. Don’t make noise

You come to the park to have picnic, talk to your friends, have fun. Please, there are special zones for that. But don’t forget about simple rules what you should and shouldn’t do in the social places. If you want to listen to music loudly, please, do in at home or in your car. You can use your headphones for that! Loud sounds can frighten animals and annoy people around.

These are the main rules you are often asked to follow when visit a city park or a garden. The rules are not much different when you are visiting the National Park. Just remember that you are not alone. The trees, wild animals, and people around want to live in a friendly environment.