America’s natural wonders are nearly unrivaled in their splendor — but the tourists who flock to them sure have a strange way of showing their appreciation.
Several famous national parks, forests and monuments have wrestled with unruly visitors who ignore their carefully-curated rules — which are meant to keep safe the plants and animals that live and wander within.
And the damage inflicted by these unwittingly brutish guests can have impacts for centuries.
Here are three examples of American treasures that have felt the effects of careless sightseers.
Joshua Tree National Park
This California wonder is an enchanting park that sits at the confluence of two very different desert ecosystems: the Mojave and the Colorado.
“A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain,” the National Park Service says of Joshua Tree on its website.
“Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California. Come explore for yourself!”
Unfortunately, a few too many people explored for themselves during the 2019 government shutdown — and left graffiti, ruined trails and wrecked Joshua trees in their wake, according to The Guardian.
“What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” former park superintendent Curt Sauer told the outlet at the time.
“There are about a dozen instances of extensive vehicle traffic off roads and, in some cases, into wilderness,” said David Smith, the park’s superintendent at the time. “We have two new roads that were created inside the park. We had destruction of government property with the cutting of chains and locks for people to access campgrounds.”
“We’ve never seen this level of out-of-bounds camping,” he continued. “Joshua trees were actually cut down in order to make new roads.”
The destruction could take centuries to heal.
Redwood National and State Parks
California’s towering redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth — and also some of the oldest, with several clocking in at more than 3,000 years old.
But the ancient behemoths have been overwhelmed by tourists in recent years, some of whom are looking to illegally climb their foot-thick bark, according to SFGate.
Nobody knows how widespread these “tree poachers” really are, but they leave in their wake telltale signs, such as gear, trash and damaged trees, chief ranger Stephen Troy told the outlet in July.
They’ve been caught and cited after posting photos of themselves and their exploits on social media.
And park officials now employ surveillance techniques, strict enforcement and severe penalties — including a $5,000 fine and six months in the slammer — to dissuade them from their destructive habits.
Of course, other tourists are less sneaky about their idiocy — such as the dopey driver who was caught on camera last year smashing into the side of a redwood that was hollowed out by fire a century ago, according to The Cool Down.
The accident took off the car’s side-view mirror — and it probably wasn’t great for the tree, either.
“The wholesale disregard for nature is so sad,” one TikTok user said of the viral video. “We have very few of these giants left in California. … Damaging the poor tree just to drive through? Crazy.”
Custer Gallatin National Forest
Grizzly bears, gray wolves, bald eagles and Canada lynxes roam the 3 million-acre Custer Gallatin National Forest, which stretches from South Dakota to the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.
But the prize for dirtiest animal in those woods goes to? Humans, by far.
More than 200 vault toilets — small rooms with a single pot over a big septic tank — decorate the park, according to The Guardian.
Yet in the backcountry, where such fixtures are far more rare, people have a tendency to go wherever they please.
Forest service workers have seen increasing amounts of improperly managed excrement — or, in other words, unburied poop — on popular trails and in unofficial campsites, the outlet said.
This goes against “Leave no trace” rules, which say hikers and campers should bury it deep enough that a woodland creature can’t dig it up.
Those who ignore the rules leave a gross mess for the forest staff.
“They pick up all garbage, whether it’s toilet paper or diapers or beer bottles,” Oswald told the outlet of the cleanups. “And generally, if they come upon human waste, they try to deal with it by burying it at an appropriate depth.”