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News & Politics  |  Things to Do

The National Parks’ New Social Distancing Posters Are Hilarious (and Perfect)

While a lot has changed in the time of Covid, you still shouldn't approach wild bears. Seriously.

Written by Jane Recker
| Published on May 20, 2020
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I would be a much happier quarantiner if that was the view outside my window. Alas, I'll just have to visit those beaches virtually. Graphic: NPS/Matt Turner
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In a world where everything is bad, these new National Park Service social distancing posters are very good. Crafted in NPS’s trademark and delightful vintage look, they warn potential parkgoers about the safety hazards posed by the coronavirus. And bears.

Because while a pandemic might have sent us all indoors, the Park Service wants people to know the bears are still very much outdoors and still very much not to be approached.

Here are some of our favorites:

Graphic: NPS/Matt Turner

Even Sasquatch is having to quarantine. Sigh.

Graphic: NPS/Matt Turner

As the slower friend on hikes, let me just say, thank you, NPS. I feel seen.

Graphic: NPS/Matt Turner

That’s an effective way to give context for social distancing while also making me seriously reevaluate HOW MASSIVE MOOSE ARE.

Graphic: NPS/Matt Turner

Waving to humans while socially distanced: polite. Waving to bison while socially distanced: death wish. Got it.

Correction: An earlier version of this post appears to have misidentified Sasquatch as Smokey the Bear. We are deeply sorry for this erasure of Bigfoot’s presence, and would love to meet with him in person to discuss how to improve media-Sasquatch relations going forward.

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More: CoronavirusCoronavirus 2020National Park ServiceNational Parkssocial distancing
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Jane Recker
Jane Recker
Assistant Editor

Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.

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