Signs in Wilderness

Introduction

The Signs Toolbox provides information on signing inside wilderness. Each agency’s sign policy, guidelines, sources, and examples are provided.

Balancing Signs and Wilderness Character

The Wilderness Act of 1964 designates lands for a wilderness purpose that is unique and different from other public lands and that “shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness.” Although the Act states that wilderness is for the use and enjoyment of visitors, it also tells us that it is for primitive recreation, is to remain undeveloped, and with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable. To preserve these qualities, the Wilderness Act prohibits activities that would degrade wilderness character unless the activities are the minimum required for administering the area as wilderness.

Signs are considered installations (i.e., anything made by humans that is not intended for human occupation and is left behind when the installer leaves the wilderness) and prohibited by the Wilderness Act unless found to be the minimum necessary for administration of the area as wilderness (see Section 4c of the Wilderness Act). Because the law does not provide more specific direction, the managing agencies have developed policies to implement the law (The Wilderness Act) and strike a balance between protecting the wilderness resource, addressing visitor needs, and limiting the number of installations. Providing just what is needed and no more contributes to wilderness character by maintaining an undeveloped condition and encouraging visitors to rely on themselves, in contrast to lands which exhibit a higher level of human modifications.

By combining the Wilderness Act’s stated purpose (Section 2a) and definition (Section 2c) of wilderness, agencies have determined that a certain level of signing may be appropriate in wilderness if it is the minimum necessary for administering the area as wilderness. Signs in wilderness are sometimes used as a management tool for a system of trails, water routes, or access points, or possibly to designate campsites. In other cases, such as areas without trails, signs may be inappropriate in wilderness. The decision to maintain or install signs in wilderness should be made through the Minimum Requirements Analysis using the Minimum Requirements Analysis Framework. If signs are determined to be the minimum necessary, the design, content, size, or color, is often dependent on agency, regional, or unit guidelines. For example, the BLM Policy states, “Except for regulatory signs, signs should appear to be made of native materials. Do not use paint, either on trees or rocks, to mark trails.”

Cairns are stacks of rocks and can take on different shapes such as Bates cairns or conical-shaped cairns. In some cases cairns are user-created for recreational purposes and are unwanted by the management agency. In other cases Cairns, rock walls, or other rock piles may have been installed long ago and may have historical and/or cultural significance. Cairns may be created and maintained by wilderness management agencies to mark trails, depending on their policy. Not all agencies use cairns as trail guides. The use of cairns, as a type of trail sign, in wilderness should still be the minimum necessary for managing the area as wilderness.

A rock cairn with the sunset behind it

Figure 1. A Bates cairn at Acadia National Park (Image courtesy of Brandon Hoogerhyde)

Signs and posters that are displayed at trailheads, visitor contact stations, and other venues outside of wilderness can be effective communication tools for wilderness information and education. The educational public purpose of wilderness, mentioned in the Wilderness Act, does not require interpretation inside wilderness (e.g. signs). For more information on this type of signage, visit the Interpretation and Education Toolbox.

An interpretive panel that includes wilderness information about the Oregon islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Figure 2. Interpretive panel outside the wilderness boundary that includes wilderness information, displayed at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Figure 3. Interpretive sign outside wilderness that includes wilderness safety, permit, and restriction information.

Direction for National Scenic Trails Markers

For those areas where the National Trails System intersects the National Wilderness Preservation System the following from The National Trails System Act (PL 90-543) may be applicable:

Section 7(c) 

The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with appropriate governmental agencies and public and private organizations, shall establish a uniform marker, including thereon an appropriate and distinctive symbol for each national recreation, national scenic, and national historic trail. Where the trails cross lands administered by federal agencies such markers shall be erected at appropriate points along the trails and maintained by the federal agency administering the trail in accordance with standards established by the appropriate Secretary... 

A minimum requirements analysis should be used on a case by case basis to determine what the “appropriate points” in wilderness along each trail would be.

Agency Wilderness Sign Policy and Guidelines

BLM

BLM Manual 6340—Management of BLM Wilderness
- “C. Managing Resources and Resource Uses in Wilderness;
  - 5. Cultural Resources; d. Structures and installations; e. Signing and fencing. Law enforcement signs and protective fences or other barriers should be placed only if they have been determined to be the minimum necessary structure or installation through the use of the MRDG (See Appendix B in this manual). Interpretive signs should not be placed in the wilderness, but may be appropriate at trailheads or other entry points.”
  - 6. Education and Interpretation; b. Interpretive and educational signs and displays. With the exception of boundary signs and signs necessary to protect visitor safety or sensitive wilderness resources, all interpretive and educational displays and signs must be located outside of wilderness areas. More information on signs in wilderness can be found under section 1.6.C.13.c.iii.
  - 13. Recreational Use; c. Primitive recreation; i. Structures and installations; A. Facilities that make recreation more convenient or safer may be provided only where they are the minimum necessary to protect the wilderness character, typically only in the following circumstances: I. To protect the Natural quality, or other qualities of wilderness character. For example, a bridge may be placed across a stream to protect fish habitat. Regulatory signs may be placed within wilderness areas as a management tool to correct specific problems and protect Unique or Other Features such as cultural sites; c. Primitive recreation; i iii. Signs. Only a minimum of signs should be installed within wilderness areas. Instead, emphasis should be on making accurate maps, route descriptions, or brochures available to visitors. A. Signs with directional arrows may be placed at trail junctions; trail signs may also be placed for marking routes where animal trails may create confusion. No signs should be used to indicate streams, lakes, mountain peaks, passes, or other points of interest. Although mileages may appear on signs, mile markers may not be used. B. In areas without trails, signs or cairns should be placed only to indicate preferred routes of travel to prevent resource damage, and not as a convenience to the visitor. C. Except for regulatory signs (see Unconfined Recreation, below), signs should appear to be made of native materials. Do not use paint, either on trees or rocks, to mark trails.

FWS

FWS Policy (610 FW 2.34, 2.35)
- (new draft policy) 610 FW 2.20: Under what circumstances may the Service allow structures and installations in wilderness? Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act prohibits new structures and installations in wilderness; however, in certain limited situations, there may be an exception to a prohibited use (see sections 2.6 and 2.7).
  - A. If we find that structures and installations are not the minimum requirement, they must be removed or allowed to naturally deteriorate. We do not have to retain all historic structures and installations; we must evaluate them through the processes found in the National Historic Preservation Act, Sections 106 and 110, before removal.
  - B. Wilderness users must be self-reliant for shelter. We must not construct, maintain, or restore any structure or installation in wilderness for administrative convenience, economy of effort, or convenience to the public. If we find that a structure or installation is the minimum requirement, we must design, construct, or maintain it to blend into the wilderness landscape as unobtrusively as possible, using native materials to the greatest extent practical.
- FWS Sign Handbook 2019

NPS

NPS Management Policies, 2006, 6.3 Wilderness Resource Management: 6.3.10.4 Signs

Signs detract from the wilderness character of an area and make the imprint of man and management more noticeable. Only those signs necessary for visitor safety or to protect wilderness resources, such as those identifying routes and distances, will be permitted. Where signs are used, they should be compatible with their surroundings and the minimum size possible.

9.3 Visitor Facilities: 9.3.1.1 Signs 

Signs will be carefully planned and designed to fulfill their important roles of conveying an appropriate NPS and park image and providing information and orientation to visitors. Each park should have an approved parkwide sign plan based on Service-wide design criteria and tailored to meet individual park needs. Entrance and other key signs will be distinctively designed to reflect the character of the park while meeting Service-wide standards for consistency.

Signs will be held to the minimum number, size, and wording required to serve their intended functions and to minimally intrude upon the natural and historic settings. They will be placed where they do not interfere with park visitors’ enjoyment and appreciation of park resources. Roadside information signs are subject to the standards established in the National Park Service Sign Manual. Interpretive signs will be guided by sign and wayside exhibit plans.

(See Signs 6.3.10.4; Visitor Safety 8.2.5.1; Traffic Signs and Markings 9.2.3; Navigation Aids 9.2.5. Also see Director’s Order #52C: Park Signs)

USFS

Wilderness is designated as an area that is "for the use and enjoyment of the American people" and it "opportunities for primitive recreation". But it is also an area that is undeveloped and in "contrast to those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape." To meet these mandates, expressed in The Wilderness Act of 1964, agencies have developed policies and guidelines for signs in wilderness that provide necessary information but refrain from allowing wilderness to become developed. The direction for management of wilderness in the national forests is found in FSM 2320 and other directives as noted below.

Wilderness signs can be used at trailheads and entry points to inform visitors about the wilderness resource, provide information on maps, post regulations, and help educate visitors on the use of Leave No Trace techniques.

Sign and Poster Guidelines

EM 7100-15 Chapter 5 - Trail Signing

R2 Trailhead Sign Guidelines

Forests and Districts in R2 should follow these 4 elements:

Consistent header with the name of the trailhead and the name of the wilderness on the header. (Usually white letters on sky-blue background, but others have tried different color backgrounds.)
Consistent wolf logo at the bottom with the words "National Wilderness Preservation System."
Consistent "you-are-here" map
Consistent LNT and wilderness messages using the themes messages that have been developed or the "icon" with bullet statements (developed by Dick Ostergaard).

Examples of some signs that may be acceptable in Wilderness (i.e., signs found to be the minimum necessary for administering the area as Wilderness)

Figure 4. This trail intersection sign is low to the ground, it’s not on a tree, and it combines multiple directions onto a single post. However, the post is utilizing treated lumber.
Figure 5. This trail intersection sign combines multiple directions onto a single sign face and is rustic. It’s on a tree raising it to a height that may be important for when there is snow.
Figure 6. Out in the open where it is more obvious may be less desirable, but trail intersections are where they are. Still, a rustic post and sign face, and combining multiple directions onto a single post.
Figure 7. A rustic post and sign face, and combining multiple directions onto a single post, including the directions for a National Scenic Trail.
Figure 8. A good lower profile sign with a rustic sign face, but the post is treated lumber. Information provided on the sign is limited to trail intersection information which is what it should be limited to.
Figure 9. This sign is likely the minimum necessary to also provide for regulatory needs (more info needed to know for sure). It is low to the ground, it’s not on a tree, and it combines multiple directions onto a single post, but the post is treated wood.
Figure 10. This sign is likely the minimum necessary to also provide for regulatory needs. It is not on a tree, but it does use treated lumber.

Examples of signs in Wilderness that are likely not the minimum necessary for administering the area as Wilderness.

Figure 11. Milage markers are generally not the minimum necessary in wilderness.
Figure 12. This (and the others on the trail) milage marker is painted on a rock so further is in excess of the minimum requirement. It’s not known, but likely this sign is visitor erected.
Figure 13. Marking features with feature names is not the minimum necessary in wilderness. The name of this peak is readily available from a map. These kinds of signs attract other installations that are not the minimum necessary (mailbox built into the rocks).
Figure 14. This kind of notice is generally not necessary as a sign in wilderness. This kind of notification is best at the trailhead and on websites.
Figure 15. This kind of notice is generally not necessary as a sign in wilderness. Allow the maps to convey this information. It’s also a sign not made of natural materials.
Figure 16. This sign includes no natural materials. In addition, it’s likely not needed, at least not here. There are clearly cut logs visible behind the sign, so even if there is a lot of leaf litter, visitors will be able to find their way.
Figure 17. These signs are posted every ½ mile for a 6m long section of trail that has a clearly defined trail tread. They are not associated with trail intersections which may be appropriate. Instead, these signs are for comfort and not appropriate in wilderness.
Figure 18. Memorials are inappropriate in wilderness as they do not serve to preserve wilderness character.
Figure 19. These kinds of messages are not the minimum necessary in a wilderness. This belongs at the trailhead and on other materials. The sign itself has become litter.
Figure 20. Marking features with feature names is not the minimum necessary in wilderness. In this case, the feature identified is not a mapped feature, it’s simply the imagination of an employee of the agency desiring to share their imagination with the public.
Figure 21. Marking features with feature names is not the minimum necessary in wilderness. The name of this feature is readily available from a map. The placement of this sign was then followed by the agency placement of a visitor register. Neither is the minimum.
Figure 22. This is painted to look like a shoe sole and mark a trail that crosses bedrock. Identifying trails across bedrock or meadows can be difficult. But paint is not a suitable means.
Figure 23. This cabin is actively used as a patrol cabin. The presence of a cabin does not give cause for posting signs. The decision to post kiosk-oriented materials needs to be made independently from the presence of a cabin. The signs provide interpretive information which is appropriate at a trailhead or on a map.
Figure 24. Painted signs, especially of these unnatural colors, is likely not the minimum necessary.

Examples of interpretive signs outside the Wilderness boundary (that are likely not the minimum necessary for administering the area as Wilderness if placed inside the boundary).

Figure 25. Kiosk information can assist visitors with trip and interpretive information that is not appropriate when placed inside the wilderness.
Figure 26. The appropriate place to put a national trail register is outside wilderness, as this one is.
Figure 27. This sign is at the boundary of the wilderness. A comfort sign for a National Scenic Trail is appropriate outside of wilderness. Inside this would not be the minimum necessary. Informational signs on national trail routing belongs at trail intersections where in information may be necessary.

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