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I Illustrated National Parks In America Based On Their Worst Review And I Hope They Will Make You Laugh (16 Pics)
National parks are sprawling wonders of nature that have left millions of visitors in awe, but there’s always that one person who manages to find fault, even in paradise. It’s mindboggling to think that some people have left bad reviews of national parks for the most absurd reasons. But the funniest thing is that one artist decided to illustrate those national park reviews.
Disclaimer: Amber Share is the original author of this article. The Bored Panda team has since updated it.
Who Is the Artist Behind the Posters of 1-Star Reviews of National Parks?
Amber Share is an American author and illustrator who started creating national park bad-review posters in 2019. She picked the worst one-star reviews from Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to create her humorous artwork. This culminated in a project called Subpar Parks based on her drawings. She also published a book pairing her illustrations with basic facts about the parks and inputs from park rangers. But let’s hear directly from Amber:
“I’m an illustrator, and I have always had a personal goal to draw all 62 US National Parks, but I wanted to find a unique twist for these poster designs. When I found that there are one-star reviews for every single park, the idea for Subpar Parks was born. For each park, I hand-letter a line from the one-star reviews alongside my illustration of each park as my way of putting fun and beautiful twist on the negativity.”
Let’s take a whimsical journey through her artwork and laugh at these one-star reviews of national parks that will make you question the sanity of the folks who left them. Share it with your friends so that they get a kick out of the weird reviews that people leave.
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Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is located in California. It is well-known for its giant sequoia trees. The General Sherman Tree in the park is one of the oldest trees in the world—over 2000 years old.
“I had been wanting to draw all of the national parks but wanted to find a way to add a bit of a twist to make it different from the other park illustrations already out there. I stumbled upon the one-star reviews online, and the drawing idea just came to me! I came to illustration by way of hand lettering, so finding words I could incorporate into the beautiful nature illustrations really helped the project come together,” Amber mentioned.
Yosemite National Park
“Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.” (According to the National Park Service website)
What Was Amber’s Favorite National Park to Illustrate?
“When it comes to my favorite park to draw and its review so far, I think it was Arches, which is why I did that one first! I don’t really know that I have a least favorite—they’ve all been so fun and different to draw so far and has really made me appreciate the diversity of beautiful views in the US! Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring was definitely the most difficult of these cool posters because it was so hard to capture (which makes that review even funnier!).”
Grand Canyon National Park
“Unique combinations of geologic color and erosional forms decorate a canyon that is 277 river miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, and a mile (1.6 km) deep. Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size.” (According to the National Park Service website)
“Sometimes, I find the perfect review really quickly for my nature drawings, and other times, I have to dig through several different review sites before I find the right one. It all depends on the park. I try to avoid any reviews about the park management or upkeep and stick solely to reviews that have to do with the actual nature because I think the audacity of criticizing earth is what keeps the project light.”
Joshua Tree National Park
“Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park. A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California.” (According to the National Park Service website)
How Long Did It Take To Illustrate the Bad National Park Reviews?
“Each illustration took about 5-6 hours of work, depending on the park. So far, Cuyahoga Valley took the longest because it was tough to get the waterfall just right!”
Isle Royale National Park
“Explore a rugged, isolated island, far from the sights and sounds of civilization. Surrounded by Lake Superior, Isle Royale offers unparalleled solitude and adventures for backpackers, hikers, boaters, kayakers, canoeists, and scuba divers. Here, amid stunning scenic beauty, you’ll find opportunities for reflection and discovery and make memories that last a lifetime.” (According to the National Park Service website)
Grand Teton National Park
Here is what the National Park Service had to say about Grand Teton National Park: “Rising above a scene rich with extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain, the Teton Range stands as a monument to the people who fought to protect it. These are mountains of the imagination. Mountains that led to the creation of Grand Teton National Park, where you can explore over two hundred miles of trails, float the Snake River, and enjoy the serenity of this remarkable place.”
Saguaro National Park
“Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson.” (According to the National Park Service website)
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a gorgeous wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. It is home to hundreds of animals like wolves, bears, elks, and many species of birds. This gorgeous national park features canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, and geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. This incredible wilderness range ranks high on many US national park ranking lists.
Arches National Park
“Visit Arches to discover a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms, and textures unlike any other in the world. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins, and giant balanced rocks. This red-rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations, refresh you with its trails, and inspire you with its sunsets.” (According to the National Park Service website)
Glacier National Park
This is one of the most beautiful places in the US that everyone should visit at least once. “With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hiker’s paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.” (According to the National Park Service website)
Zion National Park
Although this funny national park review says quite the opposite, Zion National Park has a unique geography and diverse zones that allow unusual plant and animal life to thrive. This national park in southwestern Utah has four life zones: coniferous forest, desert, riparian, and woodland.
Olympic National Park
“With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline.” (According to the National Park Service website)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park review doesn’t do justice to its immense beauty. This national park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern North America, including the Clingmans Dome, Mount Guyot, and Mount Le Conte. One remarkable fact about it is that the Appalachian Trail passes through the park’s center.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is the fifth-largest American national park. It is also the hottest, driest, and lowest of all US national parks. It is located on the California–Nevada border and has a diverse environment with salt flats, dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons, and mountains. Some flora and fauna that have adapted to its harsh desert environment include the Creosote bush, Joshua tree, and Bighorn sheep.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
This national park preserves and reclaims the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. This is the only national park initially designated as a National Recreation Area. It is also different from other national parks in America because it is adjacent to two large urban areas.
Capitol Reef National Park
President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated the breathtaking Capitol Reef National Park a national monument on August 2, 1937. This was done to protect the park’s colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. It was opened to the public in 1950.
Do You Agree With Any of These One-Star National Park Reviews?
The national parks in these illustrations are home to diverse plant and animal life and have unique attractions that draw many visitors. These pictures taken at national parks prove how spectacular these wilderness areas are. That’s why it’s shocking to learn that people out there leave bad reviews of national parks. If you want to check out more funny one-star review illustrations, here’s our update on Subpar Parks with an interview from Amber Share!
I just love it when people act like nature owes them something. I would be on cloud nine in any of these places and I wouldn't spare a second's thought about WIFI.
I really like the art style and how those thoughtless complaints were turned into something really nice.
I need these in poster form! I love nature and I love the irony of these reviews juxtaposed on the scenic artwork!
Such beautiful places from the photographs I have seen online. My ability to travel is extremely limited so I would be over joyed to see such incredibly special places. The posters created from such stupid reviews are fantastic, thank you so much for your creativity 😊😊
I love the illustrations, they are so well done and adding those ridiculous comments made them do a double job of providing a laugh and making me want to get going to explore some marvel of Nature.
Spent a summer 20 years ago working a season at an Alaskan lodge where there were often bear sightings. One visitor was disappointed she hadn't seen a bear yet and asked one of our housekeepers if he could find, catch and tie one up so she could see it up close.
Would also love these illustrations in poster size so I could put them in my garage and have a good laugh every time I’m in there!
These posters are beautiful. I don't get those people's reviews, though. What were they expecting?
Those are fantastic. I just did Yellowstone this summer, and have visited Grand Canyon and Great Smokey Mountain parks as well in this set. I'd love to have a set of those for framing. The style is a brilliant emulation of the historic national park posters, and the juxtaposition of complaint reviews from modern phone-addicted troglodytes is priceless. Thank you, those truly brightened my day. Art
Part of me wants to laugh at how ridiculous these people are and the other part of me wants to assume these are jokes. The rest of me is a bit annoyed because these people are being listened to. There is talk about privatizing the national park camp grounds, adding wifi, food trucks and amazon delivery within national parks. Apparently it would be to help visitation rates...
This is how modern society has taught people how to be: only focus on superficial things (that you have to pay for) and don't be aware of nature (because you won't care when we ruin it for profit).
People need to chill, mother nature didn't make these places just to please a bunch of crazy tourists
I laughed out loud, I am an avid outdoors woman and my take is it will keep less people coming to the parks and overcrowding.
Just a bunch of drawings with words. No plot development, no action sequences, no explosions, no car chases. Just words.
These should be given a wider audience, then maybe I could enjoy the parks without so many tourists :-)
Fantastic way to present both the majesty of our parks and the very laughable comments of apparently clueless human beings. “Apparently clueless” was the nicest way I could put it.
These are hysterically funny. Thank you! (From a regular Sequoia-ite whose face has often been bitten by bugs... and just doesn't mind.)
Einstein said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. “ We can at least hope other morons will read those negative reviews and choose not to visit the parks. They are getting too crowded.
I once wrote a review of a campground as if it were a hotel, complaining about how noisy the creek next to my campsite was & that the concierge ignored my complaints about the noise that persisted throughout the posted "quiet hours," having to share bathroom facilities -- this isn't Eastern Europe! -- and the fact that the place is so far from good restaurants. (I also included a real review, just in case people missed the parody aspect of it. Because yeah - there are people who think national parks should be theme parks & who do not understand that a wilderness area is legitimate wilderness.)
This made me laugh especially the one about the Grand canyon because when I took my 15 year old daughter there she said Dad it's a big ditch why must you keep driving and looking at anymore it's all the same one big ditch
These illustrations are Funnier than s**t. Here is my advice to those seeking the wonders of our National Parks. Before you go, find out why it was important to preserve, to the people that helped preserve it, and ten try to see the area through their eyes. You may just discover what truly makes the area special
I'd love to have some of these in poster/sticker/tshirt form! Please create an easy store for them!
The majesty of nature displayed in our national parks, as reviewed by a bunch of people who should have stayed home and followed the Kardashians on Instagram.
These are amazing. Any plans for a book once you've drawn all the parks?
I'm very proud of our State and National Parks, Forest Preserves, etc. People who don't appreciate them have that right, and should stay surrounded by concrete, noise, and WIFI.
Could you please make these available as postcards? I would love to send these out to people even though I have only been to two of them. They are great.
These are great. Kudos to the artist for this unique take. The posters would look fantastic decorating the walls of outdoor sports shops.
Some people would complain there was no caffeine in their decaf coffee.
I absolutely love this concept. A bit of a laugh at the way not to look at these massive park treasures. I would totally buy these as bumper stickers at the parks. We like to collect National Park stickers to remind us of the amazing parks we’ve been too. These ones would remind us to laugh too!
These are absolutely brilliant!!! I am going to share this with everyone I know! If you turn them into postcards (please do!) I would love to buy them! Too too good!
Oh my gosh you should definitely publish these as a way to shame people into appreciating nature (although I suspect some of them must have been written by children).
Well as I live just outside Glacier National Park I say..yes its too cold for most so dont bother coming for a visit. Go to Yosemite instead! 😊 Montana's all full!
Text: "I just came back from an amazing journey through Japan. The cherry blossoms in full bloom were incredible! Here are a few photos from my trip." Comment: "Your photos are absolutely enchanting! Japan is a dream for any traveler. If you want to discover more about breathtaking places worldwide or share your own experiences, check out [BigHills](https://www.bighills.com/). There's a wealth of inspiring content waiting for you! 🌸🌏"
These need to be t-shirts. Please tell me there are t-shirts. I'd buy them all
I have visited them all...except for that Cuyahoga one, and now I have to go visit it. They are all great places to get into. Try them. You will love them.
I love these as I have visited many of the parks you have illustrated. Is there anyplace I can see all of the parks? Have you added the New river park to you sketches? Something could be said about getting wet!
I love these so so much. Pretty please do one for Rocky Mountain National Park. I even grabbed a few negative review snippets as potentials: "It's just boring. It's like any forest," "Not enough amenities or parking," "Too many visitors," and my personal favorite, "The elk were just laying around."
I think the pictures are beautiful and I feel it, at least I am attracted
i choked on a carrot...moral of the story dont laugh while eating carrots,
I hope that more people would appreciate that there is nothing inherently "great" about any of the locations depicted above. Value is something that people attach to things and people can have different priorities which lead them to apply different values to the same thing. One person's majestic vista is another person's wasted day. I have noticed that there is a cultural attitude, that is (to me) shockingly prevalent in the U.S., whereby camping and 'the "great" outdoors' is glorified. Please appreciate that this is simply a cultural attitude (albeit a common one) and that just because some people have drunk the coolaid/misty mountain air, doesn't mean that everyone must agree. I, myself, can't imagine why anyone would want to go to (to my mind) ghastly and boring places like deserts, but I rather enjoy lakes, waterfalls, and forest views.
Brilliant, it still amazes me how some people cannot appreciate the magnificence of Mother Nature. I remember taking a group of elderly Americans to a local wild park in Florida. It had amazing Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, a variety of wild life and birds. Their comments, trees, trees, nothing but trees!
Oh my gosh...I love them. Can you do Acadia next?! Let me know when you do because our followers will LOVE it!
This reminds me of the brief TV reality show they had called Outback Jack. Kind of like The Bachelor Aussie style. One of the first weeks it was on, the bachelorettes were helicoptered out to a remote area in the Outback to live in tents. Every one of them would get up in the morning and start a huge routine of make up and primping to look perfect. One particular girl was all about her looks. Her comment "I don't understand who likes this. Couldn't they just tear down the Outback and build a mall?" Yeah..she was gone the next day....
Irony. It is humour using the opposite. This is what you're seeing. Stop insulting the talented and funny person un-ironically .
To be fair, I'm wondering if a lot of these reviews weren't meant to be humorous. They were to me.
I don't get why everyone is mad about these. Am I the only one who gets that they're satirical?
I think you may have a 'Strange' outlook on the world around you, just by reading your responses to the parks.
I just love it when people act like nature owes them something. I would be on cloud nine in any of these places and I wouldn't spare a second's thought about WIFI.
I really like the art style and how those thoughtless complaints were turned into something really nice.
I need these in poster form! I love nature and I love the irony of these reviews juxtaposed on the scenic artwork!
Such beautiful places from the photographs I have seen online. My ability to travel is extremely limited so I would be over joyed to see such incredibly special places. The posters created from such stupid reviews are fantastic, thank you so much for your creativity 😊😊
I love the illustrations, they are so well done and adding those ridiculous comments made them do a double job of providing a laugh and making me want to get going to explore some marvel of Nature.
Spent a summer 20 years ago working a season at an Alaskan lodge where there were often bear sightings. One visitor was disappointed she hadn't seen a bear yet and asked one of our housekeepers if he could find, catch and tie one up so she could see it up close.
Would also love these illustrations in poster size so I could put them in my garage and have a good laugh every time I’m in there!
These posters are beautiful. I don't get those people's reviews, though. What were they expecting?
Those are fantastic. I just did Yellowstone this summer, and have visited Grand Canyon and Great Smokey Mountain parks as well in this set. I'd love to have a set of those for framing. The style is a brilliant emulation of the historic national park posters, and the juxtaposition of complaint reviews from modern phone-addicted troglodytes is priceless. Thank you, those truly brightened my day. Art
Part of me wants to laugh at how ridiculous these people are and the other part of me wants to assume these are jokes. The rest of me is a bit annoyed because these people are being listened to. There is talk about privatizing the national park camp grounds, adding wifi, food trucks and amazon delivery within national parks. Apparently it would be to help visitation rates...
This is how modern society has taught people how to be: only focus on superficial things (that you have to pay for) and don't be aware of nature (because you won't care when we ruin it for profit).
People need to chill, mother nature didn't make these places just to please a bunch of crazy tourists
I laughed out loud, I am an avid outdoors woman and my take is it will keep less people coming to the parks and overcrowding.
Just a bunch of drawings with words. No plot development, no action sequences, no explosions, no car chases. Just words.
These should be given a wider audience, then maybe I could enjoy the parks without so many tourists :-)
Fantastic way to present both the majesty of our parks and the very laughable comments of apparently clueless human beings. “Apparently clueless” was the nicest way I could put it.
These are hysterically funny. Thank you! (From a regular Sequoia-ite whose face has often been bitten by bugs... and just doesn't mind.)
Einstein said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. “ We can at least hope other morons will read those negative reviews and choose not to visit the parks. They are getting too crowded.
I once wrote a review of a campground as if it were a hotel, complaining about how noisy the creek next to my campsite was & that the concierge ignored my complaints about the noise that persisted throughout the posted "quiet hours," having to share bathroom facilities -- this isn't Eastern Europe! -- and the fact that the place is so far from good restaurants. (I also included a real review, just in case people missed the parody aspect of it. Because yeah - there are people who think national parks should be theme parks & who do not understand that a wilderness area is legitimate wilderness.)
This made me laugh especially the one about the Grand canyon because when I took my 15 year old daughter there she said Dad it's a big ditch why must you keep driving and looking at anymore it's all the same one big ditch
These illustrations are Funnier than s**t. Here is my advice to those seeking the wonders of our National Parks. Before you go, find out why it was important to preserve, to the people that helped preserve it, and ten try to see the area through their eyes. You may just discover what truly makes the area special
I'd love to have some of these in poster/sticker/tshirt form! Please create an easy store for them!
The majesty of nature displayed in our national parks, as reviewed by a bunch of people who should have stayed home and followed the Kardashians on Instagram.
These are amazing. Any plans for a book once you've drawn all the parks?
I'm very proud of our State and National Parks, Forest Preserves, etc. People who don't appreciate them have that right, and should stay surrounded by concrete, noise, and WIFI.
Could you please make these available as postcards? I would love to send these out to people even though I have only been to two of them. They are great.
These are great. Kudos to the artist for this unique take. The posters would look fantastic decorating the walls of outdoor sports shops.
Some people would complain there was no caffeine in their decaf coffee.
I absolutely love this concept. A bit of a laugh at the way not to look at these massive park treasures. I would totally buy these as bumper stickers at the parks. We like to collect National Park stickers to remind us of the amazing parks we’ve been too. These ones would remind us to laugh too!
These are absolutely brilliant!!! I am going to share this with everyone I know! If you turn them into postcards (please do!) I would love to buy them! Too too good!
Oh my gosh you should definitely publish these as a way to shame people into appreciating nature (although I suspect some of them must have been written by children).
Well as I live just outside Glacier National Park I say..yes its too cold for most so dont bother coming for a visit. Go to Yosemite instead! 😊 Montana's all full!
Text: "I just came back from an amazing journey through Japan. The cherry blossoms in full bloom were incredible! Here are a few photos from my trip." Comment: "Your photos are absolutely enchanting! Japan is a dream for any traveler. If you want to discover more about breathtaking places worldwide or share your own experiences, check out [BigHills](https://www.bighills.com/). There's a wealth of inspiring content waiting for you! 🌸🌏"
These need to be t-shirts. Please tell me there are t-shirts. I'd buy them all
I have visited them all...except for that Cuyahoga one, and now I have to go visit it. They are all great places to get into. Try them. You will love them.
I love these as I have visited many of the parks you have illustrated. Is there anyplace I can see all of the parks? Have you added the New river park to you sketches? Something could be said about getting wet!
I love these so so much. Pretty please do one for Rocky Mountain National Park. I even grabbed a few negative review snippets as potentials: "It's just boring. It's like any forest," "Not enough amenities or parking," "Too many visitors," and my personal favorite, "The elk were just laying around."
I think the pictures are beautiful and I feel it, at least I am attracted
i choked on a carrot...moral of the story dont laugh while eating carrots,
I hope that more people would appreciate that there is nothing inherently "great" about any of the locations depicted above. Value is something that people attach to things and people can have different priorities which lead them to apply different values to the same thing. One person's majestic vista is another person's wasted day. I have noticed that there is a cultural attitude, that is (to me) shockingly prevalent in the U.S., whereby camping and 'the "great" outdoors' is glorified. Please appreciate that this is simply a cultural attitude (albeit a common one) and that just because some people have drunk the coolaid/misty mountain air, doesn't mean that everyone must agree. I, myself, can't imagine why anyone would want to go to (to my mind) ghastly and boring places like deserts, but I rather enjoy lakes, waterfalls, and forest views.
Brilliant, it still amazes me how some people cannot appreciate the magnificence of Mother Nature. I remember taking a group of elderly Americans to a local wild park in Florida. It had amazing Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, a variety of wild life and birds. Their comments, trees, trees, nothing but trees!
Oh my gosh...I love them. Can you do Acadia next?! Let me know when you do because our followers will LOVE it!
This reminds me of the brief TV reality show they had called Outback Jack. Kind of like The Bachelor Aussie style. One of the first weeks it was on, the bachelorettes were helicoptered out to a remote area in the Outback to live in tents. Every one of them would get up in the morning and start a huge routine of make up and primping to look perfect. One particular girl was all about her looks. Her comment "I don't understand who likes this. Couldn't they just tear down the Outback and build a mall?" Yeah..she was gone the next day....
Irony. It is humour using the opposite. This is what you're seeing. Stop insulting the talented and funny person un-ironically .
To be fair, I'm wondering if a lot of these reviews weren't meant to be humorous. They were to me.
I don't get why everyone is mad about these. Am I the only one who gets that they're satirical?
I think you may have a 'Strange' outlook on the world around you, just by reading your responses to the parks.