Hundreds of millions of people visit national parks each year, and most manage to obey park rules. However, many struggle with this and engage in activities such as getting too close to wild animals or walking into areas where they shouldn't be. 

One Facebook user shared a photo of people walking behind a fence clearly marked with a "No Public Access Beyond This Point" sign in the Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots™! group. 

Along with the photo, they wrote, "Not in Yellowstone, but at the Pike's Peak Summit. Nothing like a sheer drop off awaiting those that make a wrong step."

Other Facebook users in the group bemoaned the behavior and wondered why people are the way they are. 

"The Ultimate Lesson," one person commented. 

Someone else sarcastically added, "Well, no doubt these tourons have special powers that defy gravity."

Unfortunately, it's become increasingly common for tourists to ignore signs and clearly marked boundaries in parks. While they may believe these things are purely decorative, signs and boundaries are there to protect the park's plants and wildlife, as well as the tourists themselves. 

Those wandering off the beaten path are venturing into areas they shouldn't, and those places may contain native plants vital to the park's ecosystem. If enough are trampled by people, the entire ecosystem could be thrown out of balance.

Additionally, walking into park areas marked "no access" could lead to severe injury or even death. It's difficult for emergency services to reach some out-of-bounds areas, so if someone is injured, first responders may not arrive in time, leading to a tragic outcome. 

Some people have even been arrested for entering unauthorized areas. 

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On top of all that, ignoring boundaries is a fantastic way to run into a wild animal, which could also lead to injury or death. Whether it's being bitten by a porcupine or getting gored by bison, human-wildlife encounters tend to end poorly. 

They don't only end badly for the humans involved, either. Wildlife authorities usually try to track down an animal that attacked and euthanize it, whether a human provoked it or not.

Obeying park rules and signs is not only the safest course of action, but the simplest. It protects tourists and nature alike, and tourists can still snap a great picture standing a few feet farther back.

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