Bystander ignites backlash after rule-breaking images emerge from national park: 'Don't be that guy'

Sometimes there's just nothing better than a peaceful day at a national park. Being able to soak in the natural beauty of the landscape can do wonders for anybody. So when a fellow park visitor creates a chaotic and potentially destructive scene, it can have the opposite effect.

For one Redditor, they witnessed a reckless driver divert from the designated roads inside Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and do a little impromptu off-roading. The flustered bystander then took to r/oregon to share their experience and vent their frustrations.

"Too many people ... act like they just got let out outside for the first time." — Photo Credit: Reddit

The original poster included a few pictures that showed a Jeep Wrangler with sizable off-road tires cutting through open fields in the park.

"Got his plate and reported to the NPS. Not sure if they'll track him down, had BC plates," shared the Redditor.

Down in the comments section, a number of users appeared to be just as frustrated with the off-roader as the original poster.

"Too many people buying jeeps act like they just got let out outside for the first time. Don't be that guy," one commenter advised.

"That's the pumice fields, and really ecologically sensitive," explained a second user.

The Pumice Desert at Crater Lake National Park is an area that is designated as a Research Natural Area. The area was once a glacial valley but was buried under more than 200 feet of porous pumice and ash from the Mount Mazama eruption over 7,000 years ago.

The porous soil contains scarce organic matter and provides very little moisture despite its location in a forest ecosystem. Because of this, few plant species can survive in the Pumice Desert. Scientists have studied this unique desert for years to understand how plant life gradually returns and evolves over time in such a harsh environment.

As noted by another commenter, a previous incident in 2018 with an off-roader in the Pumice Desert resulted in a hefty fine for the perpetrator. After taking their vehicle through the desert, they destroyed 15 separate plant species and left 12-inch deep ruts in the soil. The driver was ultimately fined over $60,000 in damages.