Interpretation

Interpretation helps visitors appreciate how parks and resources are relevant to important values in their lives. It’s how we reveal the deeper significance of a site and plant seeds of stewardship. When we’re wildly successful, visitors of all backgrounds understand that natural, cultural, and recreational resources are integral to their everyday lives.

  • Interpretive Signage

    Interpretive signs speak to your visitors when you can’t.

    A young girl with blonde hair, wearing a large pink and yellow ribbon hair accessory, reads an informational outdoor sign about bedrock mortars and metates. The sign includes illustrations and text, and is set against greenery with a tree trunk nearby.
  • Interpretive Direction

    Interpretive products and programs are built on the solid foundation of Interpretive Direction

    A woman sitting on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking a lake, surrounded by pine trees.
  • Guided Connections

    Provide consistent roving, traditional in-person, and distance learning programs.

    A man wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a hiking backpack stands in front of the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.
  • Self-Guided Discovery

    Self-guided tools help visitors explore and appreciate when we can’t be there.

    A woman sitting on a pinecone in a forest, reading a book in the sunlight.
  • Interpretive Training

    Establish interpretive standards for your site and create a culture where interpreters seek mastery.

    Close-up of a black and white sports helmet lying on green grass.
  • 10 Essential Visitor Services

    Challenge all staff members and volunteers to participate in these essential interpretive skills.

    People walking and relaxing in a park with cherry blossom trees in full bloom, under a partly cloudy sky.
  • Captive Audiences

    Audiences held captive by the systems of our sites can sometimes be those more likely to benefit from interpretation.

    A man and woman standing on a sidewalk in a park-like area, looking at a phone. The woman has long light brown hair, white pants, and a light-colored striped shirt. The man has short dark hair, blue jeans, and a black polo shirt with a Brazilian flag patch. They are surrounded by trees and parked cars.
  • Exhibits and Nature Centers

    When we can afford them, exhibits and nature centers are an interpretive tool and a destination.

    Interior of a visitor center or museum with informational displays about a national park, a large hanging sign that reads 'Your National Park,' and a table displaying natural artifacts. There are a few visitors, one looking at a display and another sitting on a bench, with large windows and wooden beams in the ceiling.