Bunting Graphics NPS Sign Program - Motorist Guidance Sign Overview

Motorist Guidance Signs provide directions to motorists traveling to parks or within parks. NPS Motorist Guidance Signs are characterized by their color (typically FHWA Brown backgrounds) and their distinctive typography. Primary messages are set in NPS Roadway, which is a heavier version of NPS Rawlinson designed to maximize readability by motorists. Secondary text is set in all uppercase Clearview. Text and other graphic elements (arrows, symbols, route shields, etc. appear as white.

Motorist Guidance Sign panels are made from sheets of a 10mm-thick aluminum composite material made from .012 sheets of aluminum laminated to either side of a premium grade polymer core. Aluminum (.080) is used for sign panels under 36 inches wide and Traffic Regulatory and Parking Control Signs. Retroreflective sheeting is applied to the front of the sign and the sign backs are finished in NPS Brown.

Download the Motorist Guidance Sign Worksheet
(81 KB PDF)

Sign Retro-reflectivity

The photos at left show how the retro-reflective surface of Motorist Guidance Signs helps improve their visibility when illuminated by headlights. Type II sheeting is standard.

Highway Guide:
Used to direct motorists to a park

Road Guide:
Used to direct motorists inside a park


	Pathfinder Pathfinders are used to direct motorists to a single destination through urban, suburban or populated rural areas along roads and streets with speed limits of 45mph or less.		Park Boundary Park Boundary Signs are used to designate the point where visitors enter or exit a park, especially when the terrain hinders the placement of a large sign at the actual park boundary.

Traffic Regulatory Control

Traffic Regulatory Signs are used within parks to govern the operation of motor vehicles. These signs (and Parking Control) are made from .080 aluminum to which a retroreflective sheeting is applied. Graphics are then screen printed onto the reflective surface. Type II sheeting is standard; Type III/IV is also available.

Parking Control Signs are used within parks to indicate where vehicles may or may not park. NPS Parking Control Signs vary in size and appearance from those specified by the Federal Highway Administration's Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The NPS style signs are, however, approved for use in national parks.

NPS Parking Control Signs are available in two versions: those indicating that parking is permitted (characterized by a green or blue overbar) and those indicating that parking is prohibited (characterized by a red overbar and a red circle and slash behind the parking symbol). The new style was introduced for two reasons: to provide a greater range of sizes (especially smaller sizes that are less intrusive in parks) and to provide signs that can be seen and understood more readily.

	To order a Motorist Guidance Sign

	To order a Highway Guide, Road Guide, Pathfinder or Park Boundary Sign, call Liz Gamelier at 412 820 2200, x257. To order a Traffic Regulatory or Parking Control Sign visit the Bunting Graphics website at nps.buntinggraphics.com/store/default.asp.