Trail Signs

Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster here.

I've always had an attachment to the NY DEC trail signs used across the state. Short of making a real one *disappear*, which would be a stupid, dangerous, and illegal thing to do, does anyone know how to get a recreation of one of these signs, or instructions on how to make my own? (dimensions, etc.)

Thanks a bunch

I once spent a weekend at a B&B on Route 28 in Inlet... the guy who owned it also made nearly all the road signs in the adks. Not sure if he did the DEC signs as well. Don't remember his name, but you could try an internet search.

Also, maybe you could contact a ranger: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/protection/rangers/frcont.html

On Sale Now !!!!

They sell them at the Adirondack Loj

THey do? aww heck..why havn't I ever noticed that before....

well...I'll just have to check that out next time I'm there.


Thanks

here's a picture of what I'm talking about..if anyone dosn't know:


sign.jpg

I had never seen re-creations of trail or summit signs so I decided to try to make one myself. I made a sign for Marcy...In addition to saying Mt Marcy it also lists the elevation/mileage below that and had a trail disk on it. I used yellow letter decals and then varnished the whole thing. It turned out pretty good (If I do say so myself). I've since made another sign for Whiteface to just fool around and have them hanging in my family room. I've always wondered if there was a "market" for them. Does anyone know how much they charge at the Loj for them?

Do it yourself

I would take a good picture, then go to a paint store and find out what colors DEC Brown and DEC Yellow are in the real world. Get a bit of each, then make up your own sign.

The advantage of making our own would be that you could put distances to reflect reality given the sign's placement.. IE distance from your home to a summit.

I'll always lean towards the high tech solution, so here goes...

Take a good digital picture of your favorite trail sign. Try to get a striaght on shot. If you have to shoot at an angle, you will have to correct the perspective with something like PhotoShop to get a rectangular image. You can resize the image to whatever you like.

Print this and mount it on an old plank. I guess you will have to paint the edges brown to match the front. Finish with varnish or polyurethane. You can distress the sign to make it look old and weathered.

OK, I guess it might not be the easiest process, but you would get an authentic reproduction.

Just get a piece of wood and stencil what you want on it in yellow. Then leave the board outside for a bit to get the weathered look. That is all the DEC does I bet. I have done this with other things and it works well.

nice,

hopefully me wifey will see this. i've wanted to make a sign (couple) to different summits and put it up in the front yard.

i think i'll be doing this this summer.

as far as making the sign, just find some good pine board get the colors and make the distances from your house....

good luck with that...

Yes, aDackR, your wifey did see this! It has been a debate in our home for some time. Creative lawn ornaments they are, I just hope he'll put up a "No Camping" sign as well, so that we don't up with vagrants tenting on our front lawn!

ok..so assuming I decided to go the diy route, where could I get a a real dec trail disk? It'd add some authenticity to it.

Also, is there any official stencil font that gets used to make these things, or does whomever gets to make the sign de jour just wing it?

I have a stupid question, if I were to put up some signs at my house indicating mileage to a given mountain, would it be acceptable to use air miles or must I find some route and calculate the mileage?

Good question . . .

MadRiver said:

I have a stupid question, if I were to put up some signs at my house indicating mileage to a given mountain, would it be acceptable to use air miles or must I find some route and calculate the mileage?

Click to expand...

There is, no doubt, some set of arcane and asinine rules for such thngs. No doubt, too, you will be roundly criticized and scolded no matter what you do. It seems we are not allowed to just wing it and have our own good time in this day and age.

That aside, I'd be inclined to use the "actual route method." Mrs. Grumpy would scoff at me for being so hung up on this stuff and going to absurd lengths, and would recruit neighbors for a good head-shaking session once the project was done.

At the same time, I would sit quiety aside, sipping on a nice adult beverage, grinning like the cat that ate the canary and feeling oh so superior to those who would make such a big deal of the thing.

Little victories count.

G.

MadRiver said:

I have a stupid question, if I were to put up some signs at my house indicating mileage to a given mountain, would it be acceptable to use air miles or must I find some route and calculate the mileage?

Click to expand...

i was thinking about this. i think that i might do road mileage and as the crow flies mileage. that way i'll cover both bases...

Picture made it clear

I misunderstood what you were asking about - you can buy the plastic discs at the Adirondack Loj for a few bucks each. They do not sell the wooden signs, however. Sounds like a potential cottage industry you could sell them at the roadside by King Phillip Spring before the Northway entrance (ie Keene Valley Mall).

Not that I've pondered this (ok I lied), the colors appear to be antique walnut stain (on pine) with OneShot Sign Painters Chrome Yellow paint for the lettering. The latter is readily available in better art supply stores.

If I didn't have so much other work to do around the house, this would be a nice diversion.

Jim