Bold new signs warn of dangers at Crowders Mountain State Park overlooks

After Stephanie Anderson fell to her death at the Pinnacle overlook last spring, Crowders Mountain State Park conducted a safety audit.

The result is new warning signs – big, bright and bold – at some of the most precarious overlooks. “SERIOUS INJURIES AND DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED BEYOND THIS POINT,” the signs warn with a yellow background and “WARNING” written twice in big red letters.

“We want to make people aware that not only is it possible, it has happened,” park superintendent Larry Hyde said. “We just want people to understand the risks.”

Hyde said attendance at the park nearly doubled in recent years – up to 677,000 last year from 351,000 in 2013. Some weekends, they have to turn people away. With so many visitors, park officials want everyone to know about potential dangers.

Anderson, 48, of Marvin fell 150 feet off a sheer cliff face at the Pinnacle as she posed for photographs with her husband and one of her three daughters. There’s a new warning sign up there, as well as signs at the top of Crowders Mountain and on the Rocktop Trail.

Many avid hikers also follow this unwritten rule: Stay away from the edge.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Bold new signs warn of dangers at Crowders Mountain State Park overlooks."