The growth of both photo editing software and social media sites such as Facebook have provided a fertile field for April Fools' spoofs on a variety of subjects, including national parks. Here are just a few examples from around the country.

Yosemite National Park

"We're happy to announce that the wind turbines on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park have been completed! Energy produced from these turbines will power the nightly laser shows on Half Dome's face. If all goes well, the hydroelectric dam on top of Yosemite Falls should be completed by next April Fools' Day and will power the gondola to Glacier Point."

Zion National Park



"Before the Zion Canyon shuttle system began, a lesser-known shuttle system operated in the Left Fork of North Creek, giving the area its famous name, The Subway. The final day of service was April 1, 1985."

Crater Lake National Park

"Inspired by Seattle's Pacific Northwest icon, the Space Needle, the National Park Service has announced plans to ask a park concessionaire to build a rotating restaurant atop Wizard Island in Crater Lake National Park. 'It's a logical concept,' said the park superintendent. 'The lake and island are becoming more popular due to promotions by travel partners, and the new restaurant will give visitors incredible 360-degree views of the inside of the caldera and the lake's deep blue waters.' The chefs will even prepare lake-caught fish for adventurous epicureans. According to the superintendent, 'Visitors can catch their salmon and eat it too.'"

Arches National Park

"It's official: Balanced Arch will join our list of scenic viewpoints for the 2015 season."

Madison Avenue can get in on the act as well, sometimes with mixed results. In 1996 the Taco Bell restaurant chain took out full page newspaper ads in six major newspapers on April 1 with a photo of the Liberty Bell sporting a Taco Bell logo and the following announcement:

“In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country’s most historic treasures. It will now be called the ‘Taco Liberty Bell’ and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country’s debt.”

The ads generated quite a stir. According to this article, at least two U. S. Senators called the NPS to complain, and hundreds of irate customers voiced their ire a Taco Bell locations around the county. The NPS and Taco Bell both had to issue official statements later that day explaining that the ads were simply an April Fools' prank by the company, and in an effort to make amends, Taco Bell reportedly pledged a $50,000 donation toward upkeep of the bell.

It's a serious world in many ways these days, and sometimes it's good to inject a little humor into life... so if the calendar happens to read "April 1," it's not a bad idea to take almost anything you read that day with a grain of salt.

(Above images and quotes from the following Facebook pages: Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Arches National Park)