What is the story behind the crazy arrow sign on the East Plum Creek Trail?

Shannon from Castle Rock writes, “What’s driving you crazy? I know you talk about roads but I hope you can solve this question. I saw a crazy sign on the East Plum Creek trail..."

What is the story behind the crazy arrow sign on the East Plum Creek Trail?

By: Jayson Luber

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Shannon from Castle Rock writes, “What’s driving you crazy? I know you talk about roads but I hope you can solve this question. I saw a crazy sign on the East Plum Creek trail that has all kinds of arrows coming from the main trail and I’m confused if it is real or just a joke. Thanks for your off the highway expertise.”

Attached to this story is a picture of the crazy sign that Shannon is talking about, courtesy of Castle Rock resident Jim Flores. To me the sign looks either like traffic trying to find other ways to get around Interstate 25 traffic or like Medusa with snakes coming from her head.

The short answer Shannon is no, this sign is not real. It is just a fun sign that comes from the mind of Castle Rock Parks and Open Space Supervisor John Jorgensen who has been with the town for nearly 40 years. People who work with John says he has a tremendous sense of humor and likes to keep the town entertained.

When I went searching for the sign on the East Plum Creek Trail, I saw that the crazy arrow sign was already gone, replaced with one stating that this is now a monkey crossing area. The new sign is the latest in a series of artistic signs put up every year.

The fun trail signs came about from the rotating sculpture program called Douglas County Art Encounters. A few years ago, The Castle Rock Public Art Commission, which guides their public art installations, decided to feature a mirror polished stainless steel stop sign that says “Soar” across the middle. It was placed along the trail about ¾ of a mile north of Crystal Valley Parkway in a segment that had just opened to the public. The original sculpture was created by California artist Scott Froschauer.

“We really had to think about where to install this piece because it is mirror polished stainless steel making it very reflective, so you have to pick a spot where the background and foreground are nice because of the reflection,” Froschauer told me.

Scott says the “Soar” sign is part of an art series he calls “Word on the Street.” He told me his signs mainly end up on trails even though they are the same specifications any DOT would use along the roads.

The Soar sign was well received by the public. However, the town had a problem. The Art Encounters sculptures are changed annually and rotate out upon completion, which left the town with an empty signpost.

“One of our Parks Operations staff decided to continue the spirit of the original installation by selecting a new sign to feature each year, around the same time that we install the new Art Encounters sculptures,” Carrie Mahan Groce, Senior Communications Specialist with the Town of Castle Rock told me. “It’s a great surprise for staff and trail users, and it simply continues as a fun tradition.”

The next sign to show up in place of Soar was a yellow diamond sign that read “BREATHE”.

The next sign John featured on the trail was an image of a Sasquatch looking like he was crossing the trail. Following that was the crazy Medusa arrows sign that has since been replaced this past spring with this year’s “Monkey Crossing” sign.

“Soon after a sign gets changed out, we see an uptick in questions on our social media posts about trails, sometimes via email or as random posts on social media sites,” Mahan Groce said. “The Medusa sign prompted a lively discussion about what it meant; whereas the monkey crossing has caused more of a sarcastic joking comment trend asking things like, 'Are there monkeys in Castle Rock?' That’s what I’m remembering the Sasquatch response being as well. Honestly though, these last two have been the ones to pique people’s interest.”

I asked if any of the old signs were still hanging around the shop. I was told no, the old signs are generally reused for other signs if they are still in good shape. I also made a request to see more funny traffic related signs in future years. John said he’s not taking special requests but told me we can rest assured there will be future signs.

What is the story behind the crazy arrow sign on the East Plum Creek Trail?

Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 25 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his award winning Driving You Crazy podcast on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, or YouTube.