Instagram sensation Amber Share created these illustrations of North Carolina State parks — featuring their highly entertaining one-star reviews — exclusively for WALTER to celebrate her new book.
by Addie Ladner

A graphic designer by trade, Amber Share has always loved national parks. But when she took to captioning her illustrations of the parks dear to her with notes from other guests’ one-star reviews, her designs went viral. Learn more about her journey here, and enjoy her takes on favorite Raleigh and North Carolina landmarks, below, with these designs that she created exclusively for WALTER.

Mount Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi and North Carolina’s first official state park. Its elevation makes for a vastly different climate than the rest of the state, as it’s often windy and cold. For one visitor though, it was just bugs and nothing more.

A favorite for hikers, Raven Rock State Park offers varied terrain, beautiful foliage, hikes, views, and is centrally located.

At Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head is a vast rolling dune — the largest dune system in the eastern United States — with vantage points as far as the eye can see. But to one visitor, it’s “sand but nothing else.” 

At Hanging Rock State Park, a mountainous region known for its waterfalls and spring rhododendrons, another visitor found that “trees obscure the view.”

One disgruntled guest seems not to take into consideration that Umstead State Park offers more than 20 miles of trails, bridle paths, bike routes, creeks to play in, and opportunities for canoeing.