MapGuide to highlight natural and cultural heritage in the Greater Yellowstone region

Using your recommendations, National Geographic will produce a Geotourism MapGuide to encourage travel that celebrates and sustains what is most distinctive about Greater Yellowstone. The two-sided map will include contributions from local writers and experts, detailed entries about sites and events, and background on themes of regional importance.

Make Your Nominations

The MapGuide will be shaped by the real experts about the region — its year-round and part-time residents and visitors. From April 15 through June 30, 2008, nominate your favorite sites and events online here. Click here for a schedule of community forums and presentations where you can learn more about the Greater Yellowstone Geotourism Initiative and make nominations.

The MapGuide will highlight places, attractions, flavors, and experiences that capture the beauty, diversity, and uniqueness of the Greater Yellowstone region. Nominations may include historic structures and archeological sites, scenic landscapes, wildlife viewing spots, recreational trails, unique businesses and places to stay, and all of the things that contribute to the region’s culture such as local music, crafts, arts, festivals, traditional celebrations, and local cuisine.

Join a Region-wide Collaboration

A regional Geotourism Stewardship Council will work directly with the National Geographic Society in a collaborative process that combines National Geographic’s considerable map-making expertise with local understanding of what sets this region apart. The Council will represent the many facets of geotourism, including community leadership, historic preservation, natural resources, public lands management, indigenous peoples, traditional and local arts, agriculture, tourism promotion and businesses, and more.

The list of project collaborators and supporters is long already, and it will continue to grow. In addition to National Geographic, this initiative is supported by Wyoming Travel & Tourism, Idaho Division of Tourism Development, Travel Montana and its partners, Yellowstone Country tourism region and the Bozeman, Big Sky, and West Yellowstone Convention and Visitor Bureaus, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Sonoran Institute. Project coordination is provided by Greater Yellowstone Coalition in cooperation with the Yellowstone Business Partnership.

Look to the Future

A 2002 study by National Geographic Traveler magazine and the Travel Industry Association of America found that more than 55 million adults in the U.S. can be described as “geotourists,” traveling to enjoy the particular character of places, and willing to help sustain and enhance those qualities for future visitors. These travelers control over half the household income of all U.S. travelers. The Greater Yellowstone region has significant appeal for this discerning tourist market. It is a land of scenic landscapes, rich biodiversity, captivating history, a mosaic of cultures, and vibrant, friendly communities.

Beyond producing a top-quality resource that helps visitors and residents delve more deeply into Greater Yellowstone’s unique heritage, this initiative begins with broader vision of working together to identify, explore, and sustain what is best about this region. The Greater Yellowstone Geotourism Initiative will lay a foundation for ongoing collaborations to encourage stewardship of the region’s natural, historic, and cultural assets. In this way, geotourism can serve local communities and residents, as well as the visitors they host.

To download a PDF project description, click here.