Cody, Wyo., March 10, 2016 – The best way to appreciate a Yellowstone vacation is to start it in Cody, Wyo., the wildest way in to the world’s first national park.

A trip to the Yellowstone region is always an eye-opener, and it is typical for each traveler to return home with different perspectives and indelible memories. With so many natural attractions and so much history, the region has been incredibly popular among vacationers for decades.

“Not only is Cody the wildest way into Yellowstone, with scenic and historic routes into the park and the promise of plentiful wildlife and spectacular Western landscapes, it is also like a one-stop resource for extensive Yellowstone information,” said Claudia Wade, executive director of the Park County Travel Council, the tourism marketing arm of the region. “Vacationers who explore Cody before they head into the park will have a better and more comprehensive understanding of what to see, experience and expect in Yellowstone.”

The first stop Wade recommends is to go to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and head to the Draper Natural History Museum. At the Draper’s top level, people can look at a floor map of the region that helps them get their bearings and see where Cody, Park County, the park and the whole Yellowstone ecosystem fit together. From that top level are ramps that go down in a counter clockwise pattern with interpretive displays on specific topics such as the area’s wildlife, how forest fires are actually good for the environment, native peoples of the region and the reintroduction of wolves to the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Wade suggests that visitors spend time exploring all five museums under the Buffalo Bill Center of the West roof. They learn about Buffalo Bill Cody where the recently renovated Buffalo Bill Museum does a terrific job of presenting his life and adventures. There’s also the Plains Indians Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum and Cody Firearms Museum. Visitors are typically amazed with the quality of the museum in such a small town.

 After the BBCW, Wade recommends the Cody Trolley Tour for a one-hour, 22-mile tour that is a great way to get acquainted with the town and travel the first few miles on one of two roads to Yellowstone. Lively narrators tell the compelling story of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and showcase the town he created. Participants learn about the town as it was more than 100 years ago, how the dam changed agriculture in the region, what it took to drill tunnels and create the road and more.

 The road between Cody, Wyo. to the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park is 52 miles and runs along the north fork of the Shoshone River. From the town of Cody visitors take Yellowstone Avenue west through a ¾-mile-long tunnel and past the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, Buffalo Bill State Park, rock formations and lava flows and through the Shoshone National Forest. Once inside the forest, the highway is designated the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway and is noted for its abundant wildlife.

The area is also home to a dozen guest ranches offering overnight accommodations, fishing, horseback riding and other activities. The last stop before the entrance to Yellowstone is Pahaska Tepee, the hunting lodge of Buffalo Bill Cody.

The second option into the park is just as spectacular with expansive views and even more opportunities to view wildlife, culminating in a drive through “America’s Serengeti,” better known as Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley. The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway features sights like the single-span Sunlight Creek Bridge, the highest bridge in Wyoming and Dead Indian Pass overlook area where the Nez Perce tribe outran the U.S. Cavalry for several months in 1877. History buffs should also consider taking a side trip on the Sunlight Basin Road (a gravel road) to see the Sunlight Ranger Station, a Civilian Conservation Corps structure built in 1936. Travelers will enter Montana and drive through the small towns of Cooke City and Silver Gate before entering the park. It is typical to see bison and elk in this valley and not uncommon to spot wolves, bears, coyote, bighorn sheep, moose and a wide variety of birds.

Yellowstone Country is comprised of the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park.
The area of Park County is called “Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country” because it was the playground of Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Buffalo Bill founded the town of Cody in 1896, and the entire region was driven and is still heavily influenced by the vision of the Colonel. Today its broad streets, world-class museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West and thriving western culture host nearly 1 million visitors annually.

 The Park County Travel Council website lists information about vacation packages, special events, guide services, weather and more. Travelers wishing to arrange vacation can also call the Park County Travel Council at 1-800-393-2639 or connect with Cody on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
(970) 286-2751
[email protected]
[email protected]

Western Montana’s Glacier Country will welcome four new lodging properties this year in Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Whitefish. Minutes from the west entrance of Glacier National Park and modeled after the park’s grand lodges, Cedar Creek Lodge and Convention Center is set to open this summer in Columbia Falls, and will offer 64 rooms and 3,000 square feet of convention space. Located in Kalispell, SpringHill Suites by Marriot will open its 101-suite property in late May 2016, while Whitefish will welcome two new properties this spring and summer. Located on the south end of town, the 76-room Hampton Inn & Suites will offer visitors easy access to recreation around the Flathead Valley, as well as an indoor pool, hot tub and golf simulator room. Situated in the heart of downtown and slated to open early summer, The Firebrand Hotel will feature 86 rooms, on-site spa services, a restaurant and rooftop patio.

Renovation, Restorations and NPS Centennial

The National Park Service is continuing rehabilitation efforts on Glacier National Park’s Many Glacier Hotel, which include 103 of its 211 guest rooms, as well as restoring the spiral staircase that connects the lobby with the upper floors. Due to renovations, lodging at Many Glacier Hotel is limited this summer.

Averill’s Flathead Lake Lodge, an all-inclusive guest ranch on the shore of Flathead Lake in Bigfork, spent the winter renovating their on-site cabins with new wood floors and updated bathrooms.

Glacier Park Inc. continues to improve buildings and services in West Glacier, including West Glacier Motel and Cabins, West Glacier Restaurant and Bar, West Glacier Mercantile and the West Glacier Gift Shop. GPI has 615 guest rooms in and around Glacier National Park, Whitefish and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada.

As part of the 2016 National Park Service Centennial, many concessioners and businesses in and around Glacier National Park are offering special tours this summer. Of note: guided hikes with Glacier Guides, horseback trail rides with Swan Mountain Outfitters and red bus tours with Glacier National Park Lodges.

For updated information about tours, itineraries, attractions and offerings in Western Montana’s Glacier Country, read our business-to-business blog at www.b2b.glaciermt.com

 

Two thousand sixteen marks the 100th anniversary of America’s National Park Service. As this momentous commemoration approached, acclaimed filmmaker Greg MacGillivray felt it was the perfect time to explore the hard-fought story of how the parks were born, why the whole world flocks to them, and their never-ending power and mystery. Learn more about this monumental movie here.

Attendance to the RMI Roundup in Cody, Wyo., is shaping to be most well attended in the twenty-some years of event history. Both Supplier Marketplaces have been filled and there are over 45 tour operators from across the globe who plan visit Buffalo Bill’s Yellowstone Country in May. Although the Marketplaces are full, suppliers still have a chance to get registered for event by signing up for the wait list here.

We are excited to host the event in Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country, as the community has some great events planned during the week.  This year RMI will be feature some new elements during Roundup, including a mobile app, a Twitter Chat, an Instagram contest, and more! Look for upcoming emails to learn more details.