GRAND TETON LODGE COMPANY ANNOUNCES OPENING DATES
FOR THE 2008 SUMMER SEASON
Throughout the month of May, the Company will begin welcoming guests to Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. (May 9, 2008) – Grand Teton Lodge Company today announced its opening dates for the 2008 summer season. The Company is the concessioner in Grand Teton National Park operating a unique assortment of lodging properties, restaurants, tours and activities that brings thousands of travelers closer to the wonders of the Park each year from May until October.
Jackson Lake Lodge, the Company’s full-service resort, will open its doors to guests from across the country and around the world on May 19. Located in the heart of Grand Teton National Park on a bluff overlooking Jackson Lake and the stunning Teton Mountain Range, Jackson Lake Lodge offers an unparalleled location for family or group getaways. Immediately captivated by the scenery and beauty of the national surroundings, visitors often return again and again to reconnect with nature and with one another.
Northwest Wyoming
Beginning May 19, the lobby will be abuzz again with travelers signing up for outdoor adventures that provide the ultimate escape from the urban frenzy of their everyday lives. Two of Jackson Lake Lodge’s most popular activities—Snake River Floats and Horseback Riding—will launch soon after the Lodge opens. Guests will be able to catch up on “current” events during Snake River Floats starting May 20 and “get back in the saddle again” at its corrals beginning May 24.
Jackson Lake Lodge’s many other services and amenities including its restaurants, gift shops, transportation services and business center will all be at guests’ fingertips when it opens May 19.
Travelers in search of a vacation to bring them in touch with the wilderness can start bunking up at Colter Bay Village on May 23. This unique lodging community offers a variety of accommodations including log and tent cabins, an RV park with water, sewer and electrical hookups and a traditional campground. The log cabins (most of which were built by the original settlers of the area) are located adjacent to the shores of Jackson Lake and offer a variety of layouts that make it possible to comfortably house two to eight guests.
Colter Bay Village’s most-talked about activities include a full-service marina which will open May 24 and its own horse corrals where guests can start saddling up on June 1. Other guest services including restaurants, a grocery store, a launderette, gift shops and a service station will all be open for business on May 23. While staying at Colter Bay Village, guests can also take advantage of nightly talks about the history of Grand Teton National Park by rangers, walking tours of the cabins by a company historian, a Native American museum for the culturally inclined, a Visitor Center that offers comprehensive hiking information and a Young Naturalist program for children.
On May 30, Jenny Lake Lodge will reopen to offer a gracious oasis to guests seeking intimate and elegantly rustic accommodations within the Park. Jenny Lake Lodge’s legendary service and unparalleled proximity to the Teton Mountain Range has earned accolades from the world’s top travel publications as one of the world’s best hotels by both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler magazines. Here you might find couples celebrating their 1st anniversary mingling with those marking their 50th. Regardless of the occasion, the breathtaking beauty of the location coupled with the unique Old West charm of the property will inspire all visiting guests. Details are of no concern, as activities are readily available to all who are interested.
At Jenny Lake Lodge, couples can spin their own unique fairytale by indulging in a variety of romantic activities such as strolls along the shores of Jenny and Leigh Lake, afternoon wildflower walks through the forest, picnics at Turpin Meadow, or just by spending some alone time in one of the 37 cabins tucked in amongst the pines. An all-inclusive stay at Jenny Lake Lodge includes breakfast and a prix fixe five-course dinner in the elegant Dining Room as well as horseback rides and bike rental.
No matter which accommodations guests decide upon, Grand Teton Lodge Company offers countless adrenaline-inducing activities that they can take advantage of throughout the summer season. In fact, the Company was recently rated by National Geographic Adventure in 2008 as one of “The Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.”
As stewards of Grand Teton National Park, Grand Teton Lodge Company is also very committed to minimizing its impact on the environment across all of its operations. From its aggressive recycling efforts, to encouraging visitors to minimize impacts to area trails, to offering local and organic products on restaurant’s menus, the Company is always on the look out for opportunities to share environmental knowledge with guests so they can see first-hand how easy it is to make a difference.
About Grand Teton Lodge Company
With a mission to preserve, protect and inspire, Grand Teton Lodge Company is the concessionaire in Grand Teton National Park operating the lodging, restaurants, tours and activities at Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, Colter Bay Village, Gros Ventre and Jenny Lake Campgrounds as well as Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, which is located just outside the Park in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The company’s Envision™ program represents its commitment to a comprehensive, systematic approach to sustainable business practices that preserve the environment, ensure quality service, and provide for the health and safety of its guests and employees. For more information about Grand Teton Lodge Company, call 307-543-3100 or visit www.gtlc.com/pr
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND PARTNERS LAUNCH
GEOTOURISM PROGRAM IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE REGION
Super-Sized MapGuide to Highlight Natural Attributes, Cultural Heritag
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2008)—National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations has joined with partners in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in a project to celebrate and help sustain the world-class natural and cultural heritage of the Greater Yellowstone region. A community-based process will create a National Geographic “Geotourism MapGuide” for the region centered on Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and including communities and private and public lands in the three partner states.
Working closely with National Geographic on the comprehensive project are Wyoming Travel & Tourism, Idaho Division of Tourism Development, and Travel Montana and its partners, the Yellowstone Country tourism region and the Bozeman, Big Sky and West Yellowstone convention and visitor bureaus. Project coordination is provided by Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Yellowstone Business Partnership.
Local residents and visitors are invited to nominate for inclusion in the MapGuide landmarks, attractions, activities, events and local businesses that define the region’s unique character and distinctive appeal. Nominations may be made between April 15 and June 30, 2008, at www.yellowstonegeotourism.net. A regional advisory committee called the Greater Yellowstone Stewardship Council will assist in creating the MapGuide. The Council will represent diverse perspectives, including community leadership, historic preservation, natural resources, public lands management, indigenous peoples, traditional and local arts, agriculture, tourism promotion and local businesses.
Public forums and presentations are being scheduled in communities around the region to encourage nominations and community involvement. Project coordinator Brian Sybert of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition believes participation by local residents is critical to the project’s success. “No one knows better what is truly distinctive and noteworthy about this region than the people who live and recreate and conduct business here,” he said.
A 2002 study by National Geographic Traveler magazine and the Travel Industry Association of America found that more than 55 million adults in the United States can be described as “geotourists,” traveling to enjoy the distinctive character of places and willing to help sustain and enhance those qualities for future visitors. These travelers control more than half the household income of all U.S. travelers.
Jonathan Tourtellot, director of the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, says Greater Yellowstone has great appeal for this discerning tourist market. “This area has maintained its distinctive character, while many other places have not,” he said. “We’d like to help local communities and visitors sustain and enhance these values well into the future.”
While the MapGuide will provide useful information for travelers, Diane Shober, director of Wyoming Travel & Tourism, explains it is not intended only for visitors. “The MapGuide and the process of creating it will also help local residents delve more deeply into Greater Yellowstone’s heritage. This is very much a community effort, and National Geographic will be looking for suggestions from local writers and experts to help explore themes that are important to protecting what we have here.”
Janice Brown, executive director of the Yellowstone Business Partnership, says the MapGuide project will lay the groundwork for future collaborations among business, community and conservation interests: “We want to take care of our region’s unique natural resources, work for a prosperous yet sustainable economy and help our communities preserve a quality of life that will keep Greater Yellowstone our home of choice.”
The National Geographic Society has worked with community-based alliances to develop similar “Geotourism MapGuides” in regions around the world. MapGuides recently were completed in the following areas: the Crown of the Continent (Alberta, British Columbia, Montana), Sonoran Desert (Arizona, Sonora), Vermont and Appalachia. Travel Montana’s Victor Bjornberg noted that Montana was a partner in the Crown of the Continent project. He said, “The concept of geotourism and its focus on celebrating and working to protect what is so special about the Crown of the Continent region around Glacier and Waterton parks really appealed to many residents. National Geographic was a great partner, and its internationally recognized stature helped further the region’s discussion and actions on this forward-looking approach to tourism and economic development.”
The National Geographic Society Center for Sustainable Destinations is providing overall project direction under Jonathan Tourtellot and James Dion; National Geographic Maps, led by Allen Carroll, will handle cartography. Greater Yellowstone Coalition is coordinating public involvement in Montana and Wyoming. Yellowstone Business Partnership will facilitate nominations and public involvement for communities in Idaho.
Significant funding and regional leadership are being provided by Wyoming Travel & Tourism, the Idaho Division of Tourism Development and the Montana Department of Commerce (Travel Montana). Partners also include the Yellowstone Country tourism region and the Bozeman, Big Sky and West Yellowstone convention and visitor bureaus in Montana, and the Sonoran Institute. The U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service are contributing funding for the community-involvement process.
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 300 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 8,800 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.
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CONTACTS:
Barbara Fallon Idaho:
National Geographic Society Kyle Babbitt, Idaho Coordinator
Center for Sustainable Destinations Yellowstone Business Partnership
(703) 683-4866 (208) 313-2877
Bfallon.nationalgeographic@gmail.com kbabbitt@yellowstonebusiness.org
The Outlaw Trail Ride across the wilds of central Wyoming in August is usually booked with its 100 participants by this time of year but the annual non-profit event needs more riders or faces cancellation in 2008.
Ride organizer, Patrick Duffy, says there was only one year of the past eighteen the Outlaw Trail Ride wasn’t staged – the year after 9/11. He believes the state of the economy is hurting progress this year. The ride costs eleven-hundred dollars and is fully catered. You can get all the details at: http://www.rideoutlawtrail.com/ or by calling Pat Duffy, 307.220.0071.
