The Wind River Visitors Council (WRVC) wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season. Here at the WRVC, we’ve had a very busy year, and we’re looking forward to an exciting 2026.
Wayfinding Signage
The Wind River Visitors Council continues to advance the multi-community wayfinding initiative funded through the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s Destination Development Program. This statewide program provides resources for lodging tax boards to implement tourism-focused projects identified in their strategic plans, helping communities strengthen visitor readiness and enhance the overall visitor experience.
As part of this effort, new wayfinding signage is being installed across Dubois, Lander and Riverton. These coordinated, decorative signs create a unified and visually appealing system that supports visitor navigation while reinforcing each community’s distinct identity.
The project has recently expanded to include Hudson and Shoshoni. Last month, the contractor met with newly formed committees in both communities to begin the design and placement process. Installation in Hudson and Shoshoni is planned for 2026.
Once fully installed, the wayfinding network will provide a consistent visitor experience throughout Wind River Country, strengthen community identity and improve access to key attractions and visitor services.
Ad in Denver International Airport
The large-format Wind River Country display ad remains live in Concourse B of Denver International Airport. Running from November 10 through January 4, the ad is positioned above the escalators leading to the train, greeting thousands of travelers each day as they move through one of the nation’s busiest airports.
This high-visibility placement continues to showcase Wind River Country to a broad audience during the peak holiday travel season, inspiring visitors to “Go Beyond Yellowstone” and explore Wyoming’s Wind River Country.
Semiquincentennial
To celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, Fremont County will launch Wind River Country Heritage Quest: A Digital Discovery—an app-based historical scavenger hunt featuring 15 significant sites across Wind River Country.
Built on the TravelStorysGPS platform, the experience guides participants to local landmarks, where short audio stories connect each location to the themes of liberty, equality, memory and belonging. Participants can check in at sites, snap selfies and share their adventures on social media. The quest concludes at one of Fremont County’s museums—the Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander or the Riverton Museum—where visitors can redeem their completed quests for exclusive commemorative prizes, including reusable Fill It Forward water bottles, logoed magnifying glasses and 250th Wind River Country stickers.
This project showcases Fremont County’s rich and varied history—from well-known destinations like South Pass to lesser-known local gems—providing an interactive way to experience 250 years of American heritage.
Funding for the project is provided by an America 250 Grant, a LOR Foundation grant and the Wind River Visitors Council. Scripts for the tour have now been written and recorded. Testing will begin next week, and the Heritage Quest will launch on January 1, 2026.
In addition, the Wind River Visitors Council is featuring one activity, event or point of interest every day for the 250 days leading up to the nation’s semiquincentennial. A homepage banner on the Wind River Country website highlights each daily feature and links to a continually updated page showcasing all 250 activities.
Website Rebuild
The Wind River Visitors Council has officially launched the full rebuild of the Wind River Country website. The new site will elevate how the region’s communities, experiences and stories are showcased through a modern design, streamlined navigation and immersive visual storytelling.
Scheduled to launch in spring 2026, the redesigned site will include enhanced AI search visibility to help travelers more easily discover Wind River Country online. It will also introduce an interactive itinerary-building tool, giving visitors the ability to create personalized travel plans based on their interests.
Sneak Peek: Community Cocktail Project
The Wind River Visitors Council is developing a community cocktail project that will celebrate the creativity and character of Wind River Country. The initiative will invite the community to help shape a signature Wind River Country–inspired cocktail and mocktail, with more details to be shared soon.
This fun, collaborative project will highlight the flavors, stories and spirit of the region—and offer a unique way for both residents and visitors to engage with Wind River Country.
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
Podcast
The newest episode of Wyoming’s Wind River Country: Yellowstone’s Unique Neighbor invites listeners to experience the tastes and stories of the Lander Valley in Pushroot Valley Harvest: A Celebration of Local Flavor and Community.
This two-part episode captures the essence of the Pushroot Valley Harvest—an event that celebrates the region’s deep agricultural roots and the people who bring its bounty to life. The day began with guided tours of four local, family-owned farms, where participants connected with farmers, explored the land and took part in hands-on activities.
As the sun set behind the Wind River Mountains, the celebration moved to the CWC Alpine Science Institute for a farm-to-table dinner prepared by the CWC Culinary Program. Diners enjoyed locally sourced dishes, live music and storytelling that reflected the rich heritage and community spirit of the season.
New episodes of Wyoming’s Wind River Country: Yellowstone’s Unique Neighbor are released on the fourth Thursday of each month. Tune in and explore at windriver.org/podcasts.
Events
Have events you’d like featured on the Wind River Visitors Council website? Please send event or package details to community@windriver.org.
We can also supply Wind River Visitors Council publications for your visitors and customers, including:
- Vacation Guide
- Seven Self-Guided Driving Tours
- Self-Guided Map of the Wind River Indian Reservation
- Wind River Indian Reservation and Discover Dubois self-guided mobile audio tour rack cards
Additionally, we can provide the Wind River Visitors Council’s calendar of events for distribution in your newsletter, publication or news source.
Board Meeting
The next Wind River Visitors Council Board Meeting takes place on Thursday, January 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at Central Wyoming College, 2660 Peck Ave., Room ITECC 125, Riverton. Wind River Visitors Council meetings are open to the public.
About the Wind River Visitors Council
The Wind River Visitors Council (WRVC) is a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) responsible for investing lodging tax revenues to promote Fremont County and the Wind River Indian Reservation—collectively branded as Wind River Country—as a premier tourism and visitor destination.
Through strategic marketing, partnerships and community collaboration, the WRVC works to enhance the region’s visibility, support local economies and inspire travelers to explore the diverse landscapes and cultures of Wind River Country.
Tourism Asset Development (TAD) Program
The Tourism Asset Development (TAD) program is a voluntary initiative unique to Wind River Country. Through this program, the Wind River Visitors Council allocates 25% of local lodging tax revenues back to the communities—distributed proportionally based on each community’s contribution to the overall lodging tax. Because these figures depend on occupancy rates, they fluctuate throughout the year.
TAD funds are administered by the Lander Chamber of Commerce, the City of Riverton and the Towns of Dubois, Hudson and Shoshoni. Each entity uses its allocation to support marketing and development efforts within its community. These efforts may include event promotion, grant programs, educational initiatives and other projects that strengthen the local tourism economy. This program directly supports the Wind River Visitors Council’s mission to stimulate tourism by increasing awareness of—and encouraging visitation to—the unique destinations, activities and events found throughout Wind River Country.
