Communities

Blackfeet Nation Tourism Corridor Plan

The Blackfeet Tribe

A Landscape Rooted in Culture

Stretching across the eastern edge of Glacier National Park, the Blackfeet Nation is a place where the vast Great Plains meet the rugged Rocky Mountains—a landscape alive with cultural significance, tradition, and deep spiritual meaning. This intersection of land and story has long drawn visitors seeking connection with the people and places that define the region.

The Challenge

Despite being surrounded by high visitation to Glacier National Park, many travelers pass through the Blackfeet Reservation without understanding its history, people, or offerings. The Tribe recognized an opportunity to shape how visitors experience this incredible landscape—creating a tourism framework that both celebrates Blackfeet culture and strengthens the Tribe’s economic independence.

SE Group’s Role

SE Group worked in partnership with the Blackfeet Planning Department, Siyeh Corporation, and the Blackfeet Manpower Program to develop a comprehensive tourism corridor plan that organizes, elevates, and sustains the Nation’s tourism assets. The plan explores how the Tribe can align existing businesses, recreation areas, and cultural sites into a cohesive visitor experience that respects sacred spaces while encouraging economic growth.

Through fieldwork, market research, and deep collaboration with tribal leadership, SE Group and RRC Associates analyzed visitation patterns, mapped key tourism assets, and identified opportunities for new venues and experiences that honor Blackfeet identity while welcoming visitors responsibly.

A Vision Rooted in Storytelling and Sovereignty

The plan establishes a strategic framework that empowers the Tribe to tell its story on its own terms. Big ideas include developing distinct arrival hubs, expanding tribal lodging and campgrounds, enhancing outdoor recreation at Divide Mountain, creating a Buffalo Calf Visitor Center, and establishing a Browning Tourism and Event District. Together, these initiatives position the Blackfeet Nation to manage tourism growth while advancing goals for workforce development and economic autonomy.

The Impact

The Blackfeet Nation Tourism Corridor Plan creates a roadmap for a self-defined, culturally grounded tourism economy. It strengthens the Tribe’s ability to manage visitation, protect sacred landscapes, and create new opportunities for local businesses and workers. By connecting cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, and economic vision, the plan ensures the Blackfeet Nation’s story—past, present, and future—remains at the heart of the visitor experience.