Some of North America鈥檚 most popular sites hold great spiritual significance to our continent鈥檚 indigenous communities. But聽many residents and visitors know little about the cultural importance of the places they聽adventure on.聽A growing indigenous-led tourism industry is working to bridge that gap, opening up Native聽lands and leading hikes, cycling tours, and multi-day trips that explore their histories. On October 14, the U.S. government will聽recognize 573 indigenous tribes and聽Canada will observe聽634 First Nations,听as well as M茅tis and Inuit communities, for . With聽聽and both U.S. and Canadian Thanksgivings also coming up, now鈥檚 the time to reflect on those stories and engage with the living cultures of the present.

Tour Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park

Towaoc, Colorado

In the far southwestern corner of Colorado, beyond and just before the Four Corners Monument, the聽 spans 125,000 acres of high desert. Throughout history聽the land has been occupied by Ancestral Puebloans, Fremonts, Utes, pioneers, and ranchers, all of whom left their mark. The Weeminuche Band, or Ute Mountain Utes, has聽owned the land for more than four decades, and tribal members lead interpretive tours (no self-guided hikes are allowed) that weave聽their expert knowledge about Ute culture into explanations of the sites. (from $30) explore聽Ute pictographs, Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs, surface ruins, and unique geologic formations.聽 include longer hikes and ladder climbs to cliff dwellings carved into canyon walls. Those wanting to stay overnight can book a聽cabin or primitive (from $15).

Bike with Clear Paths Cycling Tours

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Located in Treaty One Territory, a designation established in a binding agreement between Britain聽and indigenous peoples in the 1800s, the city of Winnipeg is home to a rich M茅tis heritage and 92,810 current residents who identify as indigenous鈥攖hat鈥檚 more than any other urban area in Canada. In recent years, Inuit, M茅tis, and First Nations voices have become essential to the prairie city鈥檚 identity and resurgence. , of Anishinabe First Nation and Guyanese descent,听founded聽 to get Winnipeg鈥檚 native residents excited about biking. These days聽he teams up with聽 and other community members to lead bike tours for locals and tourists that highlight significant artistic and historic sites to honor聽, the practice聽of establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between these communities and nonindigenous peoples. The routes often trace the infinity symbol of the M茅tis flag and stop at important points such as the聽, a statue of M茅tis leader and father of Manitoba聽, and public art displays at聽.

Visit the Arctic with Tundra North Tours

Inuvik, Northwest Territories

In Canada鈥檚 Northwest Territories,听 guides adventurers into the Arctic wilderness out of its base in Inuvik, 125 miles above the Arctic Circle. Owned and operated by Kylik Kisoun Taylor, of Inuvialuit, Gwitch鈥檌n, and Scandinavian descent, the company runs tours that last anywhere from two hours to nine days and聽include everything from herding 3,000 reindeer by snowmobile and camping聽on the tundra to聽driving the Dempster Highway into the Arctic Circle (from $75). While visitors will get the most cultural bang for their buck on guided excursions, the company also rents bikes, canoes, kayaks, fishing gear, and even snowmobiles for independent use.

Explore the Everglades with Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours

Miami, Florida

Florida鈥檚 Everglades are synonymous with alligators and rare birds, grass rivers and airboat adventures. Few realize that people have inhabited the region for at least聽, having migrated here before it became a part of the United States. Today聽there are more than 600 tribal members who live across three reservations in its聽wetlands.聽, founded by聽聽chief and elected chairman William 鈥淏uffalo鈥� Tiger, runs standard and private airboat tours (from $25) that share ancient and of a聽people who hid in the Everglades to survive after refusing to surrender during the Indian Wars of the 1800s.

Hike, Ride, and Fish with Blackfeet Outfitters

Great Falls, Montana

Since 2007,听 and Blackfeet tribal member Alger Swingley have been guiding backcountry hunting, hiking, horseback, and fishing adventures on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, and in the Badger鈥揟wo Medicine area and game habitat of聽central Montana. This wilderness鈥攖he ancestral homeland of the Blackfeet Indians鈥攊s sanctuary to an abundance of wildlife, including wolves, wolverines, grizzly bears, mountain goats, and cutthroat trout. Full-service trips (from $575) provide historical and cultural insights聽but also聽share indigenous values聽about wilderness ethics and the preservation of Montana鈥檚 natural resources.

Visit Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary

Lander, Wyoming

Just outside Lander, a gateway town to some of the best climbing and backpacking in the state, the聽 offers a different take on this slice of central Wyoming. A partnership with the BLM, and the only operation of its kind housed on a reservation and run by Native Americans, Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary provides a long-term home to mustangs that have been deemed unadoptable. As part of its聽education mission, the Oldham family guides public tours of the ranch ($35) and has built a visitor-center museum that offers insights into the significance of equines to Native Americans throughout the Plains and Mountain West.

Snorkel with Anelakai 国产吃瓜黑料s

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Manta rays鈥攖hose 3,000-pound giants鈥攁re 聽and even celebrated in the Kumulipo,听a creation chant. Off the coast of Kailua-Kona, on the western edge of the Island of Hawaii (or Big Island), tourists don snorkels and watch the resident rays鈥� nighttime feeding routines under LED lights. With聽, led by Hawaiian waterman Iko, the experience becomes more eco-friendly and culturally relevant. In keeping with the island鈥檚聽, a call to travel righteously and honor Hawaiian values, small groups can ditch the typical motorboats for human power, paddling a聽double-hull canoe while guides share stories of the island鈥檚 traditional聽ways聽(from $109).

Search for Grizzlies, Whales, and Eagles with Sea Wolf 国产吃瓜黑料s

Port McNeil, British Columbia

Starting from the wild north coast of Vancouver Island,听 leads wildlife-viewing and cultural tours along the waterways of the Great Bear Rainforest, a 14-million-acre reserve聽filled with 250 miles of coastline聽(from $189). Owner Mike Willie, a member of the Musgamakw Dzawada鈥檈nuxw First Nation, grew up in the remote Kingcome Inlet, among the glacier-cut fjords of British Columbia鈥檚 western coast. On journeys into First Nations territories and ancestral homelands, Willie and his team of First Nations guides share an indigenous interpretation of the landscape while pointing out eagles, grizzlies, orcas, and the sites of ancient villages.

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