May 2022 Mapping Your Journey

Where will your map take you? Plan a park visit, explore migration routes (both human and fauna), follow a new trail or parkway, or map your own personal journey in parks.Every moment is part of someone’s journey and every park is full of their stories. Whether it’s a creature in nature, a person in history, or a visitor out on an adventure, let’s help people map those journeys found in national parks or in communities through the work of our NPS programs and partners.
  • Suggest itineraries for people to travel around regions, parks, and communities based around a topic, such as around history, nature, or recreation.
  • Tell stories and create maps that trace journeys in nature or history.
  • Check that your online maps are up to date and upload new accessible maps that share key features, facilities, trails, etc. in your park.
  • Give safety tips for different kinds of activities that visitors can do at your site.
  • Highlight NPS careers, volunteer jobs, and internships that use mapping, including for research, planning, or incidents.
  • Encourage local businesses to submit nominations to the Lewis and Clark NHT tourism website, www.lewisandclark.travel. The site aggregates user-generated content showcasing things to do and places to visit that have been nominated by residents along the Trail. To get started, go to www.lewisandclark.travel/register.

Featured NPS.gov/lecl Webpages

Maps The trail’s Maps page is the second most popular page on our site (behind the home page). This page features the visitor interactive map, story maps, trail atlas and more.

Navigation This page includes a compilation of articles related to navigation on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Honoring Tribal Legacies: There are several teachings that work with the mapping theme for the month.
Lewis and Clark’s Map A unit of :Tribal Oral Traditions and Languages in the Plains Region of the Lewis and Clark Trail,” authored by curriculum designer Shane Doyle.

A Thousand Celilos: Tribal Place Names along the Lewis and Clark Trail Designed for use in the fourth grade, “A Thousand Celilos: Tribal Place Names along the Lewis and Clark Trail,” authored by curriculum designer Shana Brown (Yakama). This is designed as a four-week reading unit of study.

Tribal Legacies of Pathfinding Designed for use in post-secondary education, “Tribal Legacies of Pathfinding,” authored by curriculum designer Carmelita Lamb (Hispanic/Lipan Band of Apache). She writes: “Without the contributions of vital resources from the tribes they encountered along the journey, the explorers would have faced extreme hardship and possible failure in their mission to reach the Pacific Ocean.

We are always looking to increase the quality of the information on the official Trail webpage. If you have trails or other recreational opportunities at your site you would like featured, email a short write up and high quality photo to e-mail us

Ready Made Posts


On your next long drive, be sure to see if there are sites along your route. Many sites are accessible by auto. #LewisandClarkTrail Learn about the history of the auto tour route: https://www.nps.gov/lecl/learn/historyculture/auto-tour-route.htm

What do you notice about the world around you? Do you document your observations? During the course of their expedition, Lewis and Clark knew they were nearing the Pacific Ocean through drawing conclusions from their observations. Read all about it: https://www.nps.gov/articles/clark-knew-they-were-near-pacific.htm

William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) was considered a master cartographer. “Every few days, Clark would take the notes from all of his observations and measurements and compare them to Lewis’ notes to draw maps of the river and landmarks to scale. The accuracy of his maps is widely admired …” Keep reading: https://www.nps.gov/articles/william_clark_cartographer.htm

Today, we often take the tools we use for navigation for granted. When #LewisandClark were making maps along the #LewisandClarkTrail, they used a large suite of instruments, including a circumferentor, octant, paper dial compass, and many more. Learn all it: https://www.nps.gov/lecl/learn/historyculture/navigation.htm

Social Media hashtags: #MapYourJourney, #FindYourPark and #EncuentraTuParque

Lewis and Clark Events That Happened This Month

(ready made posts to share)

On May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery, minus their leader, began the 28-month trek across the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. #LewisandClarkTrailLearn more: https://www.nps.gov/articles/departure-day.htm

Died on May 16, 1866, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau lived a remarkable life. He wouldn’t remember it, but he was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to travel to the Pacific Ocean and back. Death of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

From mid to late May 1805, the Corps of Discovery traveled through a very rocky and barren landscape. Patrick Gass wrote, “We have now got into a country which presents little to our view, but scenes of bareness and desolation…” #LewisandClarkTrailRead more: https://www.nps.gov/articles/white-cliffs.htm

On May 8, 1805, the expedition arrived at the confluence of waters they named the Milk River. Lewis wrote, “the water of this river possesses a peculiar whiteness, being about the colour of a cup of tea with the admixture of a tablespoonfull of milk. from the colour of it’s water we called it Milk river.” #LewisandClarkTrailMore: https://www.nps.gov/places/milk-river-confluence.htm

A small French settlement of about seven houses, about 50 miles upriver from St. Charles, La Charette was the final white settlement that the Expedition would encounter as they journeyed toward Fort Mandan. The Corps spent one evening here on May 25, 1804. #LewisandClarkTrailLearn more: https://www.nps.gov/articles/la-charette.htm

For nearly a month, from May 14 to June 10, 1806, the Corps of Discovery settled into a camp along the Clearwater River in today’s Idaho County, Idaho, to wait for the high-country snows to melt. #LewisandClarkTrailMore: https://www.nps.gov/articles/choppunish-camp.htm

More May Themes and Activities

May 1-31: Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

  • See monthly theme above

May 1-31: Jewish American Heritage Month

May 1-31: National Bike Month

  • Biking NPS.gov tag(s): biking

May 1-31: National Water Safety Month

May 1-31: Preservation Month

May 1-31: Wildfire Awareness Month

  • Wildland Fire NPS.gov tag(s): wildland fire
  • Social media hashtag(s): #WildfireAwareness

May 1-7: Public Service Recognition Week

  • NPS Careers NPS.gov tag(s): nps careers
  • Volunteer  NPS.gov tag(s): volunteer
  • Social media hashtag(s): #psrw

May 2-8: Air Quality Awareness Week

  • Air NPS.gov tag(s): air
  • Social media hashtag(s): #AirQualityAwareness

May 2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7: National Train Day

May 8: VE Day (Victory in Europe Day)

  • World War II NPS.gov tag(s): wwii
  • Social media hashtag(s): #VEDay, #MilitaryHeritage

May 9-15: National Police Week

May 14: World Migratory Bird Day

  • Birds and Birding NPS.gov tag(s): birds, birding, migration
  • Social media hashtag(s): #MigratoryBirdDay, #YearOfTheBird

May 19: Global Accessibility Awareness Day

May 20: Endangered Species Day

May 20: Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day

May 21-27: National Safe Boating Week

May 21: Armed Forces Day

May 22: International Day for Biological Diversity

  • Biodiversity NPS.gov tag(s): biodiversity
  • Social media hashtag(s): #BioDiversity

May 21: Kids to Parks Day

  • Youth Programs NPS.gov tag(s): youth
  • Social media hashtag(s): #KidsToParksDay

May 30: Memorial Day

  • Memorial Day NPS.gov tag(s): memorial day
  • American Military NPS.gov tags: military, veterans
  • Social media hashtag(s): #MemorialDay

Last updated: February 1, 2022

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