Google Partnership Puts Pure Michigan on the Map

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LANSING — A new partnership between Google and Pure Michigan, unveiled today at the Michigan Tourism Conference, will showcase Michigan’s most iconic destinations across the globe.

“The Pure Michigan campaign has elevated Michigan as a national travel destination, and we are taking that one step further by having these images globally accessible on Google Maps,” says Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. “This initiative combines our natural beauty with innovative technology in a way that really speaks to all that Michigan has to offer visitors, residents and businesses alike.”

Using Google Trekker technology, attractions such as Mackinac Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — not previously accessible on Google Street View — now have 360 degree, fully navigable imagery that will allow potential travelers to explore these destinations to inspire and plan a visit to Michigan. To view the images, visit michigan.org/GoogleTrekker.

“As part of the Michigan community, we hope that making this Street View imagery available to people all over the world will encourage them to discover some of the state’s most beautiful and significant places, some of which are right in their backyards,” says Steve Silverman, Google Maps Street View program manager.

Google’s partnership with Pure Michigan is the first state-wide Trekker Loan partnership in the Midwest. The images, captured last fall, were unveiled today at the 2015 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism, being held in Grand Rapids.

More than 44,000 panoramic photos were taken by members and volunteers on the Pure Michigan team and the Department of Natural Resources who borrowed the Trekker and traveled for four weeks, capturing some of the most breathtaking scenes around Michigan. Images include a view from the top of the Mackinac Bridge, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges; Sleeping Bear Dunes, Good Morning America’s Most Beautiful Place in America (2011); and Mackinac Island, the only place in America where vehicles have been banned for more than 100 years.

Now available on Google Street View are: the top of the Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Island Loop Route National Water Trail in St. Clair County, the State Capitol building in Lansing, Ford Field, the Detroit Riverwalk, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Wagner Falls, Bond Falls, Silver Lake State Park and Sand Dunes, Palms Brook State Park, Brighton State Recreation Area, Pinckney State Recreation Area, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Ocqueoc Falls in Millersburg, Agate Falls in Trout Creek and the Presque Isle River.

“This technology is an excellent way to introduce people to Michigan’s outstanding natural and cultural resources,” said Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh. “Showcasing these exceptional places through Google Trekker will allow people everywhere to see what residents of our state already know: the beauty and wonder of Michigan rivals any place on earth.”