Projections of outdoor recreation participation to 2050

Abstract

The authors project future outdoor recreation participation and consumption, in days and trips, well into the next century, as mandated by the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). The chapter begins with a brief description of the data and methods used. They report indexed projections of future recreation participation (by millions of participants aged 16 and over) and consumption (by millions of days annually and by millions of primary purpose trips taken) across the four assessment regions [North, South, Rocky Mountains/Great Plains, and Pacific Coast] at 10-year intervals beginning in 2000 and ending in 2050. For convenience, the authors place projections for specific activities in the following groups: winter, water, wildlife, dispersed land, and developed land. Finally, they discuss some important findings, implications, and limitations of the analysis

Parent Publication

• Outdoor recreation in American life: a national assessment of demand and supply trends.

Keywords

outdoor recreation, participation, consumption

Citation

Bowker, J. Michael; English, Donald B.K.; Cordell, H. Ken. 1999. Projections of outdoor recreation participation to 2050. In: Cordell, H. Ken; Betz, Carter ; Bowker, J.M.; and others. Outdoor recreation in American life: a national assessment of demand and supply trends. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing: 323-351.