Why Trails Make Dollars and Sense: Estimating the Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation

At Backslope Tools, we’ve long known the value of trails—from the sweat it takes to build them to the joy they bring people who use them. But what about the dollars? A recent American Trails webinar titled "Three Ways to Estimate the Economic Impact of Trails and Outdoor Recreation" provides a practical guide to help trail professionals, advocates, and community leaders understand just how financially powerful trails can be.

Led by Michelle Archie of the Harbinger Consultancy, the session covered three do-it-yourself approaches for quantifying trail-related economic benefits—without needing a PhD or expensive consulting firm.

1. DIY Economic Impact Analysis

Michelle demystified the core concept of economic impact analysis—the art of estimating how much money comes into your community from visitors and how long it stays before “leaking” out. The process boils down to four key data points:

• Number of non-local visitors
• Average spending per visitor
• Estimated capture rate (how much stays local)
• A multiplier (how many times that money circulates in your economy)

Don’t have all that data? You can start small. Michelle recommends using visitor counts, surveys, and even publicly available studies from similar regions to estimate missing data.

🗣️ “Study to learn, not just to advocate… If what you find runs counter to what you thought, that doesn’t mean your trail doesn’t have value—it means you’ve got more insight.”

2. Business Surveys

Want to see trails from a local business perspective? Ask. Business surveys are a powerful way to:

• Gauge revenue linked to trail users
• Track new business growth near trails
• Understand customer patterns and trends

Michelle pointed to examples like the Continental Divide Trail Coalition and Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy, which both surveyed businesses to show measurable economic benefit over time.

🗣️ “Revenue data is gold, but even asking for a percentage of sales from trail users can paint a compelling picture.”

3. Ripple Effects Mapping

The third approach is more qualitative—but no less powerful. Ripple Effects Mapping is a participatory method that gets stakeholders talking about broader impacts: healthier communities, vibrant downtowns, new partnerships, and volunteer energy.

In places like Ottawa, Kansas, this process uncovered unexpected economic benefits—from new business openings to increases in local pride—all tied back to trail investments.

🗣️ “You probably don’t know the full value of your work. But you probably know people who can help you find out.”

Bottom Line

This webinar is a must-watch for anyone working in trail building, outdoor recreation, or local economic development. Whether you're applying for grants, making the case to elected officials, or just trying to understand your impact, these tools can help you tell a stronger, data-driven story.

Trails don’t just move people—they move economies. And now, thanks to these practical strategies, you’ve got the tools to prove it.