Nearly half of all Americans, or 48.4 percent, participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2014, equating to 141.4 million participants who went on a collective 11.8 billion outdoor outings, according to the latest findings from Outdoor Foundation. The group released its topline outdoor recreation participation report this week, with the full report to be released this summer.
Overall, outdoor participation dropped slightly. by 0.8 percent, since 2013 and, by a small margin, reached the lowest levels since the report began in 2006. Extreme weather and an unusually cold winter were cited by the Outdoor Foundation as contributors to the decline, although nothing in the topline report quantified this assessment and there was no indication if repondents were surveyed on the matter specifcially. The report did not that the typically popular gateway activities of running and biking lost participants in 2014, while the indoor versions of these activities — running on the treadmill and using the stationary bike — added participants. This seems, however, to follow the greater trend of younger people remaining inside during free time compared to decades past. One recent study found that American youths spend nearly 90 percent of their free time indoors.
Paddle sports are a bright spot in outdoor participation. Stand up paddling continued to be the top outdoor activity for growth, increasing participation by 38 percent from 2013 to 2014. Snow sports, such as telemarking, snowshoeing, freestyle skiing and cross-country skiing, also grew by significant margins.
“With a dip in participation numbers, it is more critical than ever that we expand our nationwide efforts to reconnect Americans to the outdoors,” said Christine Fanning, executive director of Outdoor Foundation. “The Outdoor Foundation will continue empowering youth and young adults to lead the outdoor movement, ensuring a generation of outdoor enthusiasts and communities of healthy, active Americans.”
