Studies

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published Jan 2015

Economic Importance of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation: An Analysis of Idaho Counties

During the period August 2012 through November 2012, the University of Idaho, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR), surveyed Idaho’s registered off-highway-vehicle (OHV) owners. The goal of the survey was to determine the economic importance of OHV use in Idaho during the previous 12 months. The survey sample was drawn from IDPR-registered OHV owners. OHV activities not related to recreation (e.g., work) and out-of-state visitors could not be sampled. Trips and expenditures for OHV recreation in Idaho would be higher if nonresident OHV recreation could be estimated.


published Jun 2014

Economics of Idaho Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation in Idaho is big business. Idaho OHV enthusiasts took close to 1 million recreation trips in Idaho during 2012 and spent about $434 million – $186 million on OHV recreation trips and $248 million on OHV capital expenditures such as the vehicles themselves.


published Jul 2014

The Economic and Fiscal Impact of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System in West Virginia

The analysis indicates that the nearly $1.7 million in spending conducted by the Hatfield-McCoy Trails for day-to-day operations generated an additional $1.6 million in economic activity within the State, for a total operational impact of $3.3 million. Even more notably, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails bring non-local visitors to the area whose spending is estimated to generate an additional $19 million in economic activity in West Virginia. Together, the total estimated economic impact of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails is more than $22 million.


published Jan 2016

2022 Economic Contribution of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation in Colorado

by Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition

During the 2014–2015 season, motorized recreational enthusiasts spent an estimated $1.6 billion while taking trips using motorized vehicles for recreational purposes. More than 92 percent of these expenditures occurred during the summer recreational season. In addition to spending money on trips, households that participate in motorized recreation also spend money on maintenance, repairs, accessories, vehicle storage, and miscellaneous items associated with their vehicles. Motorized recreational enthusiasts spent more than an estimated $724 million annually on various items to support and enhance their experiences in Colorado, including $163 million in new vehicle purchases. In total, motorized recreational enthusiasts were responsible for $2.3 billion in direct expenditures related to motorized recreation in Colorado during the 2014–2015 season.


published Jan 2018

MO-MOTO OHV Incorporated – OHV Tourism Economic Impact Overview

OHV recreation is a proven financial stimulus to the tourism market with the average rider spending a minimum of $100 on a single day trip. We should encourage struggling areas to embrace OHV tourism as we have the opportunity to directly impact and benefit financial success of local businesses. We can connect rural Missouri to OHV trails, which would provide new employment and income while bringing new money to these distressed regions. OHV tourism can diversify the economy of South East Missouri and create a culture of entrepreneurship based around trail oriented business (outfitters, rentals, guides, cabins, hotels, restaurants, etc) the same way the state park industry has to several Missouri communities.


published Sep 2018

Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account: Updated Statistics for 2012-2016

Updated statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent ($412 billion) of current-dollar GDP in 2016 (table 2). In data produced for the first time, using inflation-adjusted (real) GDP, the outdoor recreation economy grew 1.7 percent in 2016, faster than the 1.6 percent growth for the overall U.S. economy (table 6). In addition, real gross output, compensation, and employment all grew faster in outdoor recreation than in the overall economy in 2016.


published Feb 2019

Iowa Off-Highway Vehicle Operations, Operators, Expenditures And Economic Impacts

Iowa off-highway vehicle owners spent approximately $72.4 million in 2018 on in-state operating expenses and related personal expenses. Total Iowa asset purchase and operating/personal expenditures generated approximately 1,018 jobs in the Iowa economy paying an average of $42,850 annually. Off-highway vehicle owners spent about $28.9 million outside the state of Iowa in 2018. If that had been spent in-state, it would have generated $34.9 million in Iowa industrial output and 374 jobs paying annual incomes of $31,180 per job.


published Jan 2019

Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change

by Oregon State Parks

The plan addresses five important demographic and societal changes facing outdoor recreation providers in the coming years.


published Sep 1966

Trails for America

by National Park Service

A 1966 study headed by Stuart Udall on the feasibility of a National Trails System


published Jan 2018

Albany-Hudson Electric Trail Concept Plan

The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail is an important part of the Empire State Trail, providing a key link between the Capital Region and the Mid-Hudson Valley. Since the trail is being developed along electrical utility lines, this plan incorporates design guidelines addressing safety and operational concerns.