Recommended Resources

Trail-Specific Recommended Resources

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published Mar 2019

Pedal-Assist Mountain Bikes: A Pilot Study Comparison of the Exercise Response, Perceptions, and Beliefs of Experienced Mountain Bikers

This study aimed to compare conventional mountain bike and eMTB use. This was done by investigating 2 questions: (1) What proportion of exercise response is retained for an experienced mountain biker while using an eMTB when compared with a conventional mountain bike? and (2) What are the perceptions and beliefs of experienced mountain bikers toward eMTBs both before and after riding an eMTB?


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

Mountain Biker Attitudes and Perceptions of eMTBs (electric‐mountain bikes)

This study found that were many misconceptions about what constitutes an eMTB. These misconceptions seem to foster fears and concerns about trail conflict, access, and the morality of individuals using eMTBs.


published Jan 2019

Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits of Recreational Trails in Washington State

by Washington Recreation and Conservation Office

This report evaluates the economic, environmental, and social benefits of outdoor recreation activities associated with trails and their nexus with the economy of Washington.


published Jan 2019

Oregon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Participation and Priorities

Spending by Oregon residents on OHV riding trips (local and distant, day and multi-day) was an estimated $100 million per year across the state. In turn, this expenditure contributed 869 jobs, $35 million in value added, and $23 million in labor income.


published Jan 2019

Backcountry Discovery Routes® and Tourism: How Adventure Motorcyclists Can Help Your Community

In 2017, BDR routes generated $17.3 million in new tourism expenditures, with the average traveling party spending $3,769 on their BDR trip.


published Jan 2019

Economic Impact of Off-Highway Recreation in the State of Arizona

by Arizona State University

From 2016 to 2017 Arizona State University conducted a study to measure the economic impact of OHV recreation, by retained and out of state visitors, on the State of Arizona.


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 including: 1. An aging population; 2. An increasingly diverse population; 3. Lack of youth engagement in outdoor recreation; 4. An underserved low-income population; and 5. The health benefits of physical activity.


published Dec 2018

Greater Des Moines Water Trails Economic Impact Study

Greater Des Moines Water Trails will annually pour tens of millions of dollars into the regional economy, a new analysis shows.


published Nov 2018

Outdoor-Industry Jobs

This study was intended to assess current—and projected—employment levels across these sectors with a particular focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) oriented occupations that require “mid-level” education and skills. This education includes post-high school training but stops short of a bachelor’s degree,3 opening the door to a greater number of students who are not focused exclusively on four-year degrees. The study was also designed to identify employer demand for occupations within these four sectors.


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 Jun 2018

Investigating the Thru-hiker Experience: A Study on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

The phenomena of thru-hiking has been on a dramatic rise, spurring hikers to venture onto increasingly remote and challenging trails over extended periods of time. Despite the recent popularity of thru-hiking, the field remains relatively unstudied. In recreation, the expectations held beforehand have been linked to perceptions after an activity, but this has not been explored in thru-hiking.