This sport was the fastest-growing outdoor activity last year

SALT LAKE CITY — Two wheels good.

Bicycling was the fastest-growing outdoor recreation activity in 2023, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Pedaling a bike increased 26.6% from the previous year, narrowly outpacing winter activities, which include skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling, at 25.2% growth. Hunting/shooting/trapping (19.3%), climbing/hiking/tent camping (13.9%) and motorcycling/ATVing (7.6%) rounded out the top five.

Last year, 54.7 million people participated in bicycling as an outdoor activity, according to the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report released earlier this year by the Outdoor Industry Association.

The growth in bike riding could be attributed to a number of factors including environmental awareness, health and fitness, urban congestion, improved bike paths, cost efficiency and the proliferation of e-bikes.

Outdoor recreation continues to be a major driver of the U.S. economy, jobs and local communities. According to the latest numbers, outdoor recreation generated $1.2 trillion in economic output (2.3% of GDP), comprised 3.1% of U.S. employees and accounted for 5 million jobs last year.

"Our sector continues to show growth, and the industry's impact remains strong, driving local and national economies forward, especially in rural regions," said Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, which hosted a webinar on the data release. "Millions are flocking to the outdoors."

'A value and important to their life'

More and more Americans are finding their way outside to recreate, much of the growth driven by people over age 55, according to the outdoor trends report. In 2023, a record 175.8 million Americans — 57.3% of everyone age 6 and older — participated in outdoor recreation, up 4.1% over the year before. The number of participants increased across demographics and activities as new, more casual participants began hiking, biking, camping, running and fishing, according to the report.

While there was a dramatic increase in outdoor activity during the pandemic, it has continued to surge despite economic fluctuations and market adjustments, other broader economy in several metrics. The data reflects increased participation across a variety of outdoor activities as well as related industries including arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.

"While this rapid pandemic-era growth that we heard about and all felt has settled, a steady increase in outdoor recreation and participation, in particular, shows that Americans still see outdoors as a value and important to their life, their communities but also their mental and physical health." Turner said.

In monetary terms, boating/fishing saw the largest increase with $36.8 billion in value added in 2023, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. RVing came in second at $26.2 billion, followed by hunting/shooting/trapping ($14 billion), motorcycling/ATVing ($11.7 billion) and winter activities ($7.7 billion).

Top states for recreation

California, Florida and Texas were the top outdoor recreation states, each adding more than $55 billion in value, with the Golden State at $81.5 billion. Outdoor recreation grew fastest in Massachusetts, Hawaii and Alaska, all at around 13%.

"Trips and travel was really the driver, the largest contribution to those strong growth for the top three states," said Stanislaw Rzeznik, a Bureau of Economic Analysis economist.

Hawaii had the largest share of its economy related to outdoor recreation at 6.3% of its GDP, which is more than twice the U.S. share of 2.3%, with much of that related to travel and tourism. It's also a large part of economies in Alaska, Florida, New England and the Mountain West, including Utah.

Outdoor activities totaled $9.5 billion in value added last year in the Beehive State, where outdoor recreation makes up 4% of statewide employment, numbering 71,898 jobs, according to the data. The industry accounts for 3.4% of Utah's GDP.

Let's explore

Participants in the webinar, including Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore, touted the bipartisan Explore Act, a wide-reaching bill that they say will improve the lives of outdoor enthusiasts while expanding access to public lands and waters. The measure passed the House earlier this year.

Moore said outdoors legislation is one of the few areas in a divided Congress that draws bipartisan support regardless of whether a Republican or Democrat occupies the White House.

"We could pass this legislation in a Trump administration. We could pass legislation in a Biden administration," he said, adding he doesn't know what will happen in a lame-duck session. "But the Explore Act is another common thread of bipartisan cooperation."

Moore called hunters, anglers, hikers and others the "original conservationists."

"You care about making sure we have our lands properly cared for," he said. "We quibble of certain things, and we're going to continue to do that, but it's been really neat to have a productive lane to work back here."

The Explore Act proposes to:

• Improve access to public lands and waters for outdoor recreation.
• Modernize technology to improve visitor experiences, such as increasing broadband connectivity and creating digital recreation passes.
• Streamline the permitting process and reduce fees for small businesses that depend on public land access.
• Protect rock climbing in iconic places and create new long-distance bike trails.
• Restore campgrounds and modernize infrastructure.
• Support gateway communities by addressing housing shortages and outdated infrastructure.
• Improve accessibility for military service members, veterans, individuals with disabilities and kids.

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