Outdoors

Using infrared trail cameras, cell phone location data and fitness tracking apps, Montana-based Headwaters Economics is able to more accurately estimate usage and economic impacts.

As Wyoming’s recreation industry continues to grow, new trails and outdoor facilities are popping up all over the state to give mountain bikers, skiers, snowshoers and hikers more options for basking in the wilderness. That includes the Happy Jack Recreation Area near Laramie.

Nationwide, the sector accounted for some 2.3% of GDP, or the value of final sales of goods and services. That figure is even higher for every Mountain West state, and about twice that in Montana and Wyoming.

The advocacy group the Wilderness Society has released an interactive map that allows users to locate the wildest places in their communities, even if they are far from formally designated protected areas.

Laramie will be celebrating a new trail that connects town to the nearby trail system this Saturday. It showcases an industry Wyoming towns are buying into more and more.

The Environmental Voter Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that surveyed at voters in 18 states to see which ones prioritize climate change or environmental issues. The report found that voters 65 and older are the second-most concerned group when it comes to the environment.

The group was commemorating a similar ascent from the 10th Mountain Division, a specialized unit which helped hasten the end of WWII and give birth to the outdoor industry in the U.S.

Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites hosted a record number of participants during their annual first day hikes. 1,132 people hiked more than 2,000 miles on January 1st. That was a 206 percent increase of participation from last year.

Wyoming’s outdoor recreation industry is the fourth fastest growing in the country, and the state is grappling with how to continue it thoughtfully.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released data that shows that the outdoor recreation economy was worth some $564 billion in 2022, or 2.2 percent of the country’s GDP.