Nearly half of Americans (48.6%) participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2016, according to the Outdoor Foundation's Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report 2017. The study also discovered overall participation increased slightly, up 0.2% from 2015. In all, 144 million Americans made 11 billion outdoor outings in 2016.

BMX Shows Greatest 3-year Jump in Participation

BMX biking had the greatest increase in participants from the previous year, jumping 15%. Hiking and cross-country skiing were close behind, with respective increases of 13% and 12%. Stand-up paddling saw the greatest 3-year growth in participation, with an 18% rise from 2013 to 2016. Cross-country skiing and BMX biking followed, each showing a 13% increase over the time period. Other top outdoor activities for growth over the previous three years included adventure racing (up 11%), boardsailing/windsurfing (up 10%) and kayak fishing (up 10%).

Running is Most Favored Outdoor Activity

The most popular outdoor activity for all ages in 2016 was running, jogging and trail running, with 25.3% of youth and young adults ages 6 to 24 participating; 14.8% of adults 25 and older were runners. Bicycling, camping, fishing and hiking rounded out the top 5 most popular outdoor activities for all age groups by participation rate, summarized below.

For the youth and young adult demographic:

• 20.3 million (25.3%) went running, jogging or trail running
• 18.2 million (22.6%) participated in bicycling (road, mountain and BMX)
• 15.6 million (19.5%) went fishing (fresh, salt and fly)
• 15.3 million (19%) participated in camping (car, backyard and RV)
• 12.5 million (15.5%) went hiking

In the adult market:

• 32 million (14.8%) participated in running, jogging, trail running
• 31.5 million (14.6%) went fishing (fresh, salt and fly)
• 29.7 million (13.7%) went hiking
• 27.7 million (12.8%) participated in bicycling (road, mountain and BMX)
• 25.2 million (11.7%) participated in camping (car, backyard and RV)

Camping is Top Choice for Non-participants

The Foundation's study also measured aspirational participation, which gauges a non-participants’ interest in specific outdoor recreation, sports, fitness and leisure activities. Youths and young adults, ages 6 to 12, 13 to 17 and 18 to 24, all agreed that camping was the activity they wished most to try. Camping was almost a unanimous aspirational choice for adults, too. It was the second most popular option for adults ages 25 to 34, and number one for the 35- to 44-year old and 45-and-older demographics.

What are you doing to put your products and services in front of America's huge market of outdoor enthusiasts? If you’d like to explore new avenues, Realtree can help. Check out these case studies of companies who have expanded their distribution and sales through the power of  licensing with Realtree.  If you’d like to do the same get in touch with us and let’s talk.