Economic Impact of Human-Powered Trail Recreation in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests

This study examined the economic impact of four forms of human-powered trail recreation: day hiking, backpacking, trail running, and peak bagging visitors to Colorado’s GMUG National Forest. The report collectively refers to these categories as hiking. Hikers visit the GMUG over 600,000 times per year. An estimated 60% of these visits are from persons living outside the GMUG and surrounding region. In all, 501 hikers around the nation responded to the survey, with 293 respondents sharing the economic expenditures from their most recent 2017-2018 trip to the GMUG. Hiking visitors spent an estimated $24 million and support an estimated 235 jobs and $6 million in job income in the GMUG and surrounding area