by Taylor Broyhill, AICP and Kristina Kachur, AICP of Logan Simpson

An interconnected network of trails is a powerful economic development tool. Trails impact local and regional economies in several ways: enhancing quality of life for residents, increasing nearby property values, lowering healthcare costs, and providing a venue for events. Most significantly, trails are a catalyst for stimulating private investment and outdoor recreation tourism. No community prides itself on its quality of life, promotes itself as a desirable location, or maintains itself as an environmental steward without having a robust, active system of trails and parks for public use and enjoy.

Trails stimulate small business development and private investment by attracting additional visitors. This new customer base not only increases consumer spending in existing businesses along the trail but also attracts new trail-related businesses such as bicycle rental or recreation outfitters. In Leadville, Colorado, the city reported a 19% increase in sales tax revenue following the opening of the Mineral Belt Trail – a significant gain for the city as it recovered from the economic loss of a prominent mine closure in 1999. Across the nation, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects create 8–12 jobs per $1 million of spending. As a contrast, road infrastructure projects create 7 jobs per $1 million of expenditures.

As local businesses are patronized by trail users, they purchase supplies and services from manufacturers in other sectors of the economy, thereby multiplying the impact of the trail throughout the region. Critically, trails, parks, and open space are the cornerstones to improving a locality’s quality of life — An important factor in attracting employers and workers to an area.

Trails spur tourism to their respective locales, generating considerable economic activity, including (but not limited to) increased sales at local restaurants/bars and hotels. An August 2017 National Recreation and Parks Association Park Pulse poll found that people seek out park and recreation amenities — such as beaches, parks, trails and secluded and relaxing places — when choosing a vacation destination. In Crested Butte, Colorado, the average mountain bike visitor spends almost $500 per visit.

Residential properties located near a trail or greenway also benefit through an increase in property values. Higher home values not only benefit the owners of these properties, but increase property tax revenue for communities. The National Association of Homebuilders states that “[t]rails consistently remain the number one community amenity sought by prospective homeowners.”

Many western communities have traditionally relied economically on the energy and resource extraction industry; however, as these industries are prone to a volatile ebbs and flows, expanding the breadth of other industries could help reduce the impacts of industry downturns. Focusing on enhancing the quality of life and embracing the natural and recreational assets will help build a stable residential community by attracting families to stay within these communities for generations.

AREAS OF CAUTION When considering the opportunities for new and expanded trail systemS

The economic benefits of destination-quality trail systems are well documented. Trails have helped transform failing rural economies – those with a focus on manufacturing and natural resource extraction – into hubs of economic and recreational activity. However, the boom in visitation to trails and outdoor recreation destinations is a double-edged sword. Many communities in the mountain West have learned the hard way that the economic benefits of trails and scenic landscapes come with their own set of challenges: negative impacts to the resource, higher maintenance costs, and diminished user experience from increased conflicts and, in some areas, rising property values that price-out longtime residents.

Changes in Technology

Simultaneously with increased visitation, there continues to be a demand for new recreation opportunities such as single use trails, e-bikes, fat bikes, e-scooters, one-wheels, wider motorized Off Highway Vehicles, drones, etc. In order to address these and other new future recreational demands, public land management agencies and local communities must collaboratively seek public input on new uses and regulations. Land managers will need to have a greater understanding of how these and other new modes of recreation may impact natural resources and overall outdoor recreation experiences before implementing changes.

Providing a Mix of Trails

Providing a mix of trail types helps to improve economic development and reduce user conflicts. The goal is to utilize nearby public lands to deliver critical revenue through visitor spending and business investment. Communities can meet local and visitor needs through well-planned recreation assets, as well as opportunities to share cultural heritage. This results in a high quality of life which can bring increased tourism revenue and encourage professionals and businesses to invest in local communities. This strategy taps into two major economic trends: growth in remote work, and demand for outdoor access to recreation and trails. Providing multiple trail experiences within close proximity encourages visitors to visit and stay for a three-day weekend, increasing tourism revenue. As more and more professionals and companies of all types find that they can locate wherever they choose, communities have an opportunity to attract not just visitors but permanent residents seeking year-round outdoor access.

Changes in Climate

Climate change will also impact our way of life as well as the tourism industry, as drier winters and water availability alter our recreation patterns. Drier winters and reduction in shoulder seasons increase demands on staffing typically linked to only summer management at the same time limiting the amount of days available for winter recreation activities. Furthermore, summer months in some states are becoming both hotter—leading to increased emergencies with heat exhaustion—and wetter from monsoon rains— leading to increased resource impacts from washouts. Management of trail systems must accommodate climate resilience strategies, as early snow melt and year-round usage become new norms.

Additionally, wildfires are a naturally occurring and necessary disturbance in many ecosystems. For example, in Summit County, Colorado, the forests have evolved with fire, but decades of fire suppression have caused dense forests to connect right up to the back doors of nearby expanding neighborhoods. The number of catastrophic fires has increased in recent years due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic, drought, invasive weeds, and a changing climate, as well as additional developments being built in the Wildland Urban Interface. Many developments market their proximity to nearby mountain biking and hiking trails which are built in these same areas. Good planning and active management can help these amenities contribute to wildfire mitigation strategies.

Working with Indigenous Communities and other constituents

The respect for Tribal and Native Nations’ rights, and local history is essential in crafting trail planning and implementation strategies. The inclusion of indigenous wisdom not only makes trail systems sustainable, but it also fosters an inclusive recreational environment.

Communities should work to involve Tribes and Native Nations in various ways and throughout all planning and implementation decisions. The first step to develop Tribal partnerships should be to have open, honest, and ethical conversations with Tribal Nations. Observe and respect their process in terms of how they want to engage with other partners, planning processes, and implementation, as well as how their traditional ecological knowledge can be appropriately and respectfully integrated into land management. For example, establishing land acknowledgments should include designating spots on advisory boards for Tribal members, interpretation of past, present, and future ways of Indigenous life, integrating traditional ecological knowledge into land management, among other methods. Furthermore, trails can be used to interpret indigenous values and landscapes, as well as help identify areas where trails should be direct recreationalists away from sensitive lands. By effectively addressing these factors, we can create a resilient, culturally respectful, and technologically advanced trails system that caters to the burgeoning recreation tourism sector.

Managing a Sustainable Trail System

While the help of Indigenous communities can provide a degree of sustainability, there is more that can be done to create a healthier landscapes. Without practices such as sustainable trail design and trail etiquette education, increased visitation may cause resource degradation and overcrowding on trails and at trailheads, leading to conflicts (such as hiker/biker confrontation) and negative outdoor experiences. As visitation continues to increase—by both residents and visitors— employing best management practices on open space and trails will be increasingly important. Managing these challenges will require land managers and partners to explore unique solutions for parking, capacity management, and balancing outdoor recreation with conservation. Doing so will protect the unique habitats and natural resources, while still offering diverse recreational opportunities.

Moreover, as population and visitation increases, more people are looking to the backcountry for less crowded experiences than can be found at resorts. Maintaining backcountry access, educating the public about safely recreating in the backcountry, and minimizing impacts to wildlife habitat, especially big game winter ranges, will be important.

Changes in Economic Diversity

Many western states have been fortunate to provide a high quality of life for their residents while claiming some of the nation’s lowest tax rates. For example, in addition to having relatively low property and sales tax, Wyoming has no corporate or income taxes. This has been possible due to extractive mineral and energy industries contributing a substantial amount of money to state and municipal budgets. In fact, roughly 65—70% of state revenue comes from extractive industries, more specifically from severance taxes and royalty payments.

Talk of economic diversity is nothing new in Wyoming. But a recent call for greater economic diversity during the economic downturn in the energy industry has led Wyoming state and municipal leaders to think about what this means for government budgets. Economic diversity may not be viewed as financially beneficial to government entities because the current tax structure is focused solely on extractive industries. The inconvenient fact is that if non-energy businesses are to grow, local governments need to decide how to fund services with shrinking contributions from extractive related severance taxes and royalty payments. To put it simply, a new economy may require a new government funding model.

In conclusion, though benefits and drawbacks of trail systems will remain a constant consideration, it is vital to keep in mind natural resources, community health, and cultural needs in order to create a sustainable space for all to enjoy trails and outdoor recreation responsibly.

About the Authors

Taylor Broyhill, AICP, is a parks, recreation, open space, and trails planner with a decade of experience to advance parks, recreation, and trails projects throughout Colorado and the Southeast through creative and inclusive community outreach and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Whether facilitating a place-branding initiative, planning for trails and recreation, or enabling a long-range visioning session, Taylor aims to help communities achieve transformative and enduring results. Prior to her transition to the private sector, Taylor worked as a local government planner and GIS specialist. Her experience as both a client and consultant provides her with a unique perspective and understanding of her local government clients’ needs and their responsibilities to residents and constituents.

Kristina Kachur, AICP, is an environmental planner specializing in environmental land use, outdoor recreation planning, NEPA, public involvement, and GIS. She leads a variety of environmental, park and recreation, open space, natural resource, and comprehensive planning projects at various scales, working with local, county, and federal clients. Kristina helps facilitate an efficient and defensible planning process through scholarly research, applying GIS at the project level, applying alternative methods to engagement with the public and elected officials, facilitating advisory groups, and creating implementable strategies and best management practices.

All images by Paul Moberly, Editor, Western Planner

The Notable Benefits of Planning and Maintaining Trail Systems (and where to be Cautious)