Eric Majeskie
Mrs. Straub
Economics
11 April 2015
Hiking’s Economic Impact on Society
As many people play sports and others don’t, those others find exciting hobbies. A recreational activity that continues to grab attention to many is hiking. What can be more exciting than hiking up to a summit on a peak in Colorado. Hiking can sometimes be very costly if you are really into this recreational activity. If you are one of the many who just pick a day,hiking isn’t as expensive. However in the case of the extreme hiker, they are creating a demand for many of the products that are involved in this recreational activity. Still many of these items are continue to stay inelastic.
Although there are many other sports that are out there, many people tend to visit the parks often to hike. Visiting the parks frequently is helping the park in the long run. Many don’t realize the economic impact of funding the trails. In a recent study by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center, a study stated that, “Some $439 million dollars was spent by out-of-state visitors, which is equivalent to 20 percent of the total trail spending” (“Venegas”). For every dollar spent at a National or State Park, the money simply gets donated back to the Parks Department which helps to maintain the trails that many use. In Minnesota, what helps some departments, is the out-of-state visitors that keep on coming from other areas of the world. If the Department keeps on getting revenue, many manufacturers will have to continue to supply the goods that people need in order to have a successful hike. With the help of many Americans continuing to stride on the US’s trails, it is helping create more and more trails that we continue to love to go on.
One of the many things that promote hiking is the wonderful commercial advertisements that we see on TV today. The companies that produce these commercials are trying to create an interest in hiking, but also persuades people to come to buy products needed for a comfortable hike. Then with these commercials promoting their products, their hope is to create an increase in revenue for the company that is producing the good. Before choosing this product somebody probably made an opportunity cost in which they chose something different from what they originally wanted. In a recent study by The American Hiking Society, “Hiking and recreational activity is a continued booming business from sales of outdoor gear, clothing, footwear, and other accessories. In 2001, businesses amassed more than $18 billion dollars” (“The Economic Benefits of Trails”). While many people continue to experience this recreational activity, companies are continuing to grow because of the booming business, but before all of this, many of the other companies were the negative externality preventing their company to make revenue. With this recreational activity becoming more and more popular it is continuing to grow and is leading to a definite economic impact on today’s society. 
Figure 2: Shows the Most Popular Activities in 2011
Due to the many people who are continuing to visit the National and State Parks, they are contributing to building more and more trails that we’ll all love in the US. In addition, the Economic Impact of the companies who are producing the hiking gear is increasing. These are all contributing to a part of our nation’s economy. That extra dollar that you spend is continuing to improve and create new recreation trails all across America. Then that extra money that you spend at Gander Mountain and REI is helping them stay in business. And while many of us can’t afford somethings in life and some don’t have time for things, we can take note that the recreational sport of hiking is emerging and is a great topic of economics.
Works Cited
Barringer, Tyler. "The Economics of Hiking." The Economics of Hiking. Consumer Jungle, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
Gaille, Brandon. "41 Cool Paintball Team Names - BrandonGaille.com." BrandonGaille.com. 41 Cool Paintball Team Names, 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
Venegas C. Ernesto. "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS." Positively Minnesota. Economic Impact of Recreational Trail Use, Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
“The Economic Benefits of Trails”. The Economic Benefits of Trails. American Hiking Society, Feb. 2004. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
1 Personal Picture
I liked this post Eric. It was interesting to read about where the money in this area is going. I think this topic about economics of outdoor activities is cool. I also think that other outdoor activities might have larger economic impacts. Canoeing or kayaking for example might have a larger impact because the cost for equipment is greater for both the consumers and the suppliers.
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