Investing in Trails: Exploring the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking
Investing in Trails: Exploring the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking
Trails are more than just recreational spaces; they are powerful drivers of economic prosperity and community well-being. This page on economic impact compiles studies and reports that provide a look into the diverse financial impacts generated by mountain biking and multi-use trail systems. From increased visitor spending and job creation to enhanced property values and local business support, explore the data and insights within these pages to understand how strategic investments in trails yield significant economic returns for communities and regions.
While specific dollar figures in economic impact studies will naturally fluctuate with market conditions, the methodologies and foundational insights into how mountain biking and trails generate economic value remain relevant for decades.
Economic Impact Studies
| YEAR | STUDY FOCUS | DOWNLOAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Health and Impacts of Bicycling and Trails in Iowa | 2025 | Demonstrates the economic power of Iowa's cycling (on and off road) and trail network, revealing its $1.4 billion impact on the state's economy and its correlation with job growth, significant tax revenue, and improved public health. | |
| Pennsylvania Environmental Council MTB Companion Report | 2024 | Unpacks mountain biking's economic impact and offers strategies for regional development. | |
| Northwest Arkansas | 2023 | Quantifies bicycling's diverse community benefits and infrastructure's return on investment. | |
| Chattanooga, Tennessee | 2022 | Provides concrete data on mountain biking's economic impact, including visitor numbers and tax contributions. | |
| Three Western Colorado National Forests | 2018 | Examines how varied outdoor recreation, including mountain biking, generates hundreds of millions in annual spending and job support in Western Colorado's National Forests. | |
| Off Road Cycling in Duluth: An Expenditures Approach | 2017 | Provides data on how the Duluth trail system generates tens of millions in annual economic impact, with returns exceeding original costs. | |
| Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests - North Carolina | 2017 | Demonstrates mountain biking's multi-million dollar economic impact in a prominent National Forest destination, quantifying visitor spending and job creation. | |
| James River Park System - Richmond, Virginia | 2017 | Quantifies the diverse economic benefits of urban park systems, showcasing significant returns on investment through property values, tourism, and local business revenue. | |
| Central Ohio Trails | 2015 | Provides perspective on the value of trails and can offer a model for how to do related research in your location. | |
| Effects of MTB in Marquette, Michigan | 2015 | This study offers a look at mountain biking ecotourism in a winter-affected community facing economic challenges, highlighting its potential to diversify income and providing a model for sustainable development. | |
| Bike Tourism in Oakridge, Oregon | 2014 | Offers a unique community-level study on mountain biking's economic and social impacts, providing strategies for local growth and value preservation. | |
| Coldwater Mountain Bike Trail - Alabama | 2012 | Analyzes mountain biking growth has a sport translates into economic growth for a community. |
Related Resources
NEW REPORT | Economic Benefits of Mountain Biking
- This report, created in partnership with Trust for Public Land, highlights several successful mountain biking projects and special events across the country, and it outlines best practices for trail development, including inclusive stakeholder collaboration and trail design, conflict mitigation, and long-term sustainability planning.
Access Report
