One of the most important changes to 
occur in outdoor recreation 
participation in the last few years has 
been a shift from taking a few, long 
vacations to taking shorter but more 
numerous weekend and long weekend 
trips (fig. 25). This shift has had 
several major consequences. First, the 
number of trips or occasions taken to 
participate in activities has risen 
relative to the percentage of the 
population participating and to total 
hours spent recreating. Second, this 
shift has made recreation opportunities 
close to home a much more important 
component of recreation supply. 
About 89 percent of the American 
public participates in outdoor 
recreation at least once during any 
given year. Over the past 20 years, the 
number of participants in most 
activities has grown, sometimes more 
rapidly than the U.S. population. 
Growth has been partly due to 
increases in frequency of participation, 
caused by a succession of progressively 
more active generations, and partly due 
to increased numbers of people in the 
population base. In general, over the 
past 2 decades, the more physically 
demanding outdoor pursuits have 
gained in popularity. As a result, they 
have shown the fastest percentage 
growth in numbers of participants. 
Percentage growth of participants in 
other, less physical activities such as 
picnicking and sightseeing still account 
for most of the Nation’s recreation (fig. 
oh LS ROL ee es 
Figure 26—Traditional recreation activities will continue to account for most of the Nation’s 
recreation. 
Figure 25—More people are recreating by taking shorter trips close to home. 
28 
Besides American recreationists, the 
activities of foreign visitors to this 
country also affect our economy and 
recreation resources. Information is 
limited on outdoor recreation 
opportunities for foreign visitors to the 
United States. However, these visitors 
are known to comprise a significant 
market segment for internationally 
famous attractions such as the Grand 
Canyon and Yellowstone National 
Parks. Foreign visitation may increase 
in the future, but it is likely to be 
cyclical and dependent on the value of 
the U.S. dollar relative to other 
currencies. 
There are other indicators of trends in 
recreation participation. For example, 
the total number of visits to Federal 
recreation areas has generally 
increased, although there have been 
reductions in the rate of growth and, in 
some instances, in total time spent 
