Outdoor recreation here in Massachusetts is growing faster than anywhere else in the U.S., according to a new report.
According to experts, a combination of factors — including a focus on populations who have been traditionally cut off from the outdoors — is fueling that increase.
The commonwealth saw faster economic growth in its outdoor recreation sector in 2024, according to the most recent data available, compared to every other state.
The U.S. Department of Commerce reports outdoor recreation grew by nearly 7% from 2023 to 2024, funneling more than $14 billion into the state economy. It also created 108,000 jobs.
Paul Jahnige, director of the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said outdoor recreation is on an upswing as more people head outside to stay healthy.
“This is not just about having fun. This is really about our mental and physical health and well-being,” Jahnige said.
He believes the growing interest in outdoor recreation is due to excessive screen time, life stress issues, and sedentary lifestyles causing health issues.
Outdoor activity, defined as an activity that takes place in a natural environment, ranges from boating to trail hiking to kite flying, but Jahnige said the state’s office of outdoor recreation doesn’t count field and court sports as part of the overall program.
Massachusetts has plenty of outdoor land space, Jahnige said, and the state is able to sustain the growth through public-private partnerships.
“I think we really lean into trying to make outdoor recreation as welcoming, inclusive, diverse and accessible as possible for every resident in Massachusetts and every visitor to Massachusetts,” he said.
In 2023, the inclusive aspect struck a chord with DJ Josey, principal owner of First Seed Sown Sales & Marketing and creator of “The Malden Great Outdoors” program. That company specializes in creating outdoor equity programs for municipalities.
“I created the program to ensure that the environmental justice community could get outside,” he said. He said he got the idea for the program “as someone who was a proud Black and Puerto Rican, who didn’t grow up doing tons of stuff outside.”
The city of Malden owns the program, but Josey’s company runs it with the idea to open access to everyone, especially groups that lack access or those that are low-income or have been traditionally excluded from outdoor activity. Some of the programs include bird-watching, learning to ride a bicycle and paddle sports.
He said growing up there were a lot of cultural barriers for people of color to gain entry into recreational activities outdoors.
“I built a campaign that addresses all these different barriers to entry, from knowing where to go or that it’s something that your community does, to a step-by-step resource guide in eight different languages on where to go and other people to go with,” he said.
Many of the activities are low- or no-cost outdoor recreational programming for people in and around the city of Malden.
Getting people outdoors and enjoying nature is also the mission of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
Boston-based AMC has more than 90,000 members, and Massachusetts is its largest region, with about 36% of its overall membership here.
Nicole Zussman, AMC president and CEO, said the volunteer-led organization is focused on conservation and recreation that’s inclusive, and provides education and opportunity for underserved communities.
She said trails are the heart of AMC, such as the Bay Circuit Trail, which goes all around and outside Boston.
“Our place in them is to make sure that they are both safe for people recreating, and that they’re built for conservation outcomes and that they are in areas that are accessible to all,” said Zussman.
AMC offers more than 5,000 free activities. Having people fall in love with landscapes and become advocates for it, both drives the economy and leads to more conservation activity.
“It’s an economic engine, and ... that engine comes from gear that we have partnerships with — other brands that help support us to help people get outside. Whether it’s with hiking boots, a backpack, skis. I mean gear is a huge part of the economy,” she said.
Brian Pearson is the founder of Adventure East in Sunderland, which runs group trips for things like hiking and rock climbing, said he’s seen a particular increase from people who are new to the outdoors.
“I think it’s principally people just wanting to disconnect and do something where they’re not using technology, and I think nature is the obvious answer to that,” he said.
Pearson said more people are discovering the geography of Western Massachusetts, and that it’s closer than Vermont or New Hampshire. That’s helping drive the growth of the outdoor recreation economy
“I think there’s now been a realization like, hey, there’s great stuff happening (in Western Massachusetts) And it’s easier to get, too. It’s closer to home. We can do it for a day trip,“ he said.
