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Recreation, Wilderness, Urban Forest, & Demographic Trends Research at the USDA Forest Service.
Reports at: Recreation participation trends at the USDA Forest Service.
National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE) by the USDA Forest Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Details in "Outdoor Recreation for 21st Century America" available from Venture Publishing

Fall 1999 to Spring 2004 Participation (Millions - 16 and older)

Activity Num-
ber		 %
1 Walk for pleasure 177 83
2 Family gathering 159 74
3 Gardening or landscaping for pleasure 139 65
4 View/photograph natural scenery 125 59
5 Visit nature centers etc. 121 57
6 Picnicking 116 54
7 Driving for pleasure 113 53
8 Sightseeing 112 52
9 Attend outdoor sports events 109 51
10 Visit historic sites 98 46
11 View/photograph wildflowers trees etc. 94 44
12 View/photograph other wildlife 93 44
13 View beach 92 43
14 Swimming in lakes streams etc. 90 42
15 Swimming in an outdoor pool 89 42
16 Attend outdoor concerts plays etc. 88 41
17 Bicycling 83 39
18 Yard games e.g. horseshoes 83 39
19 Boating 79 37
20 Fishing 73 34
21 Running or jogging 71 33
22 Day hiking 70 33
23 Visit a wilderness or primitive area 70 33
24 View/photograph birds 67 31
25 Freshwater fishing 62 29
26 Gather mushrooms berries etc. 61 28
27 Visit a farm or agricultural setting 59 28
28 Developed camping 57 27
29 Snow/ice activities 56 26
30 Visit other waterside (besides beach) 55 26
31 Motorboating 53 25
32 View/photograph fish 52 24
33 Outdoor team sports 49 23
34 Warmwater fishing 48 22
35 Mountain biking 45 21
36 Visit prehistoric/archeological sites 44 21
37 Boat tours or excursions 41 19
38 Drive off-road* 40 19
39 Inline skating or rollerblading 38 18
40 Golf 36 17
41 Primitive camping 35 16
Activity Num-
ber		 %
Sledding 32 15
Basketball outdoors 30 14
Coldwater fishing 29 13
Hunting 24 11
Backpacking 23 11
Tennis outdoors 22 11
Saltwater fishing 22 10
Volleyball outdoors 22 10
Rafting 21 10
Softball 21 10
Canoeing 21 9.7
Jet skiing 21 9.7
Horseback riding (general) 20 9.6
Big game hunting 18 8.4
Downhill skiing 18 8.4
Football 17 8.1
Waterskiing 17 8.0
Horseback riding on trails 16 7.6
Handball or racquetball outdoors 16 7.6
Soccer outdoors 16 7.4
Small game hunting 15 7.1
Snorkeling 14 6.7
Ice skating outdoors 14 6.6
Baseball 14 6.4
Mountain climbing 13 6.3
Snowmobiling 12 5.5
Sailing 11 5.2
Snowboarding 11 5.1
Rock climbing 9.1 4.3
Rowing 9.1 4.3
Caving 9.0 4.2
Anadromous fishing 9.0 4.2
Kayaking 8.1 3.8
Cross country skiing 7.8 3.6
Ice fishing 5.7 2.7
Migratory bird hunting 4.9 2.3
Snowshoeing 4.5 2.1
Scuba diving 4.1 1.9
Orienteering 3.7 1.7
Surfing 3.7 1.7
Windsurfing 1.7 0.8

Values and Choices in Outdoor Recreation by Male and Female at fs.fed.us.
Results from 900 questionaires returned from campers at Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests, Washington, and the Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon.

Percent prefering:
Activity Female Male
Fishing 75 82
Nature walks to observe plants, birds, and animals in their natural surroundings 62 47
Day hiking 46 35
Picnicking 45 30
Hunting 43 64
Swimming 38 26
Photography 33 29
Boating or canoeing 19 20
Mountain climbing 16 16
Horseback riding 15 14
Rafting and river floating 14 11
Bicycling 14 6
Backpacking 10 17
Cross-country skiing 2 4
Snowshoeing 2 4
Sightseeeing from vehicle 50 44
Motorbike riding 39 39
Four-wheel driving 25 30
Snowmobiling 7 2
See Also:
American's Participation In Outdoor Recreation - 1999 - 2002

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last updated 4 Feb 2006