To many in the West, the benefits of mountain trails are obvious. But accurately measuring their usage – and the dollars that usage brings in – can be time-intensive and costly.
In western New Mexico, there’s been growing interest in outdoor recreation in Cibola and McKinley counties. But until recently, getting actual data about that interest and its impacts were scarce. Montana-based Headwaters Economics worked with local, regional and federal government officials, as well as area trail groups, to change that.
They used used infrared trail cameras, cell phone location data and fitness tracking apps to show that usage on trails was higher than previously thought. There were almost 83,000 visits to trails in those two counties in a six-month period between March 2023 and August 2023.
They also showed that many users were coming in from outside the area, spending nearly $2 million in a recent one-year period. Headwaters economist Megan Lawson said that information has been very useful to local trail advocates.
“It's really helping to provide quantitative data points to back up the stories that they've been telling for years,” she said.
While this analysis was confined to two New Mexico counties, Lawson said the basic methodology used there could be used elsewhere in the West, adding that they’re already working with other communities in the state.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
