What New Federal Data Reveals About Recreation in Alaska.: A closer look at where people recreate, what they do, and what the numbers do—and do not—tell us. by Alaska Outdoor Alliance | July 2026 A new federal report offers the clearest combined picture yet of recreation visitation across Alaska’s federally managed lands and waters. In fiscal year 2024, federal agencies recorded 7,853,992 recreation visits in Alaska—nearly eight million entries onto federal lands or waters

After two months of conversations about infrastructure, stewardship, culture, livelihoods, health, governance, and even the voices of the more-than-human world, the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project arrived at a deceptively simple question: If Alaska became the most regenerative outdoor economy on Earth, how would we know? It sounds like a question about metrics. In reality, it turned into a conversation about values. Guest weaver Rachel Roy, Executive Director of the Si

The second session of Alaska's Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project explored a deceptively simple question: What would outdoor infrastructure look like if it were designed not just to move people through landscapes, but to strengthen communities, ecosystems, and relationships over time? Guest weavers Chris Mertl, landscape architect with Corvus Design, and Haley Johnston, Executive Director of Alaska Trails, helped frame a conversation that quickly moved beyond trails, camp

The most unusual session of the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project may also have been one of the most important. For 90 minutes, participants were invited to leave their professional identities behind and speak on behalf of a species, landscape, ecosystem, or natural system they know well. Glaciers. Polar bears. Salmon sharks. A marbled murrelet. Beaver. Moss. A king bolete mushroom. The Northern Lights. Even a fly. The goal was not to determine what nature would literall

The outdoor recreation community has become pretty good at measuring economic impact. We can tell you how many jobs outdoor recreation supports, how much visitors spend, how much tax revenue is generated, and whether the industry is growing. Those numbers matter, and they should. But after nearly two months of conversations through the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project, I've been struck by how often people talk about things that don't fit neatly into a spreadsheet. Peopl

One of the recurring themes throughout the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project has been that many of the outcomes we experience—whether related to community wellbeing, conservation, economic opportunity, infrastructure, recreation, or stewardship—are ultimately shaped by decisions made long before a trail is built, a permit is issued, or a visitor arrives. That made this conversation on Policy, Co-Stewardship & Governance feel like a particularly important stop along the j

The sixth Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project conversation explored a deceptively simple question: What role do the outdoors play in creating healthier people and healthier communities? Guest weavers Jim Beck of Mat-Su Health Foundation and Danielle Stickman of Qizhjeh Vena Alaska approached the question from very different directions, yet many of the themes that emerged were surprisingly aligned. Jim shared lessons from years of investing in trails, parks, outdoor access,

Over the past two months, the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project has explored infrastructure, stories, workforce development, health, policy, stewardship, and the future of Alaska's outdoor recreation ecosystem. On June 9, we're going to do something different. We'll convene a session called The No Voice. The idea draws inspiration from efforts like Nature on the Board, which seek to ensure that the natural world has representation in decisions that affect it. The premise

As the Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project continues, one theme keeps surfacing across nearly every conversation: A regenerative future ultimately depends on healthy people and healthy communities. That may sound obvious, but it opens a much bigger conversation about the role outdoors already plays — and could play even more intentionally — in physical health, mental health, behavioral health, cultural continuity, resilience, belonging, and overall community well-being acr

One thing that became very clear during this week’s Business & Livelihoods session of the Alaska Outdoor Alliance Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project is that Alaska’s outdoor workforce challenges are not just hiring problems. They are pathway problems. The conversation brought together perspectives from across education, stewardship, tourism, workforce development, and youth leadership to explore a deceptively simple question: What would it actually take to develop more Al

Alaska’s $3.8 billion outdoor economy continues to grow — but an important question sits underneath that growth: Who is being prepared to participate in it? On May 19, Alaska Outdoor Alliance’s Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project will host a conversation focused on Business & Livelihoods — exploring how Alaska can create stronger pathways for Alaska-born youth to build meaningful careers connected to stewardship, recreation, tourism, conservation, guiding, land management,

The May 12 session in the Alaska Outdoor Alliance’s Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project surfaced one of the clearest tensions yet in the series: How do we tell fuller, more truthful stories about Alaska’s outdoors — without reducing Alaska to either fantasy or despair? That question drove a wide-ranging conversation with filmmaker Princess Johnson and photojournalist Marlena Sloss about tourism, media, stewardship, and the stories embedded everywhere from films and social

This week’s Regenerative Outdoor Visioning session may have marked an important turning point in this series. Not because we arrived at definitive answers—but because the conversation began naming something deeper beneath many of Alaska’s outdoor debates: What if the outdoors is not simply a place we use, recreate, or extract value from…but a shared commons we are collectively responsible for stewarding? That was the central thread woven by our Guest Weavers, AlexAnna Salmon

We’ve talked about definitions. We’ve talked about infrastructure. Now we arrive at a deeper question: What if the outdoors is not just a place to visit, use, market, or manage—but a commons to steward together? That’s the focus of the next Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Workshop on May 5, and it may be the most expansive—and practical—session of the series so far. Because underneath every trail plan, tourism strategy, habitat debate, campground proposal, youth program, permi

Too often, infrastructure conversations begin after the biggest decisions have already been made. A route is chosen. A budget is set. A design is drafted. Then come the harder questions: Who was left out? What will maintenance cost in ten years? Was this designed for Alaska’s changing climate and living landscapes? Does it reflect the culture and history of the place? Alaska cannot afford wasteful infrastructure decisions. Every dollar matters. Every project should work harde

From food systems to community-led tourism, our first session grounded the work—and pointed us toward what’s next: infrastructure. Volunteers clearn debris and restore a washed out bridge on the Shoup Trail in Valdez. Yesterday’s Foundations & Definitions session didn’t try to wrap regenerative tourism in a neat package. It did something better—it made it real. With regenerative tourism champion Mary Goddard from Sitka, and Cathy Renfeldt, from the Cordova Chamber of Commerce

We talk about Alaska’s outdoors like it belongs to everyone. But not everyone has had a real hand in shaping it. That’s what this workshop series is about. Not a webinar. Not a panel. A working space to build something practical: a framework and toolkit for how the outdoors can actually work better—for land, communities, and future generations. Who should be in the room? If you’ve ever thought “there has to be a better way to do this” —this is for you. That includes: Tribal l

What it looks like to move beyond growth and toward a healthier relationship with Alaska’s lands, waters, and communities Confluence Summits have been bringing diverse voices together in communities rich in cultural and outdoor assets. This photo was taken during one of the Summit's Learning Journeys, guided by the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository. For more than a decade, Alaska Outdoor Alliance (AOA) has helped elevate the importance of Alaska’s outdoor recreatio

In Alaska, the outdoors isn’t a category. It’s not just recreation. Not just tourism. Not just trails, access, or scenery. It’s how people live. It shapes livelihood, health, identity, culture, mobility, stewardship, and belonging. It’s how people feed their families, guide visitors, raise kids, build businesses, and stay connected to place. And yet, we still talk about it in pieces. Tourism over here. Conservation over there. Trails in one lane. Public health somewhere else

Setting the Table Alaska relies on outdoor recreation for its tourism economy and for the well-being of residents. Yet this industry is also full of challenges which can make it seem or actually be as extractive as other resource development. We envision a future outdoor economy that leaves Alaska better: including the land, the people, the culture, outdoor infrastructure, and related businesses. Through this series of calls, we will collect your local knowledge and lived exp