This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Outdoor planners have worried about the lack of ethnic diversity at parks and trails for years.
Their efforts to get African-Americans, Hispanic and Asian-Americans outdoors seem to be paying off.
The new 2016 North American Camping Report, an annual independent study supported by Kampgrounds of America, shows that more than one million North American households started camping last year. Of those new campers, 18 percent were African-American, 11 percent were Hispanic and 44 percent are millennials.
Representation about ethnic groups who camp closely matches overall population figures, indicating that the new generation of campers is multicultural.
The survey showed that one in five new campers are African-Americans.
According to the surrey which received nearly 3,000 responses across the U.S., relaxation and stress relief are the top reasons people camp. One in five campers say that camping allows them to spend more time vacationing each year.
The ability to stay connected via email seems to also be a factor in the increase in the length of time campers stay outdoors. WiFi continues to rank as a top campground amenity and expectations for free WiFi are three times more likely to be influenced by its presence.
The proportion of camper nights spent at state and national park campgrounds in 2015 increased seven percentage points among African Americans, five percentage points among Hispanics and 10 percentage points among Asian-American Campers.
Going into this year, there is a 25 percentage point increase of campers who intend to take more camping trips in 2016 compared to a net nine percent increase in those who intended to increase their trips in 2015.
The top three camping destination in 2016 include U.S. national parks (52 percent), state parks (49 percent) and beaches/coastal areas (42 percent).