As tourism surges, can BC’s outdoor recreation system keep up?
Image: Qathet Regional Cycling Association
British Columbia is bracing for a busy summer season, with more Canadians opting for local travel and international tensions reducing cross-border trips. As a result, parks, trails, and backcountry areas across the province are expected to experience a significant increase in visitors.
At the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to connect with nature, experience the incredible beauty of our province, and return home inspired and renewed. We wholeheartedly welcome visitors from nearby communities and across the world, but we must also confront a growing challenge: BC’s outdoor recreation system is already under-resourced and under strain.
A System Under Pressure
This surge in outdoor use isn’t a passing trend. It signifies a lasting shift in how people connect with nature, travel, and choose where to live. According to a 2024 Ipsos poll commissioned by ORCBC, 76% of British Columbians participated in outdoor recreation activities within the past year, with community parks and trail networks being the most popular destinations. Notably, 56% of residents indicated that access to trails and outdoor recreational amenities influenced their choice of residence.
Yet, our recreation systems and funding models haven’t evolved to match this shift.
B.C.’s provincial recreation agencies are chronically underfunded. Despite managing some of the most iconic and popular landscapes in Canada, these agencies face significant gaps in resources for recreation development, site maintenance, planning and staffing.
Many of the trails and recreation areas British Columbians and visitors rely on were never designed to handle today’s volumes. Others are deteriorating from inadequate maintenance or simply don’t exist in areas seeing growing demand. Meanwhile, rural and Indigenous communities are being asked to support increased tourism without the planning tools or financial support they need.
This isn’t just a matter of wear and tear; it’s about capacity, equity, and long-term sustainability of BC’s outdoor recreation system.
Volunteers Can’t Do It All
Behind the scenes of B.C.’s outdoor recreation network are thousands of volunteers and nonprofit organizations who build and maintain trails, repair infrastructure, steward sensitive ecosystems, and participate in local planning processes. These groups are the unsung backbone of our recreation system — yet they’re increasingly stretched thin.
Many groups are operating with minimal budgets, aging equipment, and burned-out volunteers. Without stable investment in both the public sector and the volunteer organizations that sustain it, we risk falling further behind.
What Needs to Change
If we want to ensure that everyone—locals, visitors, youth, newcomers, and Indigenous communities—can benefit from outdoor recreation, we must act now. That means:
Support for recreation volunteers and nonprofits: Provide stable funding to empower the volunteers and local groups who maintain trails, steward recreation areas, and build community connections.
More resources and coordination: Increase funding for BC Parks and Recreation Sites and Trails BC, develop a collaborative provincial recreation strategy, and streamline processes to reduce barriers for partners and volunteers.
Protect access to public lands and waters: Ensure key access routes for recreation are maintained and that decisions about closures are transparent and fair, so public lands remain open and accessible to the public.
Better planning integration: Recognize recreation as a key value in land use, conservation, and resource planning, with stronger public engagement and inclusion of diverse voices.
Stronger data and impact measurement: Invest in province-wide data collection to track recreation’s economic, social, and environmental value.
Let’s Build a Stronger, More Inclusive Recreation System
B.C.’s outdoors are part of who we are, but the need for care, coordination, and investment to remain accessible and sustainable for the long term has never been greater.
The ORCBC works with over 100 member associations and organizations across BC, which are actively caring for trails, rivers, climbing areas, wildlife and backcountry huts. If you're planning to explore the outdoors this summer, consider giving back. Many hands make light work - and more resilient trails and outdoor areas.
Want to be part of the solution?
Let’s ensure that British Columbia remains not just a world-class destination, but a model for responsible, inclusive, and community-supported recreation.