America Outdoors Set to Release 2022 River Use Data

December 4, 2023

Report details data from 41 top whitewater river segments

December 4, 2023 – Knoxville, TN /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – America Outdoors, the nation’s one-stop resource for outdoor recreation providers and industry leaders in public policy, is proud to be the only organization to report on U.S. commercial river use numbers. This year, America Outdoors is thrilled to share the official data from the 2022 rafting season.

Since 1990, America Outdoors has compiled use data for the same set of guided whitewater rafting rivers. Currently, 48 nationwide river sections are surveyed. AO would like to thank the private individuals and federal employees, too numerous to name here, who supported the compilation effort.

The top 5 rivers in terms of visitor use numbers for 2022 are:

1. Arkansas in Colorado with 247,721 visitors
2. Pigeon in Tennessee with 213,426 visitors
3. Ocoee in Tennessee with 164,242 visitors
4. Nantahala in North Carolina with 115,997 visitors
5. Clear Creek in Colorado with 80,364 visitors

Key takeaways:

• 2021 was a banner year across the industry, reaching nearly 1.5 million visitors among these 48 rivers.
• 2022 numbers are on par with pre-pandemic levels.
• Family-friendly sections of rivers continue to see high visitor numbers.

To view the full 2022 data, please visit the America Outdoor website.

For more information on the upcoming America Outdoors Conference, please visit this link or contact Marketing and Events Manager Hilary Wickes at hwickes@americaoutdoors.org. For further press inquiries please reach Kade Gewanter at kadegewanter@darbycommunications.com.

About America Outdoors

America Outdoors is a community of outdoor adventure businesses and organizations who have joined together to promote and support the outdoor recreation industry through advocacy, education, and collaboration. AO has been working on behalf of the outdoor industry for over 30 years. For more information, please visit our website www.americaoutdoors.org.