2026 Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit Recap

Last week more than 280 outdoor recreation and trails professionals and volunteers gathered in Ashland, Oregon, with policy makers, tourism partners, and community and business leaders who care deeply about access to outdoor recreation and Oregon's outdoor recreation economy.

Before the main event, Travel Oregon hosted a Guides and Outfitters Workshop while Oregon Trails Coalition hosted a Federal Stewardship Partners meeting and the Oregon Trails Coalition Annual Member Meeting. While the issues and challenges being discussed were substantial, the energy and gratitude of coming together was palpable.

Thursday morning, summit participants joined Pacific Crest Trail Association for a hike on the PCT and joined Southern Oregon Land Conservancy for a tour of Pompadour Bluff, while others enjoyed a field session on the Bear Creek Greenway. Then everyone came together for an opening keynote and film screening with the OPB Field Guide Team that produced First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath which follows Indigenous youth kayakers who paddled the entire 300-mile Klamath River, becoming the first to descend the river from source to sea after the largest dam removal project in US history.

Senator Wyden then joined the group for a send off to the rest of the summit, talking about the importance of public lands and thanking everyone for their work to connect both Oregonians and visitors to the outdoors and lift up Oregon's outdoor recreation economy.

Breakout sessions were greatly varied: outdoor recreation shuttle pilots, interactive visitor stewardship engagement models, bird festivals, e-bikes on trails, wildfire recovery and resilience, research in action, outdoor recreation economies and workforce development, trails and transportation, harnessing the power of networks and volunteers, and more.

We celebrated a long-fought win for recreational liability reform and identified challenges ahead that will require big tent collaboration: funding shortfalls, wildfire, and continuing threats to federal public lands.

Thursday evening, summit attendees gathered at downtown Ashland's Noble Fox for a magical outdoor themed networking event with dinner, dancing, and onsite crafting of masks made with foraged natural materials.

Friday highlighted many Southern Oregon partners including Siskiyou Mountain Club, Jacksonville Woodlands Association, Applegate Rat Route Paragliding, and more. Summit attendees got to visit with our 17 exhibitors, check out outdoor demonstrations from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department ATV program, and chat one-on-one with Open Office Hours table hosts.

Summit attendees enjoyed more outdoor adventures Friday night and Saturday including a Dark Sky celebration on Mt. Ashland, a hike along the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail in the Siskiyou Uplands, a visit to Willow-Witt Ranch, an Inclusive Spaces Audit Workshop hosted by SORP, and attendee-organized mountaing biking at Mt. Ashland and Dollar Mountain.

The real power of the summit will be measured in the months and years ahead as we evaluate if the summit met its goals of building relationships and collaboration and accelerating:

• Access & Reconnection to Nature

• Sustainable Recreation

• Economic Prosperity

• Creativity & Innovation

Summit by the numbers:

• 3+ Days of Programming

• 283 Attendees

• 122 presenters, office hours and field workshop hosts

• 41 Scholarship recipients

• 31 Sponsors and/or Exhibitors

We share our immense gratitude with our summit planning committee and volunteers, our sponsors and exhibitors, summit presenters and field session hosts, the staff at Ashland Hills, Carlson Sound and Light, and The Noble Fox, and everyone else who was part of the summit! Thank you!

Save the Date! The 2027 Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit will be October 6-8, 2027, in Seaside Oregon!

Photo credits: Mark Fitzsimons, Ian Caldwell, Chad Thorston, Ian Caldwell, Robin Thompson, Marlon Troubnikoff, Eva Valadrian, Chandra LaGrue, Kim Curley, Kim Curley, Ian Caldwell, Collette Hayes, Emmy Andrews, Mark Fitzsimons, Mark Fitzsimons, Emmy Andrews, Becky Hope, Collette Hayes, Wela Negelspach, Mark Fitzsimons, Robin Thompson, Jodi Bellefeuille, Jodi Bellefeuille, Jodi Bellefeuille, Jodi Bellefeuille, Angie Braley, Jessica Horning, Jessica Horning, Angie Braley, Angie Braley, Christian Watchie, Nancy Kraemer, Steph Noll