When Jo-Ann Hall summited Bondcliff to complete her quest to climb the 48 4,000-footers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, she was surrounded by friends who brought champagne, cake, and camaraderie to celebrate her milestone.
The outdoors wasn’t always that welcoming.
“You don’t see a lot of people (on trail) that look like you,” says Jo-Ann, a Black woman. “But you have to push through the negativity to get to the good stuff. And I’m at the good stuff now.”
Jo-Ann’s story is familiar for many people whose skin color, ethnic background, gender identity, or sexual orientation put them in a minority in the outdoors. They may feel relief and joy in the outdoors, but getting to that happy place isn’t always easy.
Part of it is feeling alone in the outdoors, that others don’t look like you, or that because you stand out you may not feel safe.
The lack of diversity in the outdoors is well-documented, but what isn’t so widely cataloged are the challenges faced by people who are underrepresented in the outdoors, or the feelings they have on trail, in retail stores, or when viewing ads that have few or no people who look like them.
Those feelings and perceptions have been documented by Merrell, the outdoor shoe and apparel company, in its recently released “Inclusivity in the Outdoors” report, which surveyed people in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in 2020 and 2022. The survey defined the outdoors as anywhere a person can experience the weather and the natural world—animals, plants, or landscapes.
Overall, the 2022 survey reinforced that people view their time in the outdoors positively. 64% said they feel relaxed when outside, 59% said they feel happy, 55% said they feel calm, and 41% said they feel thankful.
But the survey also found that 19% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination in the outdoors. The survey found that percentages in almost all categories increased from 2020 to 2022.
In addition, 53% of survey respondents noted they have felt afraid when outdoors and 15% noted feeling alert.
The Black Experience
44% of Black survey respondents said they felt thankful when outside; 21% said they experienced discrimination when outdoors; and 23% said they experienced discrimination while shopping.
11% said they feel cautious, 4 percentage points higher than white survey respondents.
The story of Black Americans and the outdoors is one of segregation and painful reminders. Many national parks and outdoor spaces were segregated until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Confederate statues, a reminder of the South’s slave years, still greet visitors to some public spaces.
And the National Health Foundation reports that among Blacks in the United States there is still a perceived threat of violence from generational trauma due to decades of lynching that usually took place in forests, giving people of color negative feelings about outdoor spaces.
Jo-Ann grew up in a family that didn’t camp, and discovered the outdoors through her husband. Her first experience was a backpacking, canoeing, and camping trip in Maine, and she was hooked.
There were disappointments along the way. People assumed Jo-Ann couldn’t reach summits because they weren’t used to seeing people of color on the trail. Hikers would talk to her husband, a white man, but bypass her.
But she also found in the mountains a camaraderie of hikers. “The harder the trail, the better the people,” Jo-Ann says.
And Jo-Ann has a message for other hikers: “Everyone take a hard look when they see people of color on trail. Help out, not discourage.”
The LGBTQ+ Community
25% of respondents said they want to spend time outdoors.
40% said they felt comfortable in the outdoors; 56% percent said they felt relaxed; and 52% said they were happy.
50% of LGBTQ+ respondents in 2022 indicated a higher likelihood to be afraid of men than the overall total (50% vs. 33%).
LGBTQ+ respondents also reported experiencing discrimination when shopping for clothing, footwear, or gear in a retail store.
The survey results show that the LGBTQ+ community feels 9 percentage points more unwelcome in the outdoors than the overall total.
Perry Cohen grew up in New Hampshire hiking, biking, and skiing, and found comfort in the outdoors when he was uncertain about his gender identity. He transitioned to male in his late 30s, and shortly afterward founded The Venture Out Project, which helps members of the LGBTQ+ community feel emotionally and physically safe in the outdoors.
At first Perry focused on teaching outdoors skills, then he realized he was creating an outdoors community for people, and began focusing more on that.
“So when we first started out, there had to be a peak or there had to be something. And I think we still very much try to do that, but we’ve realized that the real goal is creating this community and this bond and people feeling like part of something,” Perry told huckberry.com.
Women’s Safety Concerns Rise
56% of women said they were afraid when outdoors.
16% said they were alert.
41% said in 2022 that they were afraid of men in the outdoors, an increase of 16 percentage points from the 2020 study.
Katie Kommer, an outdoors adventurer and freelance writer, says that when she started running and hiking she hardly worried about personal safety, figuring that people she met on trail would generally have the same good intentions that she does.
“However, over the past couple of years I’ve gotten a lot more cautious,” she says. “When backpacking alone, I never tell anyone on the trail where I’m planning to camp no matter how good their intentions seem. I also always carry a personal safety alarm whenever I am outside.”
And after Eliza Fletcher was abducted during her morning run in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 2022, and later found dead, Katie says her trail running group talked about personal safety measures to ensure they could run without fear.
“I do my best to always tell someone my plans, have my location sharing on with my best friend, and carry an alarm,” Katie says. “I also have a personal rule that if it’s dark enough to have my headlamp on, my headphones are out. Finally, I don’t stick to a normal running ‘routine’ and am constantly mixing up my routes so I’m not in the same place week after week.”
The result is that she feels “pretty safe” outdoors.
Still, she experiences harassment she doesn’t consider dangerous, but that is frustrating.
“During the summer if I’m running on the road in shorts and a sports bra, catcalls are quite frequent,” Katie says. “It’s also very common to receive a patronizing ‘why are you out here all by yourself’ from older gentlemen while I’m trail running, hiking, or backpacking. While none of this directly attacks my personal safety, it does make me feel less welcome in the outdoors.”
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples spent the most time outdoors among respondent: 36% compared with 27% for all other respondents. Indigenous Peoples’ responses about how they felt in the outdoors was also higher than other respondents’ answers: 46% indicated they felt alive, 54% said they felt thankful when outside, and 65% noted the outdoors “just makes me feel better.” The survey noted that Indigenous Peoples’ long connection to nature probably accounted for those feelings.
But the survey found a downside in Indigenous Peoples’ outdoor participation: 21% of Indigenous respondents vs. 15% of white respondents said they experienced discriminatory treatment when outside.
22% of Indigenous respondents also said they experienced discrimination when shopping for outdoor gear in a retail store.
Jaylyn Gough, an avid climber, hiker, mountain biker, and landscape photographer, founded Native Women’s Wilderness out of frustration fueled by the lack women of color, especially Indigenous women, represented in outdoor industries. She wants Native Women’s Wilderness to be a platform for Native voices, a place to express the love and passion for the wild, and to provide education about ancestral lands.
The Hispanic/Latin American Community
46% of Hispanic/Latin American people said they felt alive when outside.
13% felt cautious.
28% of Hispanic/Latin American respondents said they were discriminated against in the outdoors.
Pedro Altagracia, an advisory board member with Latino Outdoors, went to great lengths to find nature after moving from New York City to New Hampshire, and experienced exclusion in the management of outdoor recreation spaces.
Now he advocates for inclusive and equitable access to the outdoors, the value and impact of nature on marginalized communities, and why diversity, equity, and inclusion are important in nature.
He is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Easterseals NH, VT, and ME, and is on the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy of New Hampshire.
The Asian Community
21% of Asian respondents said they were discriminated against in the outdoors.
Don Nguyen, whose parents were Vietnam War refugees, co-founded Climbers of Color after disappointing experiences guiding for large outfitters.
“I got burned by the leadership and culture,” he says on the Climbers of Color website. “It’s hard to be the token POC in an all white company in 2016, in a white dominated sport. … I looked for clubs, groups, any resources to help myself and help others through hard steps like that.”
He didn’t find any, and thought there was nothing he could do to change the narrative in the sport he loves.
Then, he decided, “If not me, who, if not now, when. Believing the fact that small groups of motivated, skilled people, changed the course of history, Climbers of Color was founded.”
What Merrell Is Doing
“We know our responsibility is to do more than build great shoes and boots that enable our consumers to revel in the power of the outside,” Christopher Hufnagel, Global Brand president for Merrell, says in the survey’s introduction. “We also believe we have to be a catalyst for change in the outdoors and help make the outside more welcoming, safer, and more inclusive for all—a place where everyone feels they belong.
“This first-of-its-kind study measuring perceptions and experiences in the outdoors is a critical component of our work and will help guide our efforts moving forward. For us, the outdoors is everything, and we hope we can be a small part in making it a better place for everyone.”
Recognizing that advertising does not fairly represent people who venture outdoors, Merrell says it will go beyond gender and skin tone to include all sizes, abilities, cultures, gender identities, and ages. The company says it will create diversity and inclusion benchmarks by auditing current marketing materials and setting goals for improvement.
Merrell says that rather than relying on traditional portrayals of nature like camping and hiking in its marketing, it will show other outdoor experiences that marginalized communities relate to. Those images will include backyards and front yards, playgrounds, city parks, and children walking to school.
It also will build accountability to create a culture that fosters innovative ideas and cultural relevance while ensuring representation across marketing, products, and sales. Anti-racist and inclusive education will also continue within Merrell’s workforce.
The company began the Merrell Hiking Club in the United States and Canada with the goal of ensuring women were able to safely and confidently experience the power of being outdoors.
In 2020 Merrell partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to increase opportunities for youth who may not have adequate access to nature, natural parks, or public trails.
Merrell also expects its partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association to bring park-improvement projects to life in communities hit hardest by park-funding inequities.
How the Survey Was Done
Two quantitative 20-minute surveys in 2020 and 2022 gathered responses from 2,000 people in the United States (800), Canada (600) and the United Kingdom (600). Respondents represented diverse backgrounds, including differences in age, gender, childhood income, current socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. Participants who identified as Black, African American, Caribbean, Black-North American, Black mixed heritage, or biracial are referred to as Black. Participants who identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Filipino, Vietnamese, or Asian mixed heritage or biracial are referred to as Asian.
Some Resources
This list is by no means complete. If you know of a group you would like included email howen385@gmail.com.
Refugee Women’s Network Hiking Group
Women’s Hiking Crew & Adventures
This story was reported using data from Merrell’s “Inclusivity in the Outdoors” survey, and by talking with people from the backgrounds noted in the report. I emailed many outdoor groups and people in those groups, but after receiving only two responses drew on additional information from groups’ websites. If you would like share your personal experiences for this story email howen385@gmail.com.
Feature photo by Katie Kommer