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Rural Remix Presents: GETAWAY [1]
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Date: 2025-03-06
Outdoor recreation contributes more than a trillion dollars to the US economy. From lodging and service industries to manufacturing and entrepreneurship, the outdoor recreation economy is not just one thing.
It’s the backbone of many rural areas.
In GETAWAY, a five episode podcast series from Rural Remix, Daily Yonder reporter Ilana Newman dives deep into what it means to be a rural recreation community.
From planning and growth development to the housing crisis, to the effects of climate change, and the cultural shifts that happen when a town moves toward recreation and tourism, GETAWAY takes us on a cross-country road trip to visit small towns that are embracing and struggling with what it means to have a rural recreation economy.
Rural communities are often overlooked by people just looking to go for a hike or a bike ride, or visiting a National Park. They’re a destination, a stopover, a place to get a burger after a long adventure or purchase a souvenir, not seen as a place where real people live, work, and create community.
They are the getaway.
A visitor to Arches National Park examines a park sign outside of the park that provides information about trails and amenities in the park. Arches National Park uses a timed entry system during the busy months to avoid overcrowding trails and parking lots. (Photo by Ilana Newman / The Daily Yonder)
What does this phenomenon do to a town and the people who live there? How can a town plan not only for visitors but for the people who make that place their home?
Rural communities have historically relied on industries like logging, mining, oil and gas, and agriculture to use the vast amounts of both public and private land that surround them. But for some rural communities that have natural amenities nearby, tourism and recreation have become increasingly attractive.
But how does a community begin to move away from extractive industries that may be going bust and toward outdoor recreation and tourism? And when do recreation and tourism become extractive in their own way?
GETAWAY dives into all of these questions and more by talking to experts and visiting communities dealing with these issues firsthand.
From the Pacific Northwest beaches to the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of the Colorado Plateau to the rivers and valleys of Appalachia and the mountains of New Hampshire, GETAWAY takes visitors all over the country to give a nuanced look at what it means to be a rural recreation economy.
Mountain bikers pass Lions Park in Moab, Utah on a bike path that connects the town to recreation opportunities along the Colorado River. (Photo by Ilana Newman / The Daily Yonder)
Episode One
We begin in Montezuma County, Colorado.
Montezuma County and its county seat, Cortez, is not a place one would necessarily think of as a tourist destination. It’s surrounded by more popular places like Durango, Telluride, and even Moab, Utah.
However, Montezuma County has its fair share of natural amenities, like Mesa Verde National Park and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. But the communities in the county don’t necessarily see the economic benefits from the great outdoors at their disposal. The city of Cortez is working on ways to attract the right kind of tourists and incentivize them to stay and spend money in Cortez.
We also visit Monte Vista, Colorado, where the town received a Recreation Economies for Rural Communities grant and is working to build a trail to connect the community to more recreational opportunities.
Listen now on Rural Remix, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays through April 3rd.
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