The study looked at the 2024 economic impact of almost 12,500 acres of outdoor recreation land and 124 miles of trails, and included publicly owned parks, trails and natural areas, along with selected nonprofit recreation facilities.
Out-of-county visitors — an estimated 2.8 million — spent $33.1 million on lodging, dining, retail, gas or other amenities during their trips to outdoor recreation areas.
Key assets included Caesar Creek State Park, the Great Miami River Trail, the Little Miami Scenic Trail, and trail networks in Springboro, Mason, Lebanon and the townships.
Commercial entertainment attractions like Kings Island and venues not available for everyday community use, such as the Warren County Sports Park, were not included.
“That to me is a benefit,” said Warren County Park District CEO Matt Latham. “It’s good, to me, that (visitors) have other things to do while they’re in town. That enhances their experiences.”
Outdoor recreation businesses made $37 million from park visits, according to the study, which looked at companies like canoe liveries and bike rentals, but not large retail stores with outdoor merchandise.
Those businesses support 230 jobs and account for annual wages of $9.9 million, according to the report.
Latham said outdoor recreation in Warren County returns $5 for every $1 invested in it, laying the groundwork for future enhancements similar to the park district’s 2008 purchase of Armco Park from AK Steel.
The park district is in the midst of a Western Warren County Multi-use Trail study to look at connecting the county’s three largest cities - Springboro, Lebanon and Mason - with a series of bike and walking trails, and this summer plans to study the possibility of constructing a walking tunnel underneath state Route 741 to connect Armco Park with the Warren County Sports Complex.
Latham said major loops — 100 miles or more of connected trails — are a good way to attract outside visitors and investors.
“If we can link it all up, the skies the limit,” he said.
Warren County Commissioner David Young said the economic study reflects how the county has changed over the decades.
“Thirty, forty years ago Warren County was a rural county,” Young said. Large, dense developments were the exception. “As the county has become more urbanized, the need for more parks and recreation have gone up.”
The $25,000 economic impact study was commissioned by the Warren County Wild Collaborative, an informal alliance of local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
The Warren County Park District, the cities of Mason, Springboro and Lebanon, and Deerfield Twp. funded the study.
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