Hiking Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

100 Australia Hiking Statistics for 2026

If you want to understand Australian hiking, distinguish residents who bushwalk from visits recorded at a destination. A national participation survey and a park visitor estimate measure different parts of the story.

This hub uses the latest AusPlay release alongside original NSW visitor research and Tasmania's reference-site monitoring. It preserves age ranges, activity definitions, uncertainty guidance and reporting periods instead of treating every outdoor visit as a hike.

Headline figures

  • All adults reporting bushwalking: 17.2% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Women reporting bushwalking: 18.3% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Tasmania adults reporting bushwalking: 25.9% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • All adults reporting organised bushwalking: 2.2% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • All children reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.1% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • One to four hours walking on the latest NSW park visit: 69% of visitors who reported walking (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Multiple days walking on the latest NSW park visit: 1% of visitors who reported walking (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Interstate, at least one night: 28% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Net satisfied with the latest NSW park visit: 89% (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Blue Mountains NP: 7,828,608 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Three Capes Track: approximately 13,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Overland Track: approximately 11,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)

Who participates in bushwalking across Australia?

Bushwalking participation measures people, not visits to parks. The latest national release allows comparisons across demographic groups and every state and territory, provided the survey period remains attached.

How do national participation and age patterns compare?

  • Men reporting bushwalking: 16.0% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 15–17 reporting bushwalking: 12.3% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 18–24 reporting bushwalking: 17.6% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 25–34 reporting bushwalking: 20.0% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 35–44 reporting bushwalking: 20.2% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 45–54 reporting bushwalking: 19.6% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 55–64 reporting bushwalking: 20.1% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 65+ reporting bushwalking: 9.7% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)

AusPlay estimates participation during the preceding year within each demographic group. It does not count the number of hikes completed or establish whether the activity involved an overnight stay. The age percentages therefore describe participation rates, not the age composition of all bushwalkers. Small differences should not be treated as proven differences without a significance test.

What do the state and territory estimates show?

  • New South Wales adults reporting bushwalking: 17.7% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Victoria adults reporting bushwalking: 15.3% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Queensland adults reporting bushwalking: 17.5% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • South Australia adults reporting bushwalking: 15.0% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Western Australia adults reporting bushwalking: 17.7% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Northern Territory adults reporting bushwalking: 18.5% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Australian Capital Territory adults reporting bushwalking: 26.1% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)

The geography identifies where participants live, instead of where they walked. A resident can bushwalk outside their home jurisdiction, so these estimates are not destination market shares. Each percentage uses that jurisdiction's adult population as its denominator. They should not be added to create a national rate or used to rank trail quality.

How should the recent annual comparison be read?

  • All adults reporting bushwalking: 17.0% (July 2023–June 2024). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • All adults reporting bushwalking: 17.2% (July 2024–June 2025). (ASC, Oct 2026)

The workbook publishes successive financial-year participation estimates under the newer survey method. These observations are distinct annual periods instead of a single cumulative count of hikers. A participant can appear in more than one period, and changes in estimated population counts can differ from changes in participation rates. The estimates should not be spliced onto the older telephone-survey series as if the methods were unchanged. Nor does a small movement between annual percentages establish a statistically significant trend. The latest value appears in the takeaways, while the earlier observations below provide a comparison baseline. Taken together, the series describes reported participation, leaving trip frequency, spending and destination choices to separate questions.

How does organised bushwalking differ for adults and children?

Organised activity is a narrower measure than all bushwalking. The children's series is narrower still because it covers organised activity outside school hours, not every family walk.

Which adults report organised bushwalking?

  • Men reporting organised bushwalking: 2.0% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Women reporting organised bushwalking: 2.4% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 15–17 reporting organised bushwalking: 3.7% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 18–24 reporting organised bushwalking: 2.2% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 25–34 reporting organised bushwalking: 2.6% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 35–44 reporting organised bushwalking: 1.9% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 45–54 reporting organised bushwalking: 2.0% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 55–64 reporting organised bushwalking: 2.8% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 65+ reporting organised bushwalking: 1.6% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)

The denominator remains all adults within the relevant group. These figures are not the percentage of bushwalkers who joined an organised outing. Organised participation also should not be equated with membership of a bushwalking club, because the survey permits different kinds of providers. Age comparisons do not identify the type of organisation used.

What do children's demographic estimates cover?

  • Boys reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 0.9% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Girls reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.3% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 0–4 reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 0.9% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 5–8 reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.2% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 9–11 reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.1% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • Ages 12–14 reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.3% (July 2025–June 2026). (ASC, Oct 2026)

The child estimates cover organised bushwalking outside school hours. Informal family outings and school-time activities are outside this measure, so it cannot be a complete estimate of children's exposure to hiking. The percentages use the relevant child population group, both children who participate in organised sport. Parents or guardians provide the child activity information. These limits are particularly important for younger age groups, whose informal outdoor activity may be substantial but is not measured by this table.

How has the organised child series changed?

  • All children reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.7% (July 2023–June 2024). (ASC, Oct 2026)
  • All children reporting organised bushwalking outside school hours: 1.2% (July 2024–June 2025). (ASC, Oct 2026)

The earlier child estimates retain the same restricted activity scope. They describe whether children took part, not the number of sessions or the hours spent outdoors. A decline in this series would therefore not establish that family hiking or outdoor play declined. Differences across years may reflect sampling variation as well as underlying change, and the article does not assign a cause. The original workbook provides uncertainty guidance through relative margins of error. The selected observations are above its caution thresholds, but that does not make every year-to-year difference statistically significant. These historical points are best used as context for the latest estimate instead of as evidence of a precise annual change in demand.

What happens on a typical reported NSW park visit?

Walking duration and total park-stay duration answer different questions. The latest visitor research keeps them separate and measures satisfaction with the whole park experience, more than the walk.

How long do visitors who walk spend walking?

  • Less than one hour walking on the latest NSW park visit: 26% of visitors who reported walking (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Five to eight hours walking on the latest NSW park visit: 3% of visitors who reported walking (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)

The walking-duration question applies to people who reported walking during their most recent park visit. It does not describe all park visitors or the national hiking population. The source's categories are approximate duration bands, and a recall category remains outside the selected observations. Rounded percentages need not form an exact total. The survey changed its wider activity question to a prompted list, so historical activity percentages cannot be compared directly with the latest results. Walking duration provides a useful account of the scale of outings, but it cannot determine route distance, elevation gain or difficulty. A short walk can occur during a much longer park stay, while a multiday walk represents a different experience.

How do day and overnight stays differ by visitor origin?

  • Intrastate, day visit: 88% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Interstate, day visit: 69% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Intrastate, overnight: 3% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Interstate, overnight: 11% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Intrastate, multiple nights: 7% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Interstate, multiple nights: 17% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Intrastate, at least one night: 10% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Intrastate, cannot recall duration: 2% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Interstate, cannot recall duration: 2% of latest park visits in that origin group (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)

These percentages describe park-stay duration within each visitor-origin group. Net overnight categories overlap their components.

How satisfied are visitors with their most recent experience?

  • Very satisfied with the latest NSW park visit: 55% (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Satisfied with the latest NSW park visit: 34% (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Neutral with the latest NSW park visit: 7% (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Net dissatisfied with the latest NSW park visit: 4% (2024/25). (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)

Satisfaction concerns the overall experience in the most recently visited park. The net satisfied result combines the positive response categories, while net dissatisfied combines negative responses. These totals overlap their components and are not additional groups. The report warns that the move towards online collection can shift responses away from extremes and towards the middle of the scale. It also includes respondents unable to identify the specific park, whose satisfaction tends to be lower. The results should therefore describe the latest survey instead of support an unqualified historical comparison. They cannot isolate satisfaction with trail maintenance, accessibility or a particular walking route without more specific questions.

Which NSW parks receive the most domestic visits?

Park visitation gives destination scale without revealing how many visitors hike. Repeated visits and non-walking activities remain part of the estimates, and the published administrative categories should stay intact.

What do the largest reported park estimates show?

  • Royal NP: 4,907,255 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Ku-ring-gai Chase NP: 4,302,126 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Lane Cove NP: 2,399,260 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Kosciuszko NP: 2,355,402 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Sydney Harbour NP: 2,208,696 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Brisbane Water NP: 2,068,192 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Morton NP: 1,889,384 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Bouddi NP: 1,573,516 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Glenrock SCA: 1,564,384 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)

These are domestic visits, not unique hikers. Repeat visits and non-walking activities contribute to each destination's estimate. The revised collection method limits historical comparisons, while annual totals cannot establish crowding at a particular trailhead or season.

What do the remaining leading destinations contribute?

  • Tomaree NP: 1,442,481 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Kamay Botany Bay NP: 1,405,052 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Garigal NP: 1,388,905 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Eurobodalla NP: 1,305,299 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Berowra Valley NP: 1,184,377 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Worimi Conservation Lands: 1,164,024 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Illawarra Escarpment SCA: 1,112,495 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Coffs Coast RP: 1,040,218 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Cape Byron SCA: 997,706 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)
  • Georges River NP: 963,684 estimated domestic visits in 2024/25. (NSW NPWS, Feb 2026)

These destinations retain their official administrative categories. Counts include activities beyond hiking and repeated visits. Lower totals do not establish spare trail capacity, and the selected NSW destinations cannot represent all Australian park use.

How busy are Tasmania's walking tracks and reference sites?

Tasmania's monitoring distinguishes named walks from wider park destinations. Its estimates are rounded, and some historical data have been withdrawn, so apparent precision would misrepresent the source.

What does the Three Capes Track series show?

  • Three Capes Track: approximately 9,000 visits in 2020/21. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Three Capes Track: approximately 10,000 visits in 2021/22. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Three Capes Track: approximately 15,000 visits in 2022/23. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Three Capes Track: approximately 14,000 visits in 2023/24. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Three Capes Track: approximately 13,000 visits in 2024/25. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)

The reference-site series reports estimated visits to the named track. Values are rounded to the nearest thousand, which can conceal a change between years that display the same rounded total. The report calculates its own percentage changes using unrounded values; this article does not reconstruct those changes from rounded counts. These are track-use estimates instead of a national participation rate or a count of every person who has ever completed the walk. They also do not show the distribution of use across the season, the number of available booking places or the experience of individual walkers. The latest observation is showed above, with earlier financial years retained below.

What does the Overland Track series show?

  • Overland Track: approximately 8,000 visits in 2020/21. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Overland Track: approximately 10,000 visits in 2021/22. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Overland Track: approximately 11,000 visits in 2022/23. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Overland Track: approximately 11,000 visits in 2023/24. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Overland Track: approximately 11,000 visits in 2024/25. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)

The Overland Track observations use the same rounded visit unit as the other named walk. Repeated identical displayed totals should not be read as evidence that use was exactly unchanged. The source can report growth from its underlying estimates even where the rounded annual numbers match. The series does not identify the number of nights spent on the track, optional side trips or the residence of walkers. Nor should it be combined with the national survey to estimate a proportion of all Australian bushwalkers who completed this route. The monitoring and survey measures answer different questions, with different coverage and counting units.

What do the wider Tasmanian reference sites measure?

  • Freycinet: approximately 291,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Cradle Mountain, Dove Lake: approximately 275,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Mount Field: approximately 169,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Tasmans Arch: approximately 128,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Lake St Clair, Cynthia Bay: approximately 86,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Maria Island: approximately 88,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs: approximately 54,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Narawntapu western entrance: approximately 62,000 entries in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Tamar Island Wetlands: approximately 57,000 entries in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)
  • Mole Creek Karst caves: approximately 47,000 visits in 2025/26. (Tasmania PWS, Sep 2026)

These destinations measure broader visits or entries, not hiking-only activity. Historical Mount Field estimates were withdrawn after a data error, so only its latest value is used. Tasmans Arch was closed for construction during part of the reporting year. Those qualifications belong beside any comparison of destination use.

Glossary

Methodology and sources

Every figure on this page comes from the organisation that produced it: regulators, statistics offices, public bodies, research institutes, and companies reporting their own data or surveys. Each one links to the original report or dataset and carries its release date. Survey results keep their population and fieldwork period, and financial figures keep the measure the producer used. Figures from different producers are not added together or ranked against each other. The page is reviewed monthly and updated when a producer releases newer data.