• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 25, 2023

REI Co-op, the specialty outdoor retailer, is always looking for new ways to push Americans out of the house and onto the trail. Its two latest moves are a major expansion of travel offers and a public-health initiative to increase access to green space.

The company already offers equipment rentals, day trips and longer adventures. Now it’s offering three different excursions to the Canadian Rockies and new destinations in the U.S. It is doubling the number of paddling operations and expanding day tours in the Bay area, all part of a plan to reach an additional three million people annually.

“We are growing REI Experiences to enable everyone to connect with the best version of themselves through nature,” says Mark Seidl, divisional vice president of REI Experiences, in the release. “Whether someone joins us for an afternoon paddle in a metro area or on a backcountry camping trip under the stars, the benefits of time outside are undeniable. The best part is that we take care of all the details.”

The Canadian trips include hiking, cycling and snowshoeing, with bucket-list destinations like Lake Louise, Banff and Jasper, rafting on the Kicking Horse River and traveling through the Icefields Parkway.

In the U.S., REI added 30 getaways, including backpacking in Tennessee, canoeing in Minnesota, rafting in West Virginia and snowshoeing in California.

The company is also doubling the size of its Bryce National Park offers in Utah, its most popular destination, and adding biking tours in Alaska’s Denali.

And it's beefing up urban adventures, including kayak rentals in Chicago’s historic Chinatown and paddleboarding on Washington D.C.’s Potomac.

The company’s new “Outside in 5” community initiative wants to make sure even more people can enjoy time out of doors.

The effort supports local projects and will push national legislation to get those 100 million people outside in five minutes or less. REI is kicking in $5 from every co-op membership, priced at $30 for a lifetime, toward the REI Cooperative Action Fund.

Noting that a third of Americans don’t have a park or recreational space within a 10-minute walk, the company is committed to addressing systemic disparities in outdoor access.

“This problem did not just happen,” says Eric Artz, REI’s chief executive officer, in its announcement. “It is the result of decades of planning decisions that oftentimes served to further isolate and marginalize underrepresented communities.”

The company kicked off the effort in Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C.

This fall, REI plans to announce more than 250 new local nonprofits to help advance Outside in 5. It is asking its 23 million members to help pass the Outdoors for All Act, which would secure funding for green spaces in underserved communities.