Rail Explorers Hit 650K Riders. The $1.2T Outdoor Boom Has Room for More.

On a Saturday morning in Washington state, a line that freight companies gave up on decades ago is packed again.

Not with locomotives. With families.

Grandparents in fleece vests. Kids in Spider-Man hoodies. Couples clipped into four-seat railbikes, pedaling through mossy forest, over creeks, past old logging trestles that used to carry timber out and never bring tourists in.

They paid $42 per head for the privilege. They booked weeks in advance. And they'll spend more money at the bakery and brewery in town after they roll back into the depot.

This same behavior is happening in Colorado, Rhode Island, Kentucky, North Carolina, Maine, and pockets of the Pacific Northwest. Operators are quietly turning disused or low-traffic rail corridors into 2-hour, Instagram-friendly adventure rides at $40–$50 per person. Rail Explorers now operates across six states with electric-assist bikes and has hosted more than 650,000 riders since 2015. Revolution Rail Co. has welcomed over 400,000 riders since 2017 and just acquired 29.6 miles of track along the Boreas River in New York for a planned 20-mile expedition route.

This is a validated behavior at scale.

Think this today: "I should open one of these by a scenic town and make $100K a season."

Then scale like a real heister: Lock up the best lines near big metros and build the Topgolf of abandoned railroads.

The Macro Backdrop: Why This Works Now

Three forces are converging to make this opportunity unusually timely.

1. Outdoor Recreation Is at Record Levels

The Bureau of Economic Analysis's Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account puts the sector at $1.2 trillion in economic output in 2023, accounting for 2.3% of GDP and supporting 5 million jobs. Real outdoor recreation GDP grew 3.6% that year, outpacing the broader economy's 2.9%.

The Outdoor Industry Association's 2025 report confirms the trend on the participation side: 181.1 million Americans—nearly 60% of everyone aged six and older—participated in outdoor recreation in 2024. That's a record high and the tenth consecutive year of growth.

What's driving this? "Gateway activities" like hiking, biking, camping, and fishing are leading. Growth is strongest at the edges—seniors and kids. Multigenerational outings are now standard. Core participants (the most frequent adventurers) jumped 5.7% in 2024, reversing years of decline.

Railbikes fit this profile perfectly: accessible to all fitness levels, family-friendly, scenic, and novel enough to be photo-worthy. You don't need prior skill. You don't need special gear. You just pedal.

2. Abandoned Rail Infrastructure Is Everywhere

At peak in the 1910s, the U.S. had over 254,000 miles of rail track. Today that figure sits around 140,000 miles. Between 1950 and 2000 alone, 79,300 road-miles were abandoned. The period from 1975 to 1990 was particularly brutal—65,000 miles went out of service in just 15 years.

Rails to Trails Conservancy counts more than 2,400 rail-trails and 41,400+ miles of multiuse trails nationwide, with thousands of miles of potential rail-trails ready to be built. These corridors are preserved, mapped, and increasingly recognized as community assets.

The rails-to-trails movement has spent decades teaching Americans that "old tracks + recreation" is normal and desirable. You're not pushing against culture. You're drafting behind it.

3. Adventure Tourism Is Exploding

The global adventure tourism market hit approximately $400–800 billion in 2024 (estimates vary by methodology) and is projected to reach $1–1.8 trillion by the early 2030s, depending on the source. Growth rates cluster between 8–16% CAGR.

More relevant for railbikes: "soft adventure" activities—hiking, camping, kayaking, wildlife experiences—represent 61–65% of the adventure tourism market. Soft adventure is defined by lower risk, minimal physical intensity, and accessibility to families, older travelers, and first-timers. Railbikes check every box.

Proof of Concept: What Operators Are Already Doing

This isn't speculative. Multiple operators are running profitable railbike businesses right now.

Revolution Rail Co. launched in 2017 with six railbikes built in a Vermont garage. The founder, Robert Harte, expected a small summer gig. Then a Facebook video went viral—millions of views in two weeks. The phone wouldn't stop.

Today Revolution Rail operates locations in New York (three Adirondack stations), New Jersey (Cape May), Maine (Kennebunkport), and Colorado (South Fork). They've hosted 400,000+ riders. They've earned Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Award for seven consecutive years, placing them in the top 10% of attractions worldwide. Most locations now accommodate 16 railbikes each, supporting up to 40 passengers per departure.

In 2024, Revolution Rail acquired 29.6 miles of track along the Boreas River from the Open Space Institute for $2.7 million. The plan for 2025: a four-hour, 20-mile expedition that crosses the iconic trestle bridge at the confluence of the Hudson and Boreas Rivers and follows Class IV whitewater rapids known as "The Straits."

Rail Explorers operates across six locations: Rhode Island, New York (Catskills), Iowa, Kentucky, California (Gold Country), and West Virginia. They've developed the "REX Propulsion System"—a custom electric-assist motor that makes rides nearly effortless, even on inclines. Their typical pricing: $99 for tandems, $185 for quad bikes. Tours range from 6–12 miles and last 1.5–2.5 hours. Since 2015, they've hosted more than 650,000 riders across their network.

When Rail Explorers opened its Elk River division in West Virginia on June 8, 2024, they were booked solid for the first two and a half weeks within days of launch.

Other operators include:

Colorado Railbike Adventures (Erie, CO): $160 per quad for 8-mile rides, themed experiences like fireworks and haunted tours
Andrews Valley Rail Tours (Andrews, NC): 9-mile, 2-hour rides through Blue Ridge Mountains to a hand-carved tunnel, $42-50 per adult
American Rail Bike Adventures (Pennsylvania/Nevada): 7-8 mile routes through tunnels, farmland, and forests, $80-170
Tracks and Yaks (Maryland): Multiple locations, $99-299 per bike

The pattern is consistent: scenic corridor + electric-assist bikes + premium but accessible pricing + themed experiences = booked-out capacity.

The Math: Single-Site Economics

Let's model a conservative single location:

Assumptions:

16 railbikes (mix of quads and tandems)
Average 18 riders per departure (accounting for some empty seats)
2 departures per day
110 strong-season days (late May through mid-October)
$42 average revenue per head (blended across ticket types and promotions)

Gross seasonal ticket revenue:
18 riders × 2 departures × 110 days × $42 = $166,320

Add themed rides (sunset tours, haunted rides, holiday lights) at $20-40 per head uplift, basic upsells (photos, snacks, merch), and midweek locals discounts to smooth utilization—you're comfortably in $200K–$300K gross revenue per season for a well-run single site.

Operators in prime locations near Denver, Seattle, or major tourist corridors push higher with more departures, longer seasons, and premium bundled experiences (railbike + rafting, railbike + brewery, railbike + scenic train).

Startup costs (lean single site):

8–10 railbikes (purchased or financed): $50K–$80K
Depot setup (check-in, storage, portable restrooms): $20K–$50K
Insurance, permits, safety equipment, legal: $25K–$50K
Brand, website, booking stack: $5K–$15K
Total: $100K–$195K to launch

With seasonal revenue potential of $200K+ and relatively low operating costs (2–3 guides per departure, part-time check-in staff, maintenance), the unit economics work at a single-site level. Revolution Rail started with $10K in railbikes and scaled from there.

The hidden costs: Corridor prep and access fees can rival or exceed equipment spend. Revolution Rail reportedly paid $100,000 per year to lease 40 miles of track from Warren County under a five-year licensing agreement, and spent $20,000–$25,000 just to clear 6.5 additional miles of an existing line. Flood damage, washouts, and ongoing maintenance add up fast on longer routes.