Ditto. This subject has bothered me for years. Whether you're in the Sierra, on the AT, or standing at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, the people around you are overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, white (and if you're at one of the major national parks, the chances are you're hearing other languages spoken around you as often as English, which I think speaks to a broader problem of appreciation for the natural wonders by Americans in general).
For years I've attempted to interest non-white friends and colleagues in hiking, backpacking and climbing, with very little success. The reasons vary, but the most common honest answer I hear from members of minority groups is that they just have no interest in being isolated in a wilderness that they're quite conscious of being populated by almost only whites. Is this concern justified in 2014? Probably not in most places, but perception is reality. And this is a perception that is distressingly difficult to shake.
Sure, socio-economics plays a part, as does the generational legacy of spending time in The Great Outdoors, which is most often viewed as a "white family thing." I don't necessarily agree, however, that there is just no interest by minorities in the outdoors or hiking as a recreational activity. My local mountain training ground is Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, about fifteen minutes from my home. I've hiked the mountain trails there weekly for a number of years, and I see
many blacks and Hispanics - the two groups mentioned most often in articles on this subject as disinterested in the outdoors - on the rugged, gnarly, steep trails in this park. Like me, many are there for a workout, but they also seem to be enjoying this protected slice of the wilderness set smack in the middle of a major metro area of six million. After all, they could get a very similar workout walking up the smooth, paved road to Kennesaw's summit, which many do. It's not at all unusual to see just as many minorities as whites huffing up the mountain trails in this park, quite often as families with their kids. Visit one of the metro area climbing gyms and, though less pronounced, there is a noticeable mix of people on the walls - particularly kids and young adults.
And that seems to be the key - location and proximity to what is perceived to be safe or comfortable. Come off a three-mile trail to the KMNBP Visitor Center and you're right back in the ATL, with all its immense diversity. Drive north a couple of hours however, to the more isolated - and perceptually much whiter - Blue Ridge mountains, and the number of visible minorities on any trail (or lake, or park, or festival) plummets drastically.
It's a complex dilemma with several crux issues, not the least of which are cultural dissonance and racial distrust, and any ground gained will likely be slow. A site mentioned prominently in one of the linked articles -
Stuff White People Like - is both hilarious and telling. It's definitely worth reviewing.
