National Outdoor
Recreation Conference

Dates: May 11-14, 2026

Location: Duluth, Minnesota

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Countdown finished!

Registration will open mid-January for SORP members

Quick links

Hotel + Transportation

Harbor Side Convention Center

350 Harbor Dr,
Duluth, MN 55802

About the Conference

The National Outdoor Recreation Conference (NORC) is the premier conference for outdoor recreation professionals, offering opportunities for learning, networking, and field-based case studies. During each conference, we create a program that inspires, challenges, and empowers the broad community of outdoor recreation professionals.


NORC brings together over 400 people that include recreation resource planners, land managers, policy makers, tourism and destination stewardship partners, researchers, consultants, innovators, and leaders in outdoor recreation.


The 2026 conference will take place in Duluth, MN in partnership with Duluth Area Outdoors Alliance. The engaging program will include 4 days of classroom and field workshops, concurrent sessions, and a stellar lineup of keynotes. The 2026 program theme is Outdoor Recreation Pathways to Restoration and Revitalization. Our program is designed to inspire, challenge, and empower the broad community of outdoor recreation leaders and practitioners.


Conference registration opens in early 2026. 


Questions?

Candace Gallagher, Conference Coordinator
candace@americantrails.org
(530) 645-3096

NORC STATS

400+

Join 400+ professionals including planners, land managers, policy makers, and leaders and connect with peers through networking and social events.

30+

Explore 30+ classroom and field sessions over four full days, learning from 75+ speakers through engaging, hands-on workshops.

40+

Join 40+ exhibitors and showcase your organization while connecting with attendees through three days of impactful engagement.

Registration Rates

Registration (for SORP members only) to open the week of January 20 (subject to change). Registration for nonmembers will open March 1, 2026. You can join SORP as a member for early access!


A full registration, over the course of 3.5 days, includes all sessions, lunch on 3 days (Tuesday to Thursday), option of one offsite Wednesday workshop (transportation included), refreshments throughout the day, and evening social events including the poster reception, scholarship fundraiser, and silent auction (light apps and cash bar), and offsite network event at the Great Lakes Aquarium (light apps and cash bar).

Full Registration

Early Member

$575

1/20/26 - 2/28/25

Regular Member

$675

3/1/26 - 5/8/26

Regular NonMember

$775

3/1/26-5/8/26

Student

$275

3/1/26 - 5/8/26

Single Day Registration (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur options)*

Regular Single Day (Member/Nonmember

$375

3/1/26 - 5/8/26

Sponsorship

Your brand will be seen by thousands of agency, business, academic, and nonprofit outdoor recreation leaders from across the US and Canada through social media and direct email. Onsite, you will have access to 400+ attendees, 75+ speakers, and multiple outreach channels. Help us build better ways to work together by attending, sponsoring, and developing a conference providing premier learning and networking opportunities for all within the outdoor recreation field.   View the Sponsorship Packet to learn more about the different levels and benefits. Register as a sponsor today!

Agenda

Schedule subject to change. A detailed list of sessions is expected to be available in February 2026.

Monday, May 11

Pre-conference workshops and training (morning and early afternoon)

Exhibit hall opens (afternoon)

Scholarship recipient lunch

Welcome general session (afternoon)

Poster reception and silent auction (light apps and cash bar)

Tuesday, May 12

Concurrent sessions (all day)

Exhibit hall open (all day)

Awards luncheon

Evening offsite networking event at Great Lake Aquarium,  hosted by Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance (light apps and cash bar)


Wednesday, May 13

Field workshops (lunch and choice of one workshop included.

Friday, May 14

Concurrent sessions (all day)

Exhibit hall open (morning and early afternoon)

Closing keynote lunch

Takeover Night/Closing Social at local brewery Canal Park Brewing Company (dinner and drinks on own)

What People Say About Our Conference

Education Scholarship

"NORC provides such an amazing opportunity to engage with others in the industry, learn, and not be siloed into our regions."

Kenzie Brunner (NORC 2024 Attendee)

Education Scholarship

"Amazing conference with huge networking and connectivity opportunities"

NORC 2024 Attendee

"NORC provides such an amazing opportunity to engage with others in the industry, learn, and not be siloed into our regions."

Kenzie Brunner (NORC 2024 Attendee)

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

GOOSEBERRY FALLS ($5,000)

KITCHI GAMMI ($2,500) 

AGWAJIING ($1,250 | Nonprofits)

FRIEND ($500)

Previous Conferences

2022 NORC

Recap from our conference in Knoxville, TN!

2024 NORC

Recap from our conference in South Lake Tahoe, Stateline, NV!

Contact

Please reach out to Candace Gallagher for questions about our conference.