The EXPLORE Act and Unlocking Access for Guides and Outfitters
The EXPLORE Act and Unlocking Access for Guides and Outfitters: How Origin and the AMGA Are Working to Simplify Permitting & Reporting to Empower Outdoor Guide Businesses.
By AMGA + Origin
The American outdoor recreation economy is thriving. From climbing to mountaineering, backcountry skiing to canyoneering, professional guides are leading life-changing experiences in some of the country’s most extraordinary public lands. But for too long, outdated and inconsistent permitting systems have created unnecessary barriers—slowing down small businesses, limiting access, and keeping aspiring guides and outfitters from growing.
That’s why the EXPLORE Act is so important.
What is the EXPLORE Act?
The EXPLORE Act (Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences), which was signed into law in January 2025, is a bipartisan effort to modernize and streamline the permitting process across federal lands. It represents one of the most significant pieces of outdoor recreation policy in recent memory and includes provisions to:
- Simplify and expedite special recreation permits
- Allow permit holders to operate on multiple federal lands with a single permit
- Enable permit flexibility (like adding new activities without additional red tape)
- Reduce costs and administrative burdens for small guide services
The Act signals what many of us in the outdoor industry already know: access matters—not just for recreation, but for rural economies, small businesses, and the communities built around adventure.
Why Permitting Reform Matters to Guides and Outfitters
Guides and outfitters aren’t just leading trips. They’re creating jobs, teaching environmental stewardship, and making outdoor spaces more inclusive and accessible. But they often spend weeks—or even months—navigating agency websites, waiting on approvals, and juggling fragmented processes across the Forest Service, BLM, NPS, and others.
While legislation like the EXPLORE Act offers hope, meaningful change takes time.
And in the meantime, outfitters need better tools.
Origin: Building the Software Solution to help streamline permits and use reporting
At Origin, we work with thousands of guides, outfitters, and lodges across all 50 states and many overseas. From Day 1, we’ve heard the same story: the permitting process is painful.
So we built something better.
Our platform helps outdoor businesses:
- Track and manage permit usage in real time
- Automate compliance reporting
- Centralize trip data, guide rosters, and operating plans
- Automated post-trip reports with customized data
- Keep everything organized—so you spend less time with spreadsheets and more time outside
In a world where policy change moves slowly, Origin is delivering the tools operators need today.
The AMGA + Origin Partnership: A Shared Mission to Empower Guides
At the heart of everything we do—whether it’s pushing for federal policy change or building purpose-built technology—is a deep commitment to empowering guides.
Guides aren’t just leaders in the field. They are educators, stewards, and entrepreneurs. They introduce thousands of people to the outdoors every year, while managing risk, logistics, and the complexity of working on public lands.
But too often, red tape gets in the way of doing what they do best.
That’s why the EXPLORE Act is so important—it’s designed to make it easier for guides to operate across multiple jurisdictions, reduce administrative burdens, and gain new access to areas. It’s a step toward removing the systemic barriers that have long held back guiding businesses.
AMGA has been at the forefront of this effort—working tirelessly to ensure the voices of guides are heard in Washington and that permitting reform reflects the realities of the profession.
Origin, meanwhile, is focused on enabling guides and outfitters with the tools they need now. Our platform simplifies permit tracking, automates reporting, and takes the stress out of operations—so guides can focus on delivering unforgettable experiences.
Together, AMGA and Origin are working to unlock opportunity, improve access, and build a future where guiding is a more sustainable, professional, and accessible career.
