Walden

A New Way Emerges

Get a bird’s-eye view of the potential for a piece of land before the costs start adding up

The Land Opportunity Test is a research report that gives you a structured, data-driven way to evaluate whether a piece of land is worth pursuing for outdoor hospitality development. It’s a low-cost way to validate your path forward before spending on concepts which might not be right for the site, market, or competitive landscape.

See a single score to help you evaluate the opportunity for this land

The LOT Score is an overall score for your site’s potential. Our data and industry expertise show what makes outdoor hospitality destinations successful operationally and commercially.

Get a ranked list of the top hospitality concepts for this site

See a ranked list of the outdoor hospitality concepts which will work best on this site, and get a clear look at the scale and amenities required based on guest expectations, regional dynamics, and operational feasibility.

See it from all sides

Assess your opportunity using the six essential lenses of growth

Get a look at your site’s potential from the six most important perspectives. More than 10 indicators for each lens are measured, scored, weighted, and rolled up to inform your overall opportunity score and concept recommendations.

Site Conditions

Understanding physical and environmental factors that affect buildability and guest experience

Regional Access

Outdoor Tourism

Recreation

Hospitality Ecosystem

Competitive Landscape

Operator expertise meets data and tech

A data-led approach to your bespoke research

Get a look at your site’s potential from the six most important perspectives. More than 10 indicators for each lens are measured, scored, weighted, and rolled up to inform your overall opportunity score and concept recommendations.

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Public Ingestion

We continuously ingest data from a broad set of public and third-party sources.

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Proprietary Collection

We collect proprietary research of curated indicators, mapping overlays, and behavioral benchmarks.

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Primary Research

We augment that with hand-collected primary research, including location-specific checks as needed

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Indicators

We calculate 120+ outdoor hospitality indicators specifically for your site

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Scoring Algorithms

We develop and run scoring algorithms with decades of industry operator experience baked in

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Reporting

We produce your report with simple scores and clear recommendations so you can evaluate and proceed

We’re building for you what we wish we had as developers and operators

"I wish this product existed when we were evaluating acquisitions or greenfield development sites at KOA and Terramor. It would have saved our acquisition team so much time and made us all more confident in our decisions. That’s why we’re building it now at Walden."

Whitney Scott

Co-Founder of Walden, Former CMO of KOA

Frequently asked questions

This quick, cost-effective land evaluation tool is designed to assess property potential for outdoor hospitality use cases such as campgrounds, glamping resorts, RV parks, and mixed-use sites. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, the analysis considers a range of market entry paths, from high-end accommodation-only resorts to low-amenity roadside models. It combines data on location, access, competition, land characteristics, and zoning to determine what type of development fits best. Whether you're an investor, landowner, or operator, this report provides actionable insights to help you align your land with the right product, market demand, and competitive landscape, so you can move from idea to execution with confidence.

Traditional feasibility studies typically assess whether a specific, pre-selected use—like a campground, RV park, or resort—is viable on a given piece of land. In contrast, the Land Opportunity Test (LOT) is a broader, early-stage decision-making tool designed specifically for outdoor hospitality. Rather than validating a single concept, the LOT evaluates the land's potential across multiple possible outdoor-focused uses by scoring it through six critical lenses: site conditions, regional access, outdoor tourism demand, recreation potential, hospitality alignment, and the competitive landscape. The LOT is intended to be used before purchase or major investment, especially when comparing multiple sites or evaluating which operational model fits best. It's not a replacement for a feasibility study—it's a different tool for a different stage, helping landowners, developers, and investors identify the most promising opportunities before narrowing in on a single path.

That's perfectly fine. The Land Opportunity Test (LOT) is especially helpful for existing business owners who are considering adding an outdoor hospitality component—such as glamping units, RV stays, or short-term accommodations—to their current operations. Instead of making assumptions, the LOT provides a clear, data-informed view of how well your land supports outdoor hospitality and what type of offering fits best. It helps determine whether the opportunity complements your existing business model, meets current market demand, or reveals a better-fit use case that can unlock new revenue and guest engagement.

Put Walden to work

The Land Opportunity Test

You have a greenfield site and multiple development options. Which path should you take?