In recent years, recreation impacts linked to in‐migrating workforces have become a focus of controversy over energy facility siting, particularly in areas proximate to National Parks and Wilderness areas. However, after over a decade of research focused on effects of energy resource development in the western U.S., major questions remain about the nature and extent of impacts on recreation. In this article we review major issues and controversies related to workforce effects on recreation resources, and discuss ways in which the absence of appropriate research has contributed to these controversies. In addition, drawing on data collected in Wyoming and Utah, we present an analysis of recreation preferences and participation patterns among energy industry construction employees. The analysis indicates that recreation impacts may differ substantially from what previous assertions and conventional wisdom have suggested.