Protected areas are vital for biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services, including recreation and tourism. However, while on-site ecological impacts are well-documented, the land-use footprint of protected area recreation extends well beyond protected boundaries. This paper conceptualizes the extended land-use footprint, defined as the total area of land both directly and indirectly required to sustain recreational activities linked to protected areas. It encompasses off-site impacts arising throughout the visitor journey and associated supply chains, including transportation infrastructure and energy use, accommodation and ancillary services, food production, equipment manufacturing, and waste management. Collectively, these processes contribute to land-use change, habitat fragmentation, and resource depletion at multiple spatial scales, from local to global. Methodologically, the study applies a multi-scalar analytical framework that integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Input-Output Analysis (IOA), and spatially explicit modelling to capture both proximate and distant effects. This synthesis demonstrates that existing management paradigms often neglect these externalized costs, thereby underestimating the full ecological burden of recreation. The paper advances a conceptual and methodological foundation for assessing and mitigating these off-site impacts, emphasizing the importance of data integration, standardized indicators, and cross-sectoral policy coherence.