Best area of USA for outdoor activities

Options
13

Replies

  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Options
    yeah but Seattle if full of drum circles and hippies, and it rains 366 days a year there. It is not so fun to play outside when you have to take noah's ark to get to the mountains

    Ahahaha I love the rain myths about this place. We do have a lot of hippies though. But it keeps the crazy conservatives away, which I'm ok with.
  • Learning2LuvLindsay
    Learning2LuvLindsay Posts: 1,142 Member
    Options
    Another Denver vote!
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    Options
    Ahahaha I love the rain myths about this place.

    Really? I've had people from Seattle tell me it's not a myth, that it really does rain as often as people say it does...
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Options
    SAN DIEGO. No place better on earth. I love it here.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Options
    Ahahaha I love the rain myths about this place.

    Really? I've had people from Seattle tell me it's not a myth, that it really does rain as often as people say it does...

    It's how we keep the population from going SoCal on us.
  • momma_roo
    momma_roo Posts: 146 Member
    Options
    North Carolina, Asheville area!! Beautiful and diverse. Even Charlotte isn't far from mountains or the beaches!

    I live in Hendersonville, NC and love it here. It is a quick drive to Dupont State Forrest or Pisgah National Forrest and close enough to Asheville, Greenville or Charlotte. It snows in the winter and gets hot in the summer, but it is very mild compared to most places.
  • farmgirlsuz
    farmgirlsuz Posts: 351 Member
    Options
    That is easy - Denver, CO

    Another Denver vote! Or the west side of the metro area is even better. We don't even have to drive to get to hiking / mountain biking trails.

    I third this! It doesn't get any better than the Denver area. Biking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, camping, rafting, kayaking, not to mention the fantastic metropolitan area. We have 4 seasons with milder winters than most people think.

    Forgot to mention the nearby Jeep trails and it's only 6 hours from Moab which is world famous for four wheeling.

    We actually vacationed there (Silverton/Dillon and then on to Moab) a month ago. Some of those Jeep trails are INSANE! The b/f is voting for Denver, but I really like the Pacific NW (Seattle actually) so I just wanted to see what other people thought and maybe learn about some new places that we hadn't even considered yet.
  • mjdaniels1
    mjdaniels1 Posts: 12
    Options
    I am going with South Texas. There is so much to do. I can holiday in my own state. Beaches 12 monthes a year. BTW. I do not like cold weather. My own opinion. Just spent 4 years in Germany. I adore Deutchland. :flowerforyou:
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    Options
    Miami doesn't meet all your requirements, but we certainly can be outside everyday and very active. No season changes though. But i love walking and running on the beach!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Options
    I would just like to add that it's October and snowing right now in Denver. Yuck :flowerforyou:
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Options
    I would just like to add that it's October and snowing right now in Denver. Yuck :flowerforyou:

    It's October and sunny and 70 degrees here in San Diego :laugh:
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Options
    I would just like to add that it's October and snowing right now in Denver. Yuck :flowerforyou:
    It's October and sunny and 70 degrees here in San Diego laugh

    It's 51 here (Olympic Peninsula, but close enough to Seattle) and the leaves are all turning orange and red. :drinker:

    San Diego is pretty awesome, but changes of seasons... not so much.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Options
    I am going with South Texas. There is so much to do. I can holiday in my own state. Beaches 12 monthes a year. BTW. I do not like cold weather. My own opinion. Just spent 4 years in Germany. I adore Deutchland. :flowerforyou:

    My vote would go for Deutschland as well, but since it is limited to USA, well, don't bother with Mississippi unless you head to the coastal regions or at least south of Jackson and stay east of Oxford. Northwest corner, you just as well paint a target on your back.
  • kyylieeeeee
    kyylieeeeee Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    I'm going to cast my vote for the Hudson River Valley in downstate NY! Here's why:

    1-- Easy easy easy access to NYC: bucolic and populated at the same time
    2-- Catskill mountains, Shawangunk mountains
    3-- The Adirondacks are only 2 hours from Albany, and there are fantastic peaks to climb. The 46 High Peaks club is a great goal!
    4-- The Hudson River itself. There's great kayaking along the entire length of the river.
    5-- Really solid seasons: very definite spring, summer, autumn, and winter
    6-- Day trips to the Atlantic Ocean beaches are easy
    7-- Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are less than 5 hours away by car, no matter where you're comign from in the Hudson Valley
    8-- There are tons of AWESOME local wineries and microbreweries
    9-- Thousands of beautiful lakes (especially in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes) to use during the summer, and hundreds of ski mountains to use in the winter.
    10-- Great places for offroading. And I know this for a fact because me, my sister, and cousin all have lifted Jeeps :D
    11-- You mentioned retirement, so this is a great place to be for medical access since there are specialists for just about every condition imaginable in NYC

    There are tons of other reasons that this area rocks, of course. I grew up here, still live here, and never plan on leaving the greater NYC area. I spend most of my free time outside. I hike (lots and lots and lots of hiking), trail run (lots of that too), go boating often, fish, camp, etc. But I also love how beautiful it is here, and my favorite part of all of it is that I can hop in the car and within an hour either be hiking in the Shawangunks or walking around Manhattan!

    Good luck on your search for a lovely place to live!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Options
    I would just like to add that it's October and snowing right now in Denver. Yuck :flowerforyou:

    That just means we get to go snowboarding soon. Snowboarding IS an outdoor activity. Or there's cross country skiing, snow shoeing and/or sledding.
  • micklepickle61
    micklepickle61 Posts: 73
    Options
    Chattanooga, TN was just ranked as the best place to live by Outdoor magazine.
    Road biking
    Mountain biking
    running
    Trail running
    Kayaking
    White water rafting
    Rock Climbing
    Hiking
    Backpacking
    Beautiful city close to plenty of wilderness areas
    vibrant downtown area
    *Sigh* I love it here.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    Options
    west seattle, wa area, or any of western washington really.

    Yeah West Seattle! :flowerforyou:
    i lived in west seattle for a few years and loved it. was "small town" enough for me, but still close to the city and there was always something to do. i miss it, but we just bought a house in monroe.
    and really as far as rainfall goes, NYC gets more inches per year than seattle ;) Seattle ranks only about 40th out of the 60 largest cities in annual rainfall.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Options
    White Mountains of Northern New Hampshire!

    Tons of hiking, boating, fishing, even things for kids to do! I HIGHLY recommend the Kancamagus Highway - the only costs are the cost of gas prior to getting on it... and then happy walking and enjoying our lovely scenery!
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    Options
    Pittsburgh... I think it has you covered lol I have examples after you requirements. :) I like

    1. Not too rural. I grew up on a farm but I need the excitement that a metropolitan area can provide. -- Lots to do here. Everything is close by. It is urban, rural is just outside the city.
    2. Must have tons of outdoor activities available such as walking, jogging, biking, hiking trails, water for kayaking, canoeing, boating, swimming. -- Several large parks with trails and hiking. Also Steel Valley Trail that runs along the rivers in Pittsburgh. It connects to trail from DC. We have 3 rivers so kayaking and canoeing is very easy to do here. Along with boating as well. Lots of swimming pools in the area, too.
    3. No dramatic climates! I do enjoy the change of seasons and some snow once in a while but the 20 below temperatures for weeks at a time in Iowa are getting a little tiresome! Also, I don't really enjoy 100 plus temperatures with 70% humidity either!
    -- Weather is pretty nice most of the time. It can get a tad humid but only clips at a time.
    4. MUST be scenic! - http://www.scenicpittsburgh.org/
    5. The b/f requests that there be some area for Jeeping within driving distance too. I guess I have to let him has his fun too. - My brother does this, just outside of city, lots of stuff like that to do.

    I love where I live.... everything is close by. I live right near a park...so easy to just run to the park, go on the trails and run back. I bike around the city, too. We are pretty bike friendly.
  • Just_Dot
    Just_Dot Posts: 2,289 Member
    Options
    I would just like to add that it's October and snowing right now in Denver. Yuck :flowerforyou:

    Not to mention it didn't snow everywhere...my parents live 35 miles nw of me and didn't get any snow and the snow we did get is already gone.

    We get over 300 days of sunshine a year!

Categories