If you’re wondering where the best place to live is for outdoor activities, your research may take a while. Outdoorsy activities range from laid-back cycling to more extreme mountaineering, and everyone’s wishes are different. That’s why we’ve made a list of the best places to live an outdoor lifestyle in the US that accommodate all interests and tastes.
Discover where to live if you want to be surrounded by nature and if it can suit your budget and desires.
Finding the Best Places to Live an Outdoor Lifestyle Can Improve Your Well-Being
The entire lockdown experience has shown people the importance of living in a place surrounded by opportunities to increase physical activity and improve mental well-being. Many of those who haven’t been that enthusiastic about the great outdoors before now google questions like “Where can I live for adventure?”
Luckily, finding the best cities for outdoor enthusiasts is fairly easy in the US. The nation with so many geographical wonders and opportunities for everyone to thrive has many gems to discover if you dive in.
If someone wants to move away and start over, the fifty states will accommodate their wishes and desires. And if there’s any anxiety about moving creeping in, search “long-distance movers near me” and let a professional cross-country moving company help with relocation.
Living near nature will improve your well-being and give you energy for more activities.
Find the Slopes of Your Dreams in Utah and Wyoming
Relocating for love for skiing, steep slopes, and marvelous mountain views is high on many bucket lists. While the entire state of Colorado offers an array of well-known skiing destinations like Aspen, some hidden gems lie in the long mountain ranges of Utah and Wyoming.
Long distance moving to Utah, more precisely to Ogden, will put you in one of the most impressive skiing and mountaineering towns in the US. The largest ski resort in the country, Powder Mountain, is located here, and coincidentally, Ogden is the oldest town in Utah. It has access to three ski resorts from its downtown area, so shipping your car here with long-distance movers will surely be the right choice.
If you’re ready to conquer Ogden’s 11,600 acres of ski paths and 500 inches of snowfall, ensure you also take the time to meet new neighbors who could keep you company when you hit the slopes. Around 87,000 people reside here, and they consider Ogden the most incredible place in the country.
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Jackson, Wyoming is a Winter Wonderland Among Skiing Cities
Jackson in Wyoming may be located in the backcountry, but its 4,000 vertical feet are heavily occupied by 2,500 skiable acres. This town is enough to convince even the biggest skeptics to move to a cold climate and make it work in a mountain community. The most famous skiing areas are Snow King Mountain and Jackson Hole. On your off days, you can take a trip to the Yellowstone National Park, too.
It’s sparsely populated, with around 10,000 people, but with high living standards, its residents never have a dull moment. Life here might cost you more than in Ogden, but it’s worth taking the plunge to Wyoming’s second-coolest town.
Jackson in Wyoming is also close to the Yellowstone National Park
A Hiker’s Dream Trails Hide in Colorado and Idaho
Idaho and Colorado are home to some of the best places to live for nature lovers. If there’s any reason to move across the country, it should be for the hiking and sightseeing opportunities in Boise, Idaho. It’s often referred to as ‘home away from home’ because of how friendly the locals are and for the fact that everywhere you go, you’ll get a chance to find yourself.
Boise’s nickname is The City of Trees. The Idaho capital lies in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It has 150 hiking areas that span over 340 miles of single-track trails. If you feel brave enough, you can head east of Boise to the Idaho Centennial Trail that spans from the Nevada border all the way to Canada.
This town is ideal for people moving with pets because there’s never a shortage of activities. It has a population of around 240,000 residents, and it’s pretty cheap for a capital city.
The City of Durango, Colorado Has the Most Impressive Hiking Spots
Colorado is a state riddled with hiking trails, mountainous areas, skiing spots, and cycling havens. Over 100 miles of trail stretch just outside of Durango, Colorado. This small town of around 19,000 residents is the perfect getaway from Denver’s loudness and busyness, Aspen’s steep prices, and Boulder’s crowds of tourists.
If there’s any fear of relocating, you can beat it with a hike across the Animas Mountain Trail. If you’d love a bigger challenge after moving to Durango with cross-country moving services, test your hiking and climbing skills all the way up to the nearby Perins Peak, the town’s landmark and the residents’ favorite spot.
Durango lies in the Animas River Valley, and the Animas River flows through its downtown.
Cycle Your Worries Away in Oregon and Minnesota
Portland and Minneapolis are two metropolitan cities continuously voted as the best places to live if you love the outdoors. If you wish to move to a big city but still enjoy an outdoorsy lifestyle, these two cities are a perfect choice.
Portland, Oregon, is one of those places that make making friends in a new city easy. It’s the number 1 biking city in the country, and the locals never miss a chance to emphasize that. Portland has a bridge dedicated only to cyclists and pedestrians, has had a bike-sharing program since 2016, and more than half of its 650,000 citizens cycle to work daily. You can even ask potential roommates if they own bikes so that you can sync up.
Cycle Through the Urban Paradise of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is the ideal city for moving alone, with a partner, and even for moving with kids. Whatever your situation is, Minneapolis, Minnesota, can inspire you to move, lead a healthy lifestyle, and go biking everywhere. Its winter weather may be treacherous, but that doesn’t stop a true Minneapolean from visiting parks and biking trails. This city of around 430,000 residents has the second-highest number of cyclists.
Minneapolis's most famous cycling area is the Stone Arch Bridge.
Scale the Mountaintops of New Mexico and Washington
The answer to the question “what is the best state to live in for an outdoorsman” is indeed Washington. With Seattle being one of the places with the most parks and recreational activities, it’s no surprise that the rest of Washington tries to follow suit. However, there’s a much better-hidden gem of a place where you can scale mountaintops, and that’s Taos in New Mexico.
New Mexico may be far from how anyone imagines a mountaineering paradise, but Taos proves that there are still some surprises among the fifty states. This town is fascinating – it was founded in the early 1600s, has a population of around 5,700 residents, and its name in the native Taos language means “place of red willows.”
When you try to adjust to a new town like Taos, some great things to do are trekking with llamas in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, traversing the Taos Valley’s ski slopes, or discovering alpine lakes hidden in the backcountry. Taos is the place where you can experience Mexican culture from another point of view – mountaineering.
Feel Like You’re in Germany in Leavenworth, Washington
Another town in the US that can make one feel like they’ve traveled abroad is Leavenworth, Washington. We have already mentioned that Washington’s residents have options for an outdoorsy lifestyle around every corner, but not many of them get to feel like they’re in another country altogether.
Moving to a small town like Leavenworth isn’t a challenge for long-distance movers, but it may be for someone moving there. This town has only around 2,000 residents, and they all live in Bavarian-inspired neighborhoods and homes. It’s a high-end tourist and living destination that, paired with mountain views, resembles a Swiss or German Alps village. When you hire packing services for these parts, make sure you pack your mountaineering gear, too.
Check out the video of Leavenworth’s streets below to decide if you’d be interested in moving to a place that looks like Kris Kringle’s hometown.
Hang Loose in the Gems of Hawaii and California
We can’t talk about the best places for outdoor living without mentioning Hawaii and California. These states have miles of beaches and shorelines waiting to be conquered by anyone who wants to relocate to a warmer climate. Since most people are already choosing to move in the summer, it’s easier to do it in a place with over 300 sunny days per year.
Surfing is one of the most popular activities in the US, but that’s especially true among Hawaiians. The town of Haleiwa in HI has many benefits for anyone looking at how to move and spend their days soaking up the sun on white-sand beaches and chasing waves for thrills and fun. Everything you imagine when you think of Hawaii is real in Haleiwa, the state’s oldest surf town.
Become a Member of the Surf Elite in Santa Cruz, California
If you’re looking for surfing spots on the mainland, don’t skip researching Santa Cruz in California. While other places like San Diego and Los Angeles seem to be the more popular destinations, Santa Cruz is the actual OG of surfing in California.
It’s said that the town’s surfing reputation exists because of three Hawaiian princes who surfed its waves in 1885. It’s easy to relocate for work to Santa Cruz because 64,000 people living here have all the amenities and job opportunities anyone in a bigger place would. The town is home to many inventors, innovators, and artists who’ve graduated from the University of Santa Cruz.
Hire a long-distance moving company to help you move to the place of your dreams, and you just might become one of the top surfers in town when you settle in.
It is said that Santa Cruz's waves were first tested for surfing in 1885 by three Hawaiian princes.
Living in the Great Outdoors Will Be a Constant Adventure
Whether you want to spend every day in parks or on mountains, biking, trekking, or surfing, your checklist for moving to a new state should contain as many places that offer these amenities as possible. You don’t have to move to a famous metropolitan area to get everything out of life, which is also good for your relocation budget. Wherever you like to go, the cross-country movers you hire will be able to help.
The US is full of places to start living a life full of adventures in the great outdoors. Discovering the world and its many possibilities can start from the home turf, and the United States has a lot to offer in every aspect. We hope you find the spot that’ll make you wish to stay for life.
