The Most Adventurous Cities In America
America was built upon a sense of adventure. Without one, we wouldn’t have tamed the wild outdoors, settled the rugged terrain, or decided to stick around through hardship. And that adventure sustains—even among U.S. urbanites.
This month, Metrogrades analyzed the 100 most populous cities in America to discover which ones carry that sense of adventure today. To determine the rankings, our team of researchers studied our own set of criteria (listed below).
Here are your winners.
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #10: Fargo, ND
For a city that shares its name with a critically acclaimed movie and TV show, Fargo has plenty to offer for citizens who want to get off the couch. The Fargo Park District stretches more than 2,100 acres, including 73 public parks, 12 public golf courses and 38 public tennis courts. For the summer months, you can head over to Oak Grove Park where they have their own 18-hole disc golf course and pickleball court.
But, Fargo, has plenty of cold weather activities, too. It’s home to 17 outdoor skating rinks and miles upon miles of cross-country ski trails, including Dike East XC Ski Trail which boasts 3.5 miles of traditional and skating trails.
Related: The Best New Gear For the Great Outdoors
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #9: Seattle, WA
Seattleites need something to do after drinking all that coffee. Luckily, Seattle is called the “Emerald City” for a reason, as it’s home to 485 lush, green parks and 120 miles of trails, occupying 6,414 acres. That’s roughly 12 percent of the city’s total land area. For the perfect view of it all, check out Kerry Park, which overlooks downtown Seattle. For some more ideas about fun activities in Seattle, watch this.
If that’s not enough for you, drive about 30 miles east to Snoqualmie Falls and hike up to see the state’s most famous waterfall. Or, if you’re looking for more adventure, head 65 miles southeast to Mount Rainier National Park, named after the hulking active volcano that climbs to 14,410 above sea level. Even though it hasn’t erupted in ages, Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet. On second thought, maybe just stick to Seattle’s many other safer trails.
Related: 10 National Parks You’ve Never Heard Of
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #8: Boston, MA
Park the car and head over to one of Boston’s 217 city parks. Or, check out a bunch of them all at once by visiting the Emerald Necklace, a 1,100-acre chain of nine parks located in the heart of the city. Bostonians use the space for its many hiking and biking trails, as well as the waterways for sailing and fishing. Boston Harbor is also home to 34 islands that help make up the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Peddocks Island is not only where Martin Scorsese shot Shutter Islandit’s a perfect spot for some rustic camping, if you dare.
Related: The 8 Best Hikes In America
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #7: Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach is for lovers of adventure. Make your way to False Cape State Park, if you can. It’s accessible by only foot, bicycle, boat, or park service vehicle. The park offers guided kayak excursions as well as camping, hiking, and biking. It is considered one of the last remaining undeveloped areas along the East Coast and it serves as one of the city’s 293 parks, spanning over 6,000 acres.
Another one of those parks is the aptly named Mount Trashmore Park, which was created by alternately layering solid waste with clean soil. This landfill-turned-park is considered an environmental achievement, and it’s home to a prominent skate park, complete with a 13.5-foot tall competition-sized vert ramp. It reportedly only smells of trash in hotter temperatures, so maybe avoid making the trip at high noon.
Related: How to Camp On the Beach Like a Pro
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #6: Raleigh, NC
Residents of Raleigh have some of the more remarkable opportunities for adventure of any city on this list. Capital City BMX is a bicycle motocross track with multiple courses, ranging from 900 to 1,300 feet. If pedaling isn’t your thing and you’d rather get around the old-fashioned way, Dead Broke Farm offers horseback riding on more than 10 miles of trails on its 110-acre farm.
Or, keep your feet on the ground on the Neuse River Trail, a 27.5 mile paved pathway that winds along the scenic banks of the Neuse River. In all, Raleigh offers a system of trails that offers up more than 100 miles for running, walking and biking. The water isn’t just for show, either. Head to Lake Johnson for some canoeing or paddle boarding.
Related: The 7 Best Vacations For Your Body
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #5: San Diego, CA
San Diego is more than just perfect weather and beautiful vistas. It’s also home to more than 40,000 acres of public land spread out over 400 parks and 26 miles of shorelines. If you’re a sea dog, rent some kayaks and paddle through the sea lion-filled waters to the sea caves of La Jolla. Bring your snorkeling gear to have a look at the area’s remarkable array of fish and leopard sharks. There are also more than a dozen beaches for great surfing.
If you’re a beginner, check out Del Mar, considered one of the most reliable spots to catch a wave in the area. For the more advanced surfers, head to the southern end of Black’s Beach for some of San Diego’s best waves. And, while you’re there, walk to the north end of Black’s to visit San Diego’s only nude beach…if you’re into that sort of thing.
Related: The Best Surfing and Snorkeling Beaches
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #4: Minneapolis, MN
There’s a reason Minneapolis is annually ranked among the fittest cities in the United States. Despite freezing winter temperatures, Minneapolis-dwellers are an active bunch, taking advantage of its 5,064-acre system of local and regional parks, and more than 226 miles of bikeways.
The city’s location on the Mississippi River allows for the typical water sports, but it’s Minneapolis’ winter sports that really set it apart: snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and tubing. If you’re willing to brave the snow, head over to Wirth Park, where you can do all the normal winter activities, plus “skijoring.” What is skijoring, you ask? Oh, just skiing with your dog.
Related: The Best Winter Workout Gear
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #3: Madison, WI
Several lakes, nearby parks, and a strong sense of adventure make Madison a Metrogrades hot spot. The city’s overall activity levels of its residents ranked high, and their recreational business ratio was one of the highest. The Trust For Public Land ranked Madison’s parks as ninth best in the nation. And, 90 percent of Madison residents are within just a 10-minute walk of those fabulous parks.
You can also stray from the beaten path with a visit to Lake Wingra, home of Madison Log Rolling. There, you can test your balance by running on logs like the lumberjacks on TV. For more water sports, check out Lake Monona, a 3,359-acre lake that is also surrounded by pristine biking and running trails. Or, if you’re looking for a more urban adventure, use Hop Head Tours for a bike tour across the city featuring stops at craft breweries or a distillery.
Related: America’s Best Brewery Tours
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #2: Austin, TX
It’s not all music festivals and craft breweries. Austin scored very high in outdoor activity participation and overall activity level. You can partially credit the town’s tendency to “aqua-socialize.” Lake Travis attracts crowds of swimmers and party barges, says Regina Kubelka of Hills Outdoor Country, an membership-based club in the city. Take inspiration from those party animals: Find a lake near you (for coordinates, see lakepedia.com). Like Lady Bird Lake, for instance, where Breath & Body Yoga offers stand up paddleboard yoga classes if you’re feeling like a Warrior.
If you don’t have your sea legs, take advantage of Austin’s 227 miles of trails and 20,714 acres of green space across 300 different parks. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail (better known as just “The Trail”) sees more than 1.5 million adventure-seeking visitors annually.
Related: 25 Guy Trips That Will Change Your Life
MOST ADVENTUROUS CITY #1: Anchorage, AK
This city is truly wild, with resident bears and almost a million acres of parkland. In fact, a whopping 84 percent of Anchorage is parkland. In addition to the sprawling wilderness, Anchorage scored 99 out of 100 in our Metrogrades assessment of residents participating in outdoor sports and activities. The city also had a very high ratio of recreational businesses to total business within the city. People here can hike, fish, kayak, and mountain bike in their backyard.
Get to know your own environment better by booking a specialized guide, suggests James Minton of Visit Anchorage. You’ll enjoy any area a bit more if you hike with a historian, photographer, or biologist, he says. They may tell you to kayak through a sea of icebergs to get to Spencer Glacier, where you’ll attach crampons to your shoes and hike around the area. Or, head to Chugach State Park, one of the largest in the US, where you’ll find popular trailheads for hiking, biking, and ATVing.
Related: The Best New Fitness Gear Of 2017
DID YOUR CITY MAKE THE REST OF THE LIST?
11. Portland, OR
12. Burlington, VT
13. Chesapeake, VA
14. Sioux Falls, SD
15. Denver, CO
16. Phoenix, AZ
17. Lincoln, NE
18. Jersey City, NJ
19. Aurora, CO
20. Fort Worth, TX
21. Bakersfield, CA
22. St. Paul, MN
23. Salt Lake City, UT
24. Colorado Springs, CO
25. Columbus, OH
26. San Jose, CA
27. Lexington, KY
28. Omaha, NE
29. Washington, DC
30. Manchester, NH
31. Providence, RI
32. Riverside, CA
33. Charlotte, NC
34. Dallas, TX
35. Plano, TX
36. Albuquerque, NM
37. San Antonio, TX
38. Houston, TX
39. San Francisco, CA
40. El Paso, TX
41. Nashville, TN
42. Boise City, ID
43. Billings, MT
44. Anaheim, CA
45. Des Moines, IA
46. Laredo, TX
47. Reno, NV
48. Los Angeles, CA
49. Durham, NC
50. Lubbock, TX
51. Kansas City, MO
52. Oakland, CA
53. Chicago, IL
54. New York, NY
55. Corpus Christi, TX
56. Tampa, FL
57. Wichita, KS
58. Atlanta, GA
59. Cincinnati, OH
60. Jacksonville, FL
61. Cheyenne, WY
62. Oklahoma City, OK
63. Orlando, FL
64. Sacramento, CA
65. Indianapolis, IN
66. Fort Wayne, IN
67. Little Rock, AR
68. Bridgeport, CT
69. Tucson, AZ
70. New Orleans, LA
71. Las Vegas, NV
72. Portland, ME
73. Norfolk, VA
74. Louisville, KY
75. Honolulu, HI
76. Milwaukee, WI
77. St. Petersburg, FL
78. Columbia, SC
79. Fresno, CA
80. Richmond, VA
81. Greensboro, NC
82. Tulsa, OK
83. Toledo, OH
84. Stockton, CA
85. St. Louis, MO
86. Philadelphia, PA
87. Pittsburgh, PA
88. Charleston, WV
89. Winston-Salem, NC
90. Baltimore, MD
91. Baton Rouge, LA
92. Buffalo, NY
93. Newark, NJ
94. Miami, FL
95. Cleveland, OH
96. Wilmington, DE
97. Memphis, TN
98. Detroit, MI
99. Jackson, MS
100. Birmingham, AL
Additional reporting by Andrew Dawson and Tyler Daswick
METHODOLOGY: Percentage of people participating in various sports in the past 12 months (GfK MRI); percentage of people meeting activity guidelines, percentage of people who engage in vigorous activity five or more days a week (CDC); ratio of parkland to city size (The Trust for Public Land); recreational business counts percentage (U.S. Census Bureau); recreational household expenditure percentage, recreational Consumer Price Index (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
