Attention adrenaline junkies! If your need for adventure is thwarted by your locale, check out four of the best places for thrill-seekers to call home.
As you count down the hours left on the work clock, it’s easy to daydream about your weekend plans. Do you have options like whitewater rafting, skiing, rock climbing, or mountain biking nearby to fuel your adventurous side? If not, check out this list of the best places to live that offer their citizens adventure in their own backyards.
Salt Lake City, Utah
If you’re a big fan of skiing and snowboarding, Salt Lake City is the place for you. Home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, this scenic city is nestled just to the west of the Wasatch Range. A total of eight ski resorts are within 50 miles of the city, making weekend adventures easily accessible to all citizens. The mountains offer opportunities for adventure in the summer as well, attracting mountain bikers, hikers, and more. Although the nature of the nearby Great Salt Lake doesn’t offer many opportunities for water sports, this scenic area attracts hikers and birdwatchers to its many trails and beaches.
Bend, Oregon
Do you crave the sun? Bend, which boasts 300 days of sunshine annually, might just be for you. This bustling city, the most populated in central Oregon, is an outdoor lover’s dream. The area offers water sports on the lakes, skiing and mountain biking on nearby Tumalo Mountain and Mount Bachelor, fly fishing in the Deschutes River, and everything in between. The sleepy little lumber town of old is now a destination for those seeking to live where adventures abound.
Charlotte, North Carolina
If whitewater rafting is your thing, Charlotte is the place to live. The US National Whitewater Center is located here, home of the world’s largest man-made recirculating river, a fun and safe way for people to learn and practice the sport. Once you’ve mastered the practice courses, you can reach the real thing only two hours away on the Nantahala River, or drive a bit further to find the world famous Ocoee. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also nearby, offering up hiking, biking, and rock climbing on Stone Mountain and Rumbling Bald.
San Francisco, California
While it may surprise you to hear that San Fran is the birthplace of mountain biking, a quick web search will show you why. The city offers mild temperatures year round and is only 3.5 hours away from Yosemite National Park, one of the nation’s most beautiful and scenic landmarks. Even closer is the gorgeous Point Reyes National Seashore, a mere 35 miles away with a 70,000 acre preserve of forests and beaches. Residents of the city regularly visit to bike, surf, and view the abundant wildlife, especially the annual grey whale migration.
These four cities, full of non-stop outdoor adventures and fun, offer something for the adrenaline junkie in all of us. Take a peek at them today and start realizing how awesome the place you call home could and should be!
I so love the temperature in San Francisco. For our three days spent out there, it was beautiful!
I’m not an adrenaline junkie but still would love to visit those places.
I want to explore Oregon and California for both beautiful weathers to have the fun!