Here are the best ways to get outdoors in all 50 states

04.10.2023 - 19:41 / nationalgeographic.com

From the deserts of Arizona to the rocky coastline of Maine, from the sandy shores of Florida to the peaks of Colorado, the United States offers a breathtaking range of natural landscapes. The new National Geographic book Great Outdoors USA: 1,000 Adventures Across All 50 States reveals how to hike, raft, climb, surf, and bike through some of the best of them. Here are 50 of its top picks, one in each state.

Maine: Hike to amazing views—with no crowds

For a coastal hike that rivals any in Acadia National Park (minus the tourist hordes), Bald Mountain Trail is a 3.4-mile, lollipop-shaped loop to the summit for 180-degree views over Penobscot Bay. On a clear day, you can see Rockport to the south, Acadia to the east, and dozens of islands.

(Visiting Maine: Here’s what the locals love.)

New Hampshire: Hike from hut to hut

High in the White Mountains of the Granite State, eight backcountry hostels welcome hikers with warm meals and comfy bunks. Open for more than a century, the huts spread from Franconia Notch State Park to the slopes of the Carter-Moriah Range, serving as waystations amid alpine tundra, ridge trails, and waterfalls.

Vermont: Ice-skate through a lakeside winter wonderland

Each winter, trail builders from Lake Morey Resort near the town of Fairlee, Vermont, create the Lake Morey Skate Trail, a 4.3-mile icy path that skirts the shoreline past a pine forest, where bald eagles are known to roost. Bring your own skates or rent a pair from the resort.

New Jersey: Follow birds and butterflies in Cape May

In September and October, the Victorian beach town of Cape May, New Jersey, sees tens of thousands of monarch butterflies wing through on their journey to Mexico for the winter. See them from the Garrett Family Preserve, also a prime spot to witness fall and spring bird migrations.

Connecticut: Ski in the birthplace of artificial snow

With 650 feet of vertical drop, Connecticut’s Mohawk Mountain Ski Area might look modest, but its eight chairlifts provide access to 26 sidewinding, plunging trails, many of which can be skied after dark thanks to night lighting. Toward the summit, several trails connect with snowshoe and cross-country ski paths that go deeper into Mohawk State Forest.

Rhode Island: Sail like an America’s Cup racer

In Rhode Island, the home of the America’s Cup, visitors can earn their sea legs with chartered sails by America’s Cup Charters in Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. On a two-hour outing you can raise the sails and help navigate, or sit back as you pass sandy coves, estuaries, and mansions along the shore. The three-hour outing reenacts the world-famous sailing race with a practice session and a rip across the water toward the finish.

Massachusetts: Spend