Best cities with lots of outdoor/hiking activities and good year round weather

[fitawrari]

My family and I are in our current city because of my work. I have been living here for over 15 years and I don't particularly like it. (I don't hate it either but we may need to change in the next few years.) My wife has been living shorter than that and feels the same.

We discussed moving but we couldn't find a city that checks the few must haves.

1/ We like to live near hiking trails (30 minutes or shorter drive to trailheads). We don't do extraneous hiking but like a wide variety of 5 hours or less hiking trails. Hiking is pretty much the only hobby we have, so this is on top of the list. Hiking is often associated with mountains, so we are looking for cities near a mountain.

2/ We like to live in a city that has a good year round weather. We dislike heavy snow in the winter and humidity in the summer.

3/ We like to live near family or friends.

These three requirements lead us to an empty set. So we relaxed our requirements to only the first two -- outdoor/hiking and weather.

Question: what cities have good outdoors/hiking activities and good year round weather?

Asheville NC seems to come near the top of many google searches I did. Cities near the Rockies have lots of snow and can get hot, though with low humidity.

Thank you!

[muffins14]

Bay Area? I feel like areas around Marin county, Berkeley, wine country, or the South Bay would fit your weather and hiking needs

[ThankYouJack]

What's your housing budget? California comes to mind, but the best areas are super expensive.

[pizzy]

does it need to be in a city?

[oxothuk]

Depends on what you mean by good year-round weather.

Colorado Front Range (where I live) has lots of nearby hiking opportunities. I happen to like the climate - low humidity makes the winters an summers more pleasant than you might think.

It’s not cheap anymore, but not as expensive as the Bay Area or NYC.

[somekevinguy]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

[White Coat Investor]

My family and I are in our current city because of my work. I have been living here for over 15 years and I don't particularly like it. (I don't hate it either but we may need to change in the next few years.) My wife has been living shorter than that and feels the same.

We discussed moving but we couldn't find a city that checks the few must haves.

1/ We like to live near hiking trails (30 minutes or shorter drive to trailheads). We don't do extraneous hiking but like a wide variety of 5 hours or less hiking trails. Hiking is pretty much the only hobby we have, so this is on top of the list. Hiking is often associated with mountains, so we are looking for cities near a mountain.

2/ We like to live in a city that has a good year round weather. We dislike heavy snow in the winter and humidity in the summer.

3/ We like to live near family or friends.

These three requirements lead us to an empty set. So we relaxed our requirements to only the first two -- outdoor/hiking and weather.

Question: what cities have good outdoors/hiking activities and good year round weather?

Asheville NC seems to come near the top of many google searches I did. Cities near the Rockies have lots of snow and can get hot, though with low humidity.

Thank you!

So you want mountains but no snow and "good weather year round" (which presumably excludes deserts. Good luck. Hope you like the "mountains" on the coast of California.

[CaptainT]

For 3 where is that? Different people have family and friends in different areas.
I would look along the Appalachian trail for places that interest you.

[poker27]

So neither hot or cold weather? Idk if you’re gonna find anything outside of the Bay Area, I’d imagine East TN and Asheville get hot.

We recently moved to Charlotte. Much smaller city than we’re use to, but tons of outdoor recreation and hiking nearby. No snow, but I’m expecting a warm summer

[Watty]

I would add "good medical care" to your list of requirements.

I have known people that have retired then moved when they figured out that there was not good medical care nearby even if there were doctors and a small hospital. The problem was with they had to drive a couple of hours to a mid size city to see a specialist and have something like minor outpatient knee surgery that involved multiple trips and did not work well.

One place that comes to mind for your criteria is Medford Oregon or any of the small towns in Southern Oregon. These would have a lot better weather than places like Portland or Seattle. Be sure to check out the Oregon taxes though.

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Another is Chattanooga Tennessee which has a surprisingly nice downtown. It is also only about two hours from Atlanta when you need some big city feature or a large airport. I am not sure of the taxes there but you could also look just over the state line for housing in Georgia if that would save you a lot in taxes.

[Valuethinker]

I would add "good medical care" to your list of requirements.

I have known people that have retired then moved when they figured out that there was not good medical care nearby even if there were doctors and a small hospital. The problem was with they had to drive a couple of hours to a mid size city to see a specialist and have something like minor outpatient knee surgery that involved multiple trips and did not work well.

One place that comes to mind for your criteria is Medford Oregon or any of the small towns in Southern Oregon. These would have a lot better weather than places like Portland or Seattle. Be sure to check out the Oregon taxes though.

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Another is Chattanooga Tennessee which has a surprisingly nice downtown. It is also only about two hours from Atlanta when you need some big city feature or a large airport. I am not sure of the taxes there but you could also look just over the state line for housing in Georgia if that would save you a lot in taxes.

A long time ago, maybe back at the beginning of these boards?, someone posted that some of those places in southern Oregon (? I recall) have really bad air pollution.

I assume this is the result either of the local forestry industry + landform which leads to temperature inversions?

More recently it may be due to the frequency of wildfires. I mean "health advisory to stay indoors" kind of pollution.

It stuck in my mind.

So that is something to check out.

[Titansub]

Easy, Chattanooga, TN.
Small town feel.

2 hours from - Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham, Knoxville.
4 hours from Savanah, etc....

Weather isn't that bad.

Every outdoor activity you can imagine. Rock climbing, kayaking/white water rafting, fishing is fantastic, all the way to hangliding.

No state income tax.

FASTEST INTERNET IN THIS HEMISPHERE - that's to the home.

Quantum computing is the next big thing. Chattanooga is gonna help lead this effort.

Do a little research.

[Valuethinker]

My family and I are in our current city because of my work. I have been living here for over 15 years and I don't particularly like it. (I don't hate it either but we may need to change in the next few years.) My wife has been living shorter than that and feels the same.

We discussed moving but we couldn't find a city that checks the few must haves.

1/ We like to live near hiking trails (30 minutes or shorter drive to trailheads). We don't do extraneous hiking but like a wide variety of 5 hours or less hiking trails. Hiking is pretty much the only hobby we have, so this is on top of the list. Hiking is often associated with mountains, so we are looking for cities near a mountain.

2/ We like to live in a city that has a good year round weather. We dislike heavy snow in the winter and humidity in the summer.

3/ We like to live near family or friends.

These three requirements lead us to an empty set. So we relaxed our requirements to only the first two -- outdoor/hiking and weather.

Question: what cities have good outdoors/hiking activities and good year round weather?

Asheville NC seems to come near the top of many google searches I did. Cities near the Rockies have lots of snow and can get hot, though with low humidity.

Thank you!

Denver CO or other places in that area are the first thing that comes to mind. However urban sprawl may make the access to trails thing more difficult. And winter is cold -- albeit sunny (to my mind, that's a very important thing).

Other places would seem to blow it on your weather criteria.

North Carolina has many advantages. It is however very hot and humid, even in the mountains, in summer.

There are places in New York State that meet some of your conditions - but not the heavy snow one. And it's often very humid in summer.

I would guess the Pittsburgh area also has something of what you seek - access to mountains (albeit not 30 minutes close). Plus a low cost of living. Not sure about how the flying is, nowadays. And summers would be humid.

[niceguy7376]

NE suburbs of Atlanta anywhere upto Dahlonega - Near to city life on one side and rural/smokies on other side

[climber2020]

Denver, CO fits most of your criteria.

Denver has surprisingly good weather in the winter with lots of sunshine. The city does get pounded with snow once in a while, but the weather is very different compared to an hour's drive west into the mountains. It's unfortunately much more crowded and expensive than it was when I lived there in my younger days.

The cities in the southeastern US around the Appalachian mountains are going to be hot and humid 6+ months out of the year. I've gotten used to it and don't mind it so much anymore, but if you hate humidity it's going to be a problem. Also, the mountains around here are great and I enjoy them, but they're nothing like the rockies. If you want high, rugged peaks with challenging options, pick a place out west.

[mhc]

The Colorado front range is great for hiking. If you go to the northern end of the front range, you will have access to more trails than you can hike without being crowded. The Poudre Canyon really doesn't get very crowded. It doesn't get very hot here. There is very low humidity, which really helps. If it is too hot down low, then go higher in elevation until you find the temperature you want.

Since you like hiking, there are many hiking vacation spots in this part of the country.

We get about 60" of snow a year. In 25 years, we have only been stuck at home twice. Due to the sunshine and low humidity, the roads clear quickly. Snow is almost a non-issue. The real issue is that it gets dark very early in December.

[trugs]

Reno, Bend, Santa Fe, Salt Lake?

[KyleAAA]

The only place in the US that really fits your requirements is California, if you define "good year round weather" in the usual way. But the PNW would also be a good choice. It doesn't get very cold in the winter and the drizzle never stopped anyone. You typically wouldn't even feel it under the forest canopy on a hike. Multiple beautiful mountain ranges. Washington is an extremely low-tax state for high earners: maybe even the lowest in the nation. Probably nothing on the east coast or midwest would fit your requirements.

[adamthesmythe]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

[Watty]

A long time ago, maybe back at the beginning of these boards?, someone posted that some of those places in southern Oregon (? I recall) have really bad air pollution.

I assume this is the result either of the local forestry industry + landform which leads to temperature inversions?

More recently it may be due to the frequency of wildfires. I mean "health advisory to stay indoors" kind of pollution.

It stuck in my mind.

So that is something to check out.

The thermal inversions can be a problem so that is indeed worth checking out. I could be mistaken but as I recall people using wood stoves in the winter is part of the problem but they are more regulated now than they were in the past.

[JD2775]

My family and I are in our current city because of my work. I have been living here for over 15 years and I don't particularly like it. (I don't hate it either but we may need to change in the next few years.) My wife has been living shorter than that and feels the same.

We discussed moving but we couldn't find a city that checks the few must haves.

1/ We like to live near hiking trails (30 minutes or shorter drive to trailheads). We don't do extraneous hiking but like a wide variety of 5 hours or less hiking trails. Hiking is pretty much the only hobby we have, so this is on top of the list. Hiking is often associated with mountains, so we are looking for cities near a mountain.

2/ We like to live in a city that has a good year round weather. We dislike heavy snow in the winter and humidity in the summer.

3/ We like to live near family or friends.

These three requirements lead us to an empty set. So we relaxed our requirements to only the first two -- outdoor/hiking and weather.

Question: what cities have good outdoors/hiking activities and good year round weather?

Asheville NC seems to come near the top of many google searches I did. Cities near the Rockies have lots of snow and can get hot, though with low humidity.

Thank you!

Isn't it humid in North Carolina in the summer?

Your scope is pretty limiting. It's got Marin, CA written all over it. Good year round weather, awesome hiking at Mt Tam, but I have no idea if you have family or friends nearby.

[Watty]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

The OP wanted to be within 30 minutes of trailheads. That would be at best limited in the Bay Area. You might be able to go up to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe after work on Friday but you might not get there until midnight.

[uaeebs86]

Tucson. Summers are milder and cooler at night than other desert cities like Phoenix or Las Vegas. A lot more monsoons as well. Mountains all around, tons of hiking trails.

[muffins14]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

The OP wanted to be within 30 minutes of trailheads. That would be at best limited in the Bay Area. You might be able to go up to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe after work on Friday but you might not get there until midnight.

There’s a lot of hiking in the Bay Area, much much closer than Tahoe.

Berkeley hills has Tilden, or east to Mt Diablo
South Bay has lots of options like rancho San Antonio, Fremont
Marin has Stinson beach,muir woods, Mt Tam

Further south you have Big Sur.

you can live places within 30 minutes of some trailheads, or someplace within 1-1.5 hours of like 100 trailheads

It’s everywhere. Places from Cupertino to Los Gatos would have it all within 15-30 minutes for the South Bay options.

berkeley would be within 30 mins for a lot of trails

Oakland has a lot of options to the east also

Napa valley and Sonoma have small trails too

[quantAndHold]

Marin County, CA. Great weather, hiking right out your door.

Seattle, WA. Don’t laugh. The weather isn’t as bad as rumor has it, and it ticks your boxes on the hiking front. It just depends on whether or not you can handle the lack of daylight in the winter. I couldn’t hack it, but other people do just fine.

In general, if you’re looking for mountains and a mama bear climate, you’re gonna be looking at the west coast.

[StewedCarrot]

Everywhere on the California coast.

Road trip on Hwy 1 from San Diego to Eureka to get a feel for it.

[rockstar]

Kauai HI. Year round hiking and moderate weather.

[deserat]

Phoenix, AZ; Tucson or Green Valley, AZ; Prescott or Flagstaff, AZ.

[Carefreeap]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

The OP wanted to be within 30 minutes of trailheads. That would be at best limited in the Bay Area. You might be able to go up to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe after work on Friday but you might not get there until midnight.

I'm on the coast on the Peninsula in the SF Bay Area. I have about 20 trailheads within 5 miles of my house.

[ThankYouJack]

Kauai HI. Year round hiking and moderate weather.

I love Kauai but the OP wants to be in a city.

[ScubaHogg]

Surprised more people haven’t said Hawaii. It’s the obvious answer

Southern California…or much of coastal CA

It would help if the OP gave us a range of what’s “good weather” (temp, humidity, etc.)

Disagree about Puget Sound area, unless you don’t mind getting misted on, hiking over muddy trails in months and months of clouds and darkness. But that’s me. YMMV

[barreg]

Best weather year round and lots of activities? San Diego area. Also has a lot of hiking options within 30 minutes, but not the same level of hiking as you'd have in the Rockies, Appalachia, or the Sierra Nevada, though the San Bernadino mountains are 2.5-3hrs away and have decent hiking/skiing.

Downside is that housing is expensive pretty much everywhere in CA and no idea where your family/friends are, so no idea how close it would be to them.

[jayjayc]

Marin County, CA. Great weather, hiking right out your door.

1st thing that came to my mind too. Fantastic climate and the hiking is absolutely beautiful. VHCOL.

[gmf001!]

Depends on what you mean by 'city', but Asheville NC would be hard to beat for hiking, weather, cost of living combo.

[bloom2708]

I think your requirements restrict to Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and California. Not sure Hawaii would qualify as low humidity.

There will be "something" in every location that does not meet your requirements. Cost, too hot, too cold, not enough elevation, etc.

Make a list of your must haves and like to haves and see what fits.

[FunnelCakeBob]

SF Bay Area - You pay for what you get really. Mild weather year-round and one of the few places that's low on humidity (one of OP's preferences). You get warmer climate as you move eastward further from the coast, starting with the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont) and San Jose region to the inland Bay Area (Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin). Lots of great places for hiking and and well-funded public park systems.

For lower cost of living, consider Sacramento/Auburn/Folsom and the Sierra foothill communities. If Sacramento or the valley floor, the summer gets hot (100-110 degrees) but it's dry heat as they say. The other trade-off would be air quality as the air on the valley floor can get stagnant with the heat added to auto and ag emissions. On the plus side is you'll be closer to the great national parks, national forests, state parks, state forests, recreational areas with lakes and rivers, Tahoe, etc.

[Random Poster]

Low humidity means somewhere west of the 100th Meridian.

Anyone who is suggesting anywhere east of that line must have a different definition of “low humidity” than I do.

If you can deal with high winds (20 mph+) for most of the Spring, then the answer is Santa Fe.

Tons of hiking opportunities nearby, winter is a few weeks of 0-10 degree weather with snow that lasts, at best, two days, and there is absolutely no humidity (I think it got to around (40% humidity yesterday and the weather people were geeking out on just how moist it was). Summer might get you a few weeks of 90 degree weather, but it will feel like 110 in the sun due to the elevation. Sit in the shade and it will feel like 70.

Health care is hit or miss. Plan on driving to Albuquerque or Denver for anything major or unique.

But, yeah, Santa Fe. It is where those who are tired of the Front Range crowds end up.

[Northern Flicker]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

[MattB]

SF Bay Area - You pay for what you get really. Mild weather year-round and one of the few places that's low on humidity (one of OP's preferences). You get warmer climate as you move eastward further from the coast, starting with the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont) and San Jose region to the inland Bay Area (Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin). Lots of great places for hiking and and well-funded public park systems.

For lower cost of living, consider Sacramento/Auburn/Folsom and the Sierra foothill communities. If Sacramento or the valley floor, the summer gets hot (100-110 degrees) but it's dry heat as they say. The other trade-off would be air quality as the air on the valley floor can get stagnant with the heat added to auto and ag emissions. On the plus side is you'll be closer to the great national parks, national forests, state parks, state forests, recreational areas with lakes and rivers, Tahoe, etc.

+1. We live in palo alto, which is on the San Francisco Bay peninsula.

Pluses—
-Low humidity.
-Near year round sun.
-Warm but not too warm.
-Nearly anything can be or is grown locally.
-Five or more trailheads within 20 minutes drive from our front door.
-Tahoe is 3.5-5 hours depending on traffic and weather.
-Yosemite valley is 4.5 hours.

Minuses—
-high cost of everything, housing, gas, groceries.
-traffic can be terrible
-air quality a bit wonky in the winter, and sometimes due to forest fires
-high state taxes

[MattB]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

The OP wanted to be within 30 minutes of trailheads. That would be at best limited in the Bay Area. You might be able to go up to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe after work on Friday but you might not get there until midnight.

I'm on the coast on the Peninsula in the SF Bay Area. I have about 20 trailheads within 5 miles of my house.

I'm on the bayside of the same and can hit at least 5 trail systems within 20 minutes drive.

[Van]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

Check out the sales tax in WA. That will answer your question.

[OrangeKiwi]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

Decent state management that does not waste money on underfunded bloated government employee defined benefit pensions/retiree healthcare.

Cheap electricity and lots of natural resources. Extremely scenic with lots of stuff rich people like to do, so it naturally attracts rich people.

Temperate weather where most of the population lives, so infrastructure costs are lower due to not having to deal with freeze/thaw cycle as much.

And also, Boeing/Microsoft/Amazon/etc bringing in a very high GDP and income per capita.

[8301]

The Bay Area certainly ticks those boxes but of course cost of living is pretty high…

Great weather, close to many recreational options- almost all of which involve spending time in a car in traffic. Just so you know.

The Bay Area traffic is not too bad except on some thruways at certain times of the week. Quite different from the greater Los Angels area. I find Portland worse the Bay Area.

[G12]

If you listen to the posters listing various places in TN and GA you will find yourself dealing with a lot of humidity, former 30-yr ATL resident and grew up in LA, not L.A. and grew to hate humidity and hot summers. I know plenty of people who still live and/or lived in CO 30+ years and they say its gotten way too crowded. I spend a lot of time up there for K9 trials and other, I like it. I live in Santa Fe, NM (not the other SFs), legit get ~ 10 months of really good weather and there are hiking trails all over and you can take short drives to other areas to the north and west. Typically might get 7 - 10" of snow annually, but normally it's short duration and light snow. If you like a dry climate it is hard to beat. It can get windy in March/April but those days are usually mid-to late afternoon occurrences. I liked to visit Asheville, too, but don't know if I would want to live there in the winter and it has gotten very touristy spring through fall, and gets icy snow.

[MrNarwhal]

Boise, maybe. Sometimes gloomy/inversions in winter (but not as bad as SLC), summers can be very hot but not humid. Fire season is the only big downside but that's everywhere in the west. Lots of great hiking and biking.

[quantAndHold]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

Check out the sales tax in WA. That will answer your question.

In total taxes and fees, I paid more in WA than I currently pay in CA. It just wasn’t income tax. Monied retirees need to be concerned about estate tax as well.

[quantAndHold]

Best weather year round and lots of activities? San Diego area. Also has a lot of hiking options within 30 minutes, but not the same level of hiking as you'd have in the Rockies, Appalachia, or the Sierra Nevada, though the San Bernadino mountains are 2.5-3hrs away and have decent hiking/skiing.

Downside is that housing is expensive pretty much everywhere in CA and no idea where your family/friends are, so no idea how close it would be to them.

The downside with San Diego is that most of the hiking is in places where it’s too darn hot to hike in the summer. Orgs like the Sierra Club that do organized hikes don’t do a lot between May and September.

But yeah, other than that, it’s paradise.

[barberakb]

If you are ok with a smaller city, several places in New Mexico meet your requirements.

Great weather year round, mountains, low humidity, lots of hiking. Desert hiking but still.

And LCOL

[KyleAAA]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

Check out the sales tax in WA. That will answer your question.

Neither sales tax nor property taxes are egregious in WA. The sales tax is higher than average, sure. But even in Seattle it's only around 10.5%. There are a number of states in the 8-10% combined sales tax range, and a lot of them also have an income tax. For high earners the tax savings are massive. The state mostly collects excise taxes.

[Northern Flicker]

Hood River Oregon would also be worth checking out. There is also housing across the river from it in White Salmon Washington which would not have an income tax.

Does Washington just print their own dollars, or do they have other ways of collecting revenue?

Check out the sales tax in WA. That will answer your question.

Actually, it does not fully answer the question. WA has higher property tax rates, higher car licensing fees, ...

Tax loads by state:

https://taxfoundation.org/tax-burden-by-state-2022/

WA ranked #30, OR ranked #31. OR does not tax social security benefits, so OR taxes are slightly higher for working folks, and a little lower for retirees, on average.