Best states for adrenaline seekers named

A new study has ranked all 50 states based on the number of available activities in ten categories, from rock climbing to surfing, skiing to skydiving, to reveal the 2021 Adventure Index.

The top 10 adventure destinations in 2021

Rank	State	Rock Climbing Routes	Hiking Trails	Mountain Biking Trails	Kayaking Spots	Ski Resorts	Zip Lines	Surfing Spots	Caving Grottos	Skydiving Drop Zones	Hang Gliding Location	Overall Score
1	California	34,080	10,386	984	247	35	15	103	11	22	30	90.42
2	Colorado	29,006	4,121	1,323	162	32	17	0	6	3	7	55.92
3	New York	4,738	3,050	283	215	50	13	11	6	11	4	48.42
4	Pennsylvania	2,884	2,218	294	223	25	17	0	12	5	1	44.37
5	Virginia	5,048	1,624	286	248	5	11	5	14	7	3	42.35
6	North Carolina	3,019	2,041	534	192	6	21	14	3	9	4	40.91
7	Wisconsin	4,290	766	382	234	36	13	3	2	8	4	40.75
8	Michigan	956	1,124	298	244	44	13	1	2	7	3	40.57
9	Florida	26	1,609	282	208	1	15	8	5	15	9	39.90
10	Texas	3,218	1,656	274	248	2	10	3	8	11	7	39.65

California

Coming out on top by some distance was the Golden State, California, which boasts over 45,000 adventure activities across ten different categories, having more options for the likes of rock climbing, surfing, hiking, skydiving, and hang gliding than any other state.

The sheer variety of the Californian landscape makes it perfect for all manner of adventuring, whether it’s surfing off the Pacific Coast, hiking in the Sierra Mountains or mountain biking through the Redwoods.

Colorado

Colorado is known around the world for its skiing, with 32 ski resorts located in the state, including some of the world’s very best, such as Vail, Aspen Snowmass and Telluride.

But if skiing isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the outdoors in Colorado, which has more mountain biking tracks than any other state in our research. The state is also home to the Rocky Mountains, which are a paradise for hikers and climbers.

New York

New York State was actually home to more ski resorts than world-renowned destinations than any other state and also scored highly on the number of kayaking destinations, whether that be in beautiful upstate NY, or even in the rivers surrounding Manhattan, with the iconic skyline as the backdrop.