SUNDAY, JUNE 12 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ EE F3
BY JEN ROSE SMITHGoing back to nature this sum-
mer might not mean roughing it.
Some of the biggest U.S. adven-
tures are accessible from metro
areas, thoroughly civilized spots
where hot showers and après lux-
uries abound. Paddle into San
Diego surf breaks for an early-
morning session, and you could
wrap before the best brunch spots
fill up. Psychedelic sandstone for-
mations near Las Vegas are min-
utes away from the Strip’s over-
the-top pool parties and seafood
towers.
It’s not just creature comforts
tempting outdoorsy travelers to
book city breaks this year. As
national parks face crowding, gas
prices soar and rental cars remain
scarce, urban adventures can be
accessible alternatives to more
far-flung journeys. And such ex-
cursions serve as object lessons in
“nearby nature” — reminders that
meaningful encounters with the
natural world are often closer to
the pavement than we think. In-
trigued? Here’s a highly subjec-
tive, adventure-inspired list of the
best U.S. cities to get you outdoors
this summer. (Population figures
are based on 2022 numbers from
the World Population Review.)
Duluth, Minn.: Mountain
biking paradise
Population: 84,904.
Just six areas on earth have
earned the top-tier gold-level
Ride Center designation from the
International Mountain Bicycling
Association, and they include this
Midwestern lakeport with a more
than 90-mile network of moun-
tain bike trails. Day rides abound,
but for post-trail bragging rights,
take on the ultra-classic 40-mile
Duluth Traverse, a largely begin-
ner-friendly route spanning the
length of the city. It’s not only
about the single track in Duluth,
however. Through-hikers on the
approximately 300-mile Superior
Hiking Trail stroll right through
town, and there are paddlers of all
sorts on the St. Louis River Estu-
ary National Water Trail, with
designated routes that range from
one to 12 miles.
Salt Lake City: An Alpine
flower garden
Population: 200,963.
A matched set of Wasatch
Range glacial valleys known for
feathery snow, SLC’s Big and Lit-
tle Cottonwood canyons become
blooming playgrounds after the
skiers clear out. Both canyons
have plenty of places to fish, cycle
and climb, but all you need to
explore the yearly wildflower bo-
nanza is a sturdy pair of walking
shoes. Hikes to Donut Falls and
Albion Basin showcase lupine, In-
dian paintbrush and Rocky
Mountain Columbine, which gen-
erally peak during mid-July’s
Wasatch Wildflower Festival,
when naturalists lead guided
flower walks.
Miami: The sunshine capital
Population: 483,395.
Asphalt cedes quickly to sand
in Miami. Motivated travelers
might find themselves paddling
with Virginia Key Beach Park
manatees an hour after wheels-
down at MIA. Use the 8.5-mile
Rickenbacker Trail, and you could
even get there by bicycle. Within
city limits, options for sun and
sand feel endless, including South
Beach and the untouched shore-
line that caps Bill Baggs Cape
Florida State Park. But it’s Mi-
ami’s enviable perch near two
spectacular national parks that
vaults the city onto America’s ad-
venture honor roll. Find coral
reefs and mangrove forests with-
in view of downtown at Biscayne
National Park, or head west to
visit the United States’ largest
subtropical wilderness within Ev-
erglades National Park.
Las Vegas: Desert-rat’s
delight
Population: 675,592.
A constellation of desert parks
is ample reward for venturing
beyond the Strip. (There’s a rea-
son legendary rock climber Alex
Honnold makes Vegas home.)
About a half-hour from down-
town is scenic Red Rock Canyon
National Conservation Area,
where hikes to willow-flanked
springs pass rock climbers scaling
some 3,000 routes in the trad,
sport and bouldering sub-disci-
plines. Rock formations turn trip-
py in the 40,000-acre Valley of
Fire State Park, a wonderland of
red Aztec sandstone with petri-
fied logs and Anasazi petroglyphs.
Summer temperatures can soar in
the desert; on the hottest days,
cool off at Lake Mead’s approxi-
mately mile-long Boulder Beach.
Bend, Ore.: Outdoor
#lifestylegoals
Population: 108,824.
You hardly need to ask Bend
newcomers what they came for;
to cyclists, climbers, paddlers and
skiers, outdoor adventure is a way
of life here. Trail runners flock to
51 miles of in-town trails, includ-
ing miles of dirt paths that hew to
the edge of the Deschutes River.
The 37-mile Sisters to Smith Rock
Scenic Bikeway is a romp for road
cyclists, while downhill mountain
bikers head for the lift-served Mt.
Bachelor Bike Park. It’s not all
quite so strenuous: Floating the
Deschutes in a rubber inner tube
is a summertime rite of passage.San Diego: For ocean
explorers
Population: 1,429,650.
An unbroken chain of great
surf spots lines San Diego’s 70-
mile coastline, including begin-
ner-friendly La Jolla Shores and
bigger waves at clothing-optional
Black’s Beach. Water sports of
every kind beckon. Try offshore
fishing for mahi-mahi, scuba div-
ing the HMCS Yukon in “Wreck
Alley” or kayaking through kelp
beds off La Jolla. Dry out on a hike
through the 1,500-acre Torrey
Pines State Natural Reserve,
where trails drop steeply through
sagebrush and chaparral toward
a wide, sandy beach.Flagstaff, Ariz.: Runner’s
world
Population: 78,866.
Olympic running hopefuls
head to Flagstaff to hone their
endurance at altitude, but this
nearly 7,000-foot-high city has
plenty to offer more casual ath-
letes, too. Linking downtown
with canyons and meadows is the
56-mile Flagstaff Urban Trails
System, or you can join the seri-
ous types putting in miles on
scenic Lake Mary Road. Sur-
rounding the city is the world’s
largest contiguous stand of pon-
derosa pine forest, and some of
the finest runs are a romp
through the woods. (Try the 3.5-
mile Schultz Creek Trail, which
connects to a maze of paths with-
in Coconino National Forest.) For
a full immersion in the local
scene, sign up for one of the group
runs listed on the Run Flagstaff
website.Charlotte: White-water
playground
Population: 925,290.
Hand it to Charlotte for making
its own fun. Among the offerings
at its 1,300-acre U.S. National
Whitewater Center is the world’s
largest man-made white-water
river, where visitors can tackle
Class II-IV rapids in kayaks and
stand-up paddleboards or on
guided rafting trips. A ropeless
45-foot climbing wall juts over a
pool of water at its deep-water
solo climbing complex — billed as
the first of its kind — and there are
more than 50 miles of free-to-use
trails for mountain bikers, hikers
and trail runners.Chattanooga, Tenn.:
Multisport wonder
Population: 185,442.
An enviable Tennessee River
Gorge location hints at Chatta-
nooga’s adventure bounty. Think:
orange-and-gray Cumberland
sandstone for the rock climbers,
Lookout Mountain trail running,
a half-dozen mountain bike trail
networks and paddling on the
Tennessee River. If that’s still not
enough, there’s Class III -V white-
water rafting on the Ocoee River,
which runs through nearby Cher-
okee National Forest and hosted
the 1996 Olympic white-water
events. (Still need convincing?
Chattanooga is the only place to
top Outside magazine’s “Best
Town Ever” list twice.) To dip into
the adventure-travel energy here,
stay at climbing-themed hostel
the Crash Pad, where you can
book a bouldering pad with your
room reservation.Burlington, Vt.: Dirt-road
dreaming
Population: 43,185.
Going outside is Burlington’s
whole personality in summer, and
sunny days fill its Lake Cham-
plain waterfront with stand-up
paddleboards, sailboats and kay-
aks. Cyclists come out in force,
and the 13.4-mile Island Line Rail
Trail links the city via seasonal
bike ferry to the Lake Champlain
islands. But Vermont’s unique of-
fering for bikers may be its net-
work of scenic dirt routes — more
than half the state’s roads are
unpaved — which, in recent years,
have seen gravel cycling events
such as Rooted Vermont. With a
home base in Burlington, cyclists
can retrace Rooted Vermont’s
past courses or tackle a few sec-
tions of the Green Mountain
Gravel Growler, a 255-mile, dirt-
road cycling route that links
up some of the state’s best craft
breweries.Smith is a writer based in Vermont.
Her website is jenrosesmith.com.
Find her on Twitter and Instagram:
@jenrosesmithvt.10 great cities in the United States for outdoor adventuresVISIT DULUTH
Duluth, Minn., has a gold-level Ride Center designation from
the International Mountain Bicycling Association.TROY STOLT/CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kayakers paddle up the Tennessee River i n Chattanooga, which
has twice topped Outside magazine’s “Best Town Ever” list.ISTOCK
T wo surfers enter the ocean at Scripps Pier in La Jolla, one of
the many great surf spots along San Diego’s 70-mile coastline.ISTOCK
Climbers walk over a bridge at Smith Rock State Park in
Oregon, where hiking, biking and tubing are among the draws.RAFAEL VILCHES REY/GETTY IMAGES
Everglades National Park, not too far from downtown Miami,
includes the United States’ largest subtropical wilderness.ISTOCK
A kayaker competes at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, a
facility in Charlotte where visitors can tackle a variety of rapids.OLIVIA DARISSE
The Island Line Trail, near Burlington, Vt., extends across part
of Lake Champlain and is popular with bikers.COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST/DISCOVER FLAGSTAFF
The world’s largest contiguous stand of ponderosa pine forest
surrounds Flagstaff, Ariz., providing scenic trails for runners.ISTOCK
Tourists and hikers take photographs of wildflowers at the
annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival near Salt Lake City.ISTOCK
Lake Mead, which offers relief from the desert sun, i s a popular
spot for those who want to venture beyond the Las Vegas Strip.Such excursions serve as object lessons in “nearby nature” —reminders that meaningful encounters with the natural worldare often closer to the pavement than we think.