Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts

A record number of 181.1 million Americans, nearly 60% of the population aged 6 and older, participated in outdoor recreation, according to the latest data from the Outdoor Industry Association. From water sports to geocaching to hunting, outdoor activities provide physical and mental health benefits for individuals while helping states attract tourists, support local businesses and preserve natural areas.

To highlight the best states for outdoor enthusiasts, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from national parks per capita to geocaches per capita to forest and conservation workers per capita.

If you want to support organizations promoting outdoor recreation and preservation but don’t know where to donate, check out our picks for the Best Charities for Sports & Recreation in 2026.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Environmental Quality Rank	Outdoor Activity Access Rank	Economic Impact & Job Opportunities Rank
1	Montana	64.21	12	1	4
2	Alaska	63.12	1	11	1
3	Colorado	60.95	9	3	7
4	Utah	59.65	21	2	11
5	Vermont	57.92	5	9	5
6	Washington	56.75	15	7	9
7	Maine	55.69	4	12	14
8	Oregon	53.96	35	4	15
9	Wyoming	53.32	3	19	2
10	South Dakota	52.19	20	17	3
11	Minnesota	51.91	39	8	23
12	Michigan	51.29	40	5	45
13	California	50.81	46	6	16
14	Idaho	50.72	18	14	24
15	New York	50.45	6	16	43
16	Arizona	49.13	36	10	28
17	Hawaii	48.98	2	25	6
18	New Hampshire	48.08	8	21	13
19	Pennsylvania	47.39	33	13	47
20	Wisconsin	46.65	41	15	25
21	New Mexico	46.64	10	20	30
22	Florida	45.69	7	22	8
23	Texas	42.86	48	18	18
24	North Carolina	41.10	23	23	22
25	Virginia	40.08	11	26	19
26	Tennessee	35.94	22	28	17
27	Massachusetts	35.65	13	30	36
28	Ohio	35.50	47	24	34
29	North Dakota	33.83	25	32	12
30	Missouri	33.53	30	33	20
31	Maryland	32.95	14	36	44
32	Connecticut	31.85	26	34	42
33	West Virginia	30.52	16	37	37
34	Georgia	30.29	38	35	32
35	Iowa	29.39	44	31	46
36	Indiana	29.19	49	27	41
37	South Carolina	29.06	31	38	27
38	Nebraska	28.69	24	40	33
39	Delaware	28.35	37	46	10
40	Illinois	28.28	50	29	38
41	Alabama	28.26	29	41	35
42	New Jersey	27.83	17	43	48
43	Nevada	27.37	42	39	21
44	Rhode Island	27.26	28	45	29
45	Louisiana	27.25	19	49	31
46	Kansas	25.52	45	42	26
47	Kentucky	24.89	34	44	49
48	Arkansas	24.80	27	48	39
49	Oklahoma	23.16	43	47	40
50	Mississippi	20.66	32	50	50

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

 

Methodology

In order to determine the best states for outdoor enthusiasts, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Environmental Quality, 2) Outdoor Activity Access and 3) Economic Impact & Job Opportunities.

We evaluated those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best conditions for outdoor enthusiasts. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Environmental Quality - Total Points: 20

• Air Pollution: Triple Weight (~8.57 Points)
  Note: Average exposure of the general public to particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less, measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
• Share of Land Designated for Parks and Wildlife: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Share of Forest Coverage: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Shoreline Miles: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• National Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Outdoor Activity Access - Total Points: 70

• Sports & Recreation Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Share of Adults Reporting No Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Cost of a Hunting License: Half Weight (~3.50 Points)
• Cost of a Fishing License: Half Weight (~3.50 Points)
• Geocaches per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.
• Miles of Hiking Trails: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Hiking Trails per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Ski Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Camping Sports per Capita*: Double Weight (~14.00 Points)
• Dark Sky Areas per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: Dark sky areas are locations with low light pollution that are ideal for stargazing.

Economic Impact & Job Opportunities - Total Points: 10

• Outdoor Gear Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: This composite metric is a proxy for outdoor gear stores and is calculated with REI locations per capita* and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s locations per capita*.
• Outdoor Recreation Economic Impact: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: Note: This composite metric includes the outdoor recreation value added per capita and the outdoor recreation employment per capita.
• Forest and Conservation Workers per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Health Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Tackle Village, Geocaching.com, Destination Hikers, TrailForks, Go Astronomy, REI and Bass Pro Shops.