Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Outdoor activities from water sports to searching for geocaches to hunting provide a wide range of benefits for states and their citizens. For individuals, being in nature boosts their physical and mental health. For states, the presence of outdoor activities provides an economic benefit, while also helping preserve natural areas through increased participation in conservation efforts.

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 air pollution to outdoor gear stores per capita to the economic impact of outdoor recreation.

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 2025.

• 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	63.24	12	1	5
2	Alaska	63.06	1	12	1
3	Colorado	61.96	10	3	2
4	Washington	57.90	14	4	9
5	Utah	57.44	21	2	10
6	Vermont	57.21	4	11	6
7	South Dakota	55.17	20	13	4
8	Maine	54.84	6	14	15
9	Wyoming	53.79	3	19	3
10	Oregon	53.60	35	5	23
11	California	51.28	46	6	16
12	Minnesota	51.08	39	8	26
13	Idaho	50.81	17	16	12
14	Michigan	50.14	40	7	44
15	New York	49.60	5	17	45
16	Arizona	49.18	36	9	28
17	Hawaii	48.98	2	25	7
18	Pennsylvania	48.17	32	10	49
19	Florida	47.84	7	22	11
20	New Hampshire	47.54	8	20	14
21	Wisconsin	46.69	41	15	24
22	New Mexico	45.69	9	21	31
23	Texas	42.12	48	18	22
24	North Carolina	40.46	23	24	21
25	Virginia	39.60	11	26	18
26	Massachusetts	36.66	13	29	32
27	Tennessee	36.35	22	28	17
28	Ohio	35.92	47	23	36
29	North Dakota	33.45	25	33	13
30	Missouri	33.40	29	31	19
31	Maryland	33.13	15	36	42
32	Connecticut	31.57	26	34	41
33	West Virginia	31.21	16	37	38
34	Georgia	31.08	38	35	25
35	Indiana	29.69	49	27	39
36	South Carolina	28.83	31	38	29
37	Iowa	28.73	44	32	46
38	New Jersey	28.57	19	40	48
39	Delaware	28.53	37	46	8
40	Louisiana	28.27	18	49	33
41	Nebraska	28.15	24	43	34
42	Rhode Island	28.09	28	44	30
43	Illinois	27.71	50	30	35
44	Alabama	27.52	30	42	37
45	Nevada	27.28	42	39	20
46	Kansas	25.63	45	41	27
47	Arkansas	25.62	27	48	43
48	Kentucky	24.98	34	47	47
49	Oklahoma	24.29	43	45	40
50	Mississippi	17.92	33	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, Hooked in Fishing, Geocaching.com, Destination Hikers, TrailForks, Go Astronomy, REI and Bass Pro Shops.