This State Was Named the Best Place for Outdoor Adventure-and It Has Gorgeous National Parks and Dramatic Western Views

"Some travelers love vacations that involve doing absolutely nothing-trips where lounging by the beach or pool, napping, reading, or going for a light swim are the most rigorous activities on the agenda. Other travelers, however, crave trips that are a bit more ... active, whether that means hiking, biking, or parasailing. If you fall into the latter category, you should consider heading to Wyoming for your next trip, according to Wander."

"The luxury vacation rental company recently conducted a study, its American Adventure Index, to find out which U.S. states "make outdoor travel feel effortless." For its analysis, Wander ranked the 50 states on "on access to land, water, and winter experiences," pulling in data on the number of ski resorts, mountain biking trails, horseback riding trails, hiking trails, national parks, camping sites, water sports listings, and national park recreation visits statistics for 2025. The numbers were all adjusted per 100,000 residents."

"With an impressive number of hiking trails (187.9 trails per 100,000 people) and a final tally of 9.45, the Cowboy State came out on top. For context, Wander reports that the national average for hiking trails is 51.9. The state's two incredibly popular national parks, Grand Teton and Yellowstone, also contributed to its No. 1 position. While Wyoming may be conducive to Type 1 fun-think snowmobiling, rock climbing, backpacking, etc-it's not the only state plentiful in outdoor adventures."

Wander's American Adventure Index ranked states by access to land, water, and winter experiences using per-100,000-resident data on ski resorts, mountain-biking and hiking trails, horseback riding trails, national parks, camping sites, water-sports listings, and national-park recreation visits for 2025. Wyoming ranked first with a score of 9.45, driven by 187.9 hiking trails per 100,000 people and the presence of Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Alaska placed second with a 9.2 score, featuring eight national parks and abundant hiking and biking trails. Montana ranked third with an 8.85 score and a high number of horseback riding trails per capita.

Read at Travel + Leisure