active things to do (vs things to see)

[violet49]

hello!

I'm new here, so hi! awesome site! anyway, I am moving to LA this summer from Boston, and will probably be driving out one-way. I'll be going with my boyfriend - we are both in our mid 20s. I don't really care what route we take, or if it takes 5 days or 14 days. The thing is though, I'm looking for interesting things to do for younger people our age. It seems that a lot of the road-tripping things "to do" are touristy roadside attractions and natural wonders to look at. The gimmicky roadside things don't really do it for me, though natural wonders do (being from the east coast, the west anything makes me ooh and ahh :) . But my boy and I are both athletic, active, antsy people who want to find activities to -do-, rather just things to see.

Anyone out there have some good suggestions for active things they have done, in nature or not, while on a road trip? I went cross-country 7 years ago and did some spelunking in S Dakota caves, which was amazing. Things I definitely want to find are somewhere with natural hot springs and maybe some mountain biking (where bike rentals can be found). Any suggestions for those things and more would be greatly appreciated!

thanks - and we'll be going in late june/early july for reference.

[PNW Judy]

I'm not sure I understand your concern. Every national park and other "natural wonders to look at" have activities. I don't know of a national park or forest that doesn't have recreational activities like river-rafting, hiking, mountain biking, spelunking, hot springs, etc. It just depends on what kind of natural wonder it is. I mean, if there's no river, there's no river-rafting but, if there is, chances there is. Outfitters that can either take you on these excursions or rent you the equipment to go on your own are usually found in towns or visitor centers near the parks. Of course, sometimes you will need permits from the national park/forest, state park, whatever agency is in charge of the park.

It's a bit hard to give you recommendations without knowing specifically what route you're planning on taking. Or does the route depend on the recreational activities to be found along the way?

The search tool on the green bar above should give you some ideas. Just type in the kind of activity you're seeking. I'm sure there will be posts here about it somewhere. Also, you might try this recreational website that has a list of activities in the bottom-right corner that you can search on. Gorp has a lot of good information, too. Or use the advanced search tool at the National Park Service website to find parks that offer that activity. If you type in the name of a specific state followed by the word tourism, you will usually go to that state's tourism website and they always list activities around their state. You could also type in something specific like "colorado spelunking". That brought me to this page with information about spelunking but also some other things like paragliding, hot air ballooning, etc.

Hope this helps. Once you get some idea of what route you're taking and where you're going, please let us help you fine-tune your trip. And share with us anything thrilling you've found.

[violet49]

hi,

thanks for the response! the route doesn't really matter. i'm basically wondering if people have any -specific- recommendations about active things to do and places to go that are can't miss things, that's all.

[W. Larrison]

As a couple of random suggestions for things you might want to do.. and in the them of "get out of the car and go do something!!" ...

- Do some planning and grab your day packs and do a "14" peak in Colorado. That is, plan a day hike to one of the several summits in Colorado you can day hike up to that are 14,000' or over in altitude.

- Stop in Moab and do some mountain biking. Moab is considered one of the best mountain biking places in the country, with lots of trails and interesting rides.

- Stop at the Grand Canyon and plan on an overnighter hike down, and then back up into the Canyon.

- Stop in the Mojave National Preserve and go run some of the dunes near Kelso, or stay overnight at Hole-in-the-Wall campground and take the short trail near there. You have to climb up and down via some rings in the wall, which is a gas..

This the type of stuff you're interested in? And if you are, I do urge some preparation for safety and the usual 10 essentials for heading out for a day somewhere.

[violet49]

yes, this stuff is totally up my alley. thank you for these suggestions! i do a considerable amount of hiking/camping so I am familiar with the safety concerns, but will be especially vigilant what with summer temperatures in the desert :)

[Mass Tim]

We like to get out of the car in places such as state parks that have trails to either hike or bike around lunch time. If there's no designated wooded biking trails, we tend to cruise around certain interesting towns to get a feel for the area; even though we're just passing through it gives a better sense of having "been there" than just driving by the town.

I don't know that I've ever felt more relaxed than when biking through Western Ohio through the rolling hills of that farm country, with little vehicle traffic to be concerned with.