This Map Shows How Outdoorsy Your State Is

In most big cities, the closest you get to the great outdoors is taking a stroll through a public park, only to encounter local wildlife like squirrels, homeless people, and more squirrels. For some people, this is enough. For the rest of us, though, a wealth of natural resources and activities await in the vastness of America's plentiful backcountry -- boozy river tubing, for instance.

The fact that not all states offer the same level of rural engagement is undeniable, which is why the folks behind Retale decided to rank the fifty nifty by their "outdoorsiness." They took a variety of factors into account, from the number of national parks in each state to their total miles of national recreation trails, and while each of these categories yielded their own specific ranking, Retale simplified things by combining them all into one unified ranking for the ages. The infographic below says it all:

California took the no. 1 spot, thanks to its unparalleled number of rock climbing locations (14,764) and campgrounds (663) -- it's no wonder Californians exercise the most in the country. New York's 1,288mi of recreation trails and 26 national parks landed it in second place, meanwhile, with Pennsylvania's 2,466 rock climbing locations nipping at its heels in third place.

Oh, and the least outdoorsy state? That honor goes to Delaware, with only 22mi of recreation trails and no national parks at all. Yes, it's the second-smallest state after Rhode Island (which fared slightly better in 49th place), so maybe it's not a very fair comparison. North Dakota, meanwhile has no excuse: it landed in 48th place, proving once again that there's really no reason to ever go to North Dakota.


Gianni Jaccoma is a staff writer for Thrillist, and if there's a spiderweb anywhere in the woods, he's guaranteed to walk through it. Follow his screams on Twitter @gjaccoma, and send your news tips to news@thrillist.com