Wyoming Tops States for Outdoor Adventures
Wyoming has been ranked the best U.S. state for outdoor adventures, thanks to its abundance of hiking, biking, skiing, water sports, camping, and national parks per capita. Alaska and Montana round out the top three, highlighting the appeal of wide-open Western landscapes. This week saw dramatic rescues including a 15-year-old Boy Scout saved near Mount Washington's summit after a severe allergic reaction and a hiker airlifted near Big Sur after being stranded by rising creek waters.
- Wyoming's top ranking is bolstered by the economic impact of its outdoor sector, which contributed $2.2 billion to the state's GDP in 2023 and accounted for over 15,700 jobs. - The rescue on Mount Washington highlights the peak's notorious dangers; it holds the record for the highest non-tornado wind speed ever measured (231 mph) and has claimed over 150 lives since 1849. - To rescue the 15-year-old Boy Scout from Mount Washington's summit, New Hampshire State Parks crews utilized a Snowcat vehicle to ascend the auto road and transport him down the mountain to emergency medical services. - While Western states dominate outdoor rankings, some analyses place states like California at the top due to having the most hiking trails (over 13,000) and the highest number of national (9) and state (280) parks. - The dangers of winter hiking were also highlighted this week in New York, where a 21-year-old hiker died from hypothermia near the summit of Mount Marcy after she slipped off the trail in deep snow. - In the Big Sur rescue, a California Highway Patrol helicopter hoisted a hiker with a knee injury from the Barlow Flats Campground, utilizing nearly all of its 164 feet of hoist cable to navigate the dense tree canopy.
