The Most Fun Outdoor Activities for Adults – Ranked!

Outdoor activities for adults bring many mental and physical health benefits that can prolong life and, more importantly, the quality of life. In fact, Harvard University links outdoor activities to increased levels of vitamin D, higher exercise output, better concentration, elevated levels of happiness, and even faster healing.
In the following article, we’ll be going over the best outdoor activities that you can do as an adult. To give you the most bang for your buck, we’ve broken them down into the top five types along with some of our favorite examples of each. Let’s begin!
1. Man vs. Nature
Activities such as hiking and camping are extremely popular among adults, who often see these beneficial to group participation. A weekend hike among families is a great way to commune with nature and test your resolve on unpredictable terrain. Likewise, camping offers a chance to untether from modern technological distractions and get back to nature.
Other examples of “Man vs. Nature” might include star-gazing, rock climbing, picnicking, and outdoor photography. The goal is to test your mettle in some way, be it physical, visual, or artistic, in a setting that’s just you and nature.
2. Backyard Games
You could make a whole list of outdoor activities based around what goes on in backyards and community playgrounds across the world. From badminton to anything in an above-ground pool, wiffleball to kickball, soccer to flag football, there is no end to the opportunities for fun and competition.
That said, it’s definitely more fun in a group. So make sure you’ve got a solid core of adult friends you can draw from before placing all your chips in the backyard basket.
3. Watersports and Recreation
One type of activity that’ll always show up on a list of outdoor activities for adults is watersports and recreation. Think water-skiing, canoeing, paddle-boating, swimming.
If you live in the right area for it, you might consider surfing here as well. And for lower-impact activities, you could group fishing and boating into the mix as well.
4. Exercising Outdoors
Thus far, the fun outdoor activities we’ve shared have been the type you could do even if weren’t a big fan of exercising. But why should that be?
Exercise is not some type of boogeyman. It actually can be fun, and you can use the outdoors to enhance that through activities like mountain biking, cycling, running, walking, or even pogo-sticking! For a quieter yet equally fulfilling exercise, you might consider sunrise or sunset yoga classes.
5. Events
The very best outdoor activities don’t have to be about exertion or calorie-burning at all. Or, they can be a mix of the two. Events like group paintball, escape room festivities, and a half- or full-marathon allow you to enjoy the activity as part of a group with a sense of accomplishment waiting at the end.
For the more entertainment-driven, look for outdoor concerts, movies in the park events, or some type of cultural festival (i.e., wine festivals, grape festivals, etc.).
These Outdoor Activities for Adults Will Keep You Going
As you can see, the best outdoor activities for adults combine culture, exercise, interaction with nature, and fun to get you excited about life outside the walls. But before heading out, make sure you check out more of the Best of Everything right here at Squidoo IT.