How Geography Shapes America’s Favorite Outdoor Activities and Fitness Habits (2024)

From Coastal Paddle Boarders to Midwestern Cyclists: Landscapes Define Training Preferences

When you’re looking to step into the great outdoors and get some fresh air, what is your go-to activity? Are you an avid hiker or mountain biker? Perhaps you’re a water sports enthusiast or want to seek thrills from horseback riding or zip lining. 

Our experts at Garage Gym Reviews got curious about the best outdoor activities around the country and put together a survey to see what folks had to say about the outdoors and general physical activity. We were blown away with the response of more than 2,000 respondents across the country, all over the age of 18. 

We found that Americans have favorite outdoor activities based on their geographic location. But this probably isn’t surprising, because America’s landscape is very distinct in each region. You can even think about our National Parks: Acadia is vastly different from Yellowstone. 

If you live close to a State Park or National Forest with miles of trails versus the ocean or a body of water, you’re more likely to take a bike ride over scuba diving. Plus, your training for each activity will be different, too. 

With over 2,000 survey participants, we put respondents into one of four regions based on the state they live in: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. 

• Northeast region includes: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia.
• Midwest region includes: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas.
• South region includes: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.
• West region includes: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii.

Key Findings

• West Coast Tops National Activity Charts: 88.9% of western respondents report being physically active to help them top the list. 
• Paddleboarding & Rock Climbing Stand Out: Stand-up paddleboarding is the top choice in the West (28.4%), Midwest (24.2%), and South (21.3%), while rock climbing is most popular in the Northeast (25.1%)
• The Midwest Focused on Mental Health: 70% of midwestern respondents reported mental health as a motivation to exercise, the most by any region. 
• Northeast Dominates Indoor Workouts: With 46% choosing to work out inside their homes and 22% preferring in a gym, these 68% are the highest total percentage to prefer exercising inside. 
• West Coast Prioritizes Strength & Mobility Training: 47% of people prefer strength training and 12% picked mobility exercises, showing a trend toward diverse fitness routines. 

Most Physically Active Regions of the U.S.

Based on the survey responses, we found that some regions are more active than others. In your experience, do you find that to be true? 

• The west coast is the most active region in the U.S., as 88.9% of respondents from the western states reported being active, just beating out the northeast region with 88.8% of folks. 
• Southern states came in as our least active region in the U.S. with 86.8% of people being active, coming in under the overall activity rate of 87.8%. 

Favorite Outdoor Activity by Region 

Our survey shows that Americans are enthusiastic about outdoor adventures like mountain biking, hiking, backpacking trips, and campground tenting. According to the 2024 Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report¹ sponsored by KOA (Kampgrounds of America), active campers across the USA and Canada have increased by 68% over the last decade. 

While there were far less responses on canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting, one of the most popular responses was paddleboarding, a water sport that requires a healthy dose of core stability and balance. 

RELATED: Guide to Outdoor Training

Let’s see what outdoor activities folks across the country prefer: 

• Paddleboarding No. 1 Pick Across Multiple Regions: The top outdoor activity in the West (28.4%), Midwest (24.2%), and South (21.3%). 
• Rock Climbing Peaks in Northeast: With 25.1% picking the adventurous sport as their favorite outdoor activity. They also had the most votes for obstacle course racing (15.6%) of all the regions. 
• Disc Golf Gains Traction: The 3rd ranking activity in the West (18.2%), Midwest (17.4%), and South (13.3%). 

Fitness Preferences by Region

In addition to outdoor activities, we also asked survey participants to select their preferred method of exercise. We are not surprised to learn the top ways to exercise across the United States are walking, running, strength training, cycling, swimming, and yoga. 

RELATED: Indoor vs Outdoor Cycling

How Each Region Prefers to Work Out

• Walking is the No. 1 Exercise Everywhere: High preference across all regions (Midwest 84%, South and West 82%, Northeast 81%).
• Strength Training Popularity Varies Regionally: Higher in the West (47%) and Northeast (46%) compared to the Midwest and South (41%).
• Northeast Favors Running Most: Running is highest in the Northeast (31%) versus other regions.
• Cycling Most Popular in the Midwest: Highest preference in the Midwest (22%), lower in the South (19%) and similar in Northeast and West (20%).
• Mobility Exercises Most Favored in the West: Preferred more in the West (12%) than in other regions (around 10%).

Where Each Region Enjoys Exercising

Overall, 77% of respondents prefer to work out at home, while 43% prefer to workout inside a commercial gym, and 34% said they’d rather be at home but outside. 

Let’s look at how where they live impacted these responses: 

• The south and west regions had the highest percentage of people who prefer to exercise at home, both being 78%. 
• Northeast has the strongest preference for indoor at-home workouts (46%).
• The gym was most popular among the northeastern region respondents (22%), while the west had the lowest percentage (15%). 
• West prefers outdoor home workouts the most (38%) and northeast has the smallest portion (29%). 

RELATED: Best Home Gym Equipment

Motivations to Exercise Across the USA

In addition to understanding America’s favorite outdoor activities, we also wanted to know what motivates folks across the country to work out. We understand motivations vary from person to person, but we aimed to find out if geographical location impacted the incentive to exercise. 

Across all regions, maintaining physical health was the No. 1 reason people worked out, with 89% of our survey participants responding with that answer.

Here’s a look at each region’s motivations: 

• 70% of midwesterners mentioned their mental health as a reason they exercise. This was the most by any region, just beating out the Northeast at 69%.
• The Northeast leads in muscle gain motivation, with 40% of respondents working out to build muscle, more than any other region.
• In the South, 50% of respondents focus on weight loss, making it a key motivator, while physical health remains a strong driver at 86%.
• The Midwest and West tie for the top focus on physical health, with 91% of respondents in both regions citing it as their primary reason for working out.

Favorite Outdoor Activities: Final Thoughts

From our survey, we learned that your geographical location impacts the types of outdoor activities you choose to participate in and your preferred method of exercising. However, there are a ton of similarities from coast to coast. For example, stand-up paddle boarding, rock climbing, and disc golf are some of the most popular outdoor activities throughout the United States. 

Favorite Outdoor Activities: FAQs

Fair Use Statement

If you have any questions about the information mentioned above, would like state-specific data or are interested in an interview, please feel free to get in touch with Jonathan Weissberg (jonathan@email.garagegymreviews.com), the Fitness Research Director at Garage Gym Reviews. You are welcome to use any of the findings, data, and graphs from this report, but we do ask that you please provide a link back to our study to cite the original data source.

References

1. Kampgrounds of America Inc. (n.d.). Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report. KOA. 
2. Outdoor Foundation. (n.d.). 2023 Outdoor Participation Trends Report. Outdoor Industry Association. 
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Adult Activity: An Overview. CDC. 
4. Gladwell, V. F., Brown, D. K., Wood, C., Sandercock, G. R., & Barton, J. L. (2013). The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all. Extreme Physiology & Medicine, 2(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-7648-2-3