
In-depth guides to the places worth the trip, and an Adventure Score for every US town: 0 to 100 for how much quality outdoor sport is close by.
Spots, seasons, travel and budget. Highest Adventure Score first.
Every guide and every US place we score, highest Adventure Score first. Switch to “Guides first” to see the in-depth guides on top.
20 places
Mendoza, Argentina · Forest
Argentine wine region with Andes climbing, hiking, and mountain biking in desert foothills.
Destination guide →Ancash, Peru · Alpine
Peruvian Andes climbing hub: ice climbing, mountaineering, and access to the Cordillera Blanca's highest peaks.
Destination guide →Brazil · Water
Northeast Brazil's kiteboarding epicenter: consistent trade winds, tropical beaches, and world-class thermal conditions.
Destination guide →Rio Negro, Argentina · Water
Patagonian lakes and mountains: granite climbing, wildflower hiking, and Andean glacier views.
Destination guide →CO · Alpine
Colombia's adventure hub: trekking cloud forests, climbing peaks, and navigating diverse terrain.
Destination guide →Santa Cruz, Argentina · Forest
Argentina's Patagonian climbing capital: granite spires, technical rock, and summit views across the Southern Ice Field.
Destination guide →Argentina · Water
Patagonian granite spires, glaciers, and trekking in South America's wildest mountain range.
Destination guide →La Paz, Bolivia · Alpine
High-altitude Andean metropolis: climbing peaks, technical trekking, and urban mountain culture.
Destination guide →Cusco, Peru · Alpine
Andean city with high-altitude trekking, Incan ruins, mountain biking, and cloud forest trails nearby.
Destination guide →Magallanes, Chile · Forest
Gateway to Patagonia's granite towers — where legends begin
Destination guide →Los Lagos, Chile · Water
Turquoise Patagonian river town where Class IV-V whitewater, kayak schools and quiet lakes sit at the end of a long gravel road.
Destination guide →La Libertad, Peru · Water
Home of the world's longest left-hand wave, a protected point break on Peru's north coast
Destination guide →Los Lagos, Chile · Forest
Chile's granite Yosemite: a remote, rainforest-wrapped valley of 1,000 m walls reached only on foot or horseback.
Destination guide →Ceará, Brazil · Water
Brazil's windy-coast kite village 25 km from Fortaleza: steady July-January trade winds, ocean chop on the beach, flat lagoons behind the dunes.
Destination guide →Piauí, Brazil · Water
A cobblestone kite village on Brazil's Piauí coast, with steady 18-24 knot trade winds and warm, flat water from July to January.
Destination guide →Galápagos, Ecuador · Water
A volcanic archipelago on the equator where you dive with hammerheads, sea lions and marine iguanas, from day boats or week-long liveaboards.
Destination guide →O'Higgins, Chile · Water
Chile's surf capital, home of the Punta de Lobos left point break
Destination guide →Valparaíso, Chile · Alpine
A single yellow hotel on the shore of the Laguna del Inca, high in the Andes: Southern Hemisphere ski racing history and a compact, all-inclusive ski week when North America is in summer.
Destination guide →Aysén, Chile · Water
Gateway to the Marble Caves: paddle a glacial lake into carved marble chapels
Destination guide →Santiago Metropolitan, Chile · Alpine
Andean ski country 46 km from Santiago: three linked resorts, a high-altitude base and a summer gondola.
Destination guide →