10 Great Outdoor Towns for Retirement
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 19, 2021 — If you are a retiree looking for a place to retire that offers superior outdoor recreational opportunities – you are in luck! There are countless towns in this country where mountains, lakes, rivers, or trails are just outside your door. In addition to traditional activities like tennis, golf, and fishing, these retirement destinations usually provide great hiking, skiing, water sports, etc.. Here are our top 10 picks for great outdoor places to retire.
10 Great Retirement Towns for Outdoor Activities
Bend, Oregon. Located on the Deschutes River on the eastern edge of the Cascades, the area offers great scenic beauty, skiing, mountains, golf, fishing, and more. Word about how nice this city is has gotten out: the population keeps increasing by leaps and bounds.
Burlington, Vermont. On the eastern shore of Lake Champlain you will find this town, home to the vibrant University of Vermont. Burlington is very popular with outdoor loving retirees who also want the youth and enthusiasm provided by a major university. Mountain bikers enjoy many great trails such as “The International”, which is about 20 minutes outside of town. Nearby ski resorts including Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Smugglers Notch, and Stowe, which now offer year round recreation. For the recreational bicyclist/walker/jogger there is the Island Rail2Trail path, which has 8 miles right along Lake Champlain.
Comments on "10 Great Outdoor Towns for Retirement"
LS says:
Obviously, Reno is in Nevada and some distance from Tahoe, California.
Editor's Comment: Thanks LS. We accidentally had Tahoe listed when we were describing Reno. Now corrected.
pookie says:
Tahoe is actually only 58 miles from Reno, just a tad over one hour's drive.
Staci says:
Reno is a great up and coming town, but know that housing prices and apartments rents have skyrocketed. Reno is high desert, so the temperatures routinely reach the high 90+ in the summer. There is very low humidity, no rain and little shade. The constant heat and sun can be brutal. It’s almost impossible to enjoy any active activities during the day.
Tahoe is a ride over the mountains where you can escape the heat, but the crowds in all seasons now have become overwhelming. Friends have left early morning from Reno to ski or go to the lake only to turn around as it was impossible to get to either.
Caroline says:
I would add Chattanooga, TN to your list. It has won awards as the Best Outdoor City many years over the last decade in Outdoor Magazine and elsewhere.. It hosts Ironman challenges and the second largest crew race (Head of the Hooch) and you have easy access to lakes, rivers, and mountains. And the low cost of living makes it worthy of serious consideration for retirement.