Vancouver
Blessed with a mild climate, fabulous natural setting, and excellent public-use facilities, Vancouverites, unsurprisingly, are an outdoorsy lot. It's not uncommon for locals to commute to work by foot or bike and, after hours, they're as likely to hit the water, trails, ski slopes, or beach volleyball courts as the bars or nightclubs.
Exceptional for North American cities, the downtown peninsula of Vancouver is entirely encircled by a seawall along which you can walk, in-line skate (which is still quite popular in Vancouver), cycle, or otherwise propel yourself for more than 22 km (13½ miles), with plenty of picturesque jumping-on and -off points. It's so popular that it qualifies as an, albeit unofficial, national treasure. There are places along the route where you can windsurf, kayak, or simply go for a swim. Top-rated skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, fishing, diving, and golf are just minutes away by car or transit.
You'll find rental equipment and tour operators in Vancouver for every imaginable outdoor activity, from tandem bikes for Stanley Park trails to stand-up paddleboards on Granville Island or Kitsilano Beach. Yoga studios seem to be around every corner and hiking trails materialize just at the end of the road. Hotel concierges can recommend the best wilderness trails just as easily as they can top sushi spots. To buy or rent gear, head to Mountain Equipment Co-op, a local institution.
