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It depends on how you define ”large metro” and ”mountains”.
The best metro area for outdoors and the mountains.....no contest is the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metro area.
Is it a ”large” metro??? Depends what you think about 750,000 as a large or small metro area.
But Spokane has easier and quicker access to the North Cascades National Park Complex than Seattle.
It has quick access to the Canadian Rockies. There are mountains, but the Canadian Rockies trump ”normal” mountains.
Then the east, the Rockies in Idaho and Montana.
To the south the Wallowa's Range directly to the south.
For Seattle, nothing wrong with the Cascades and Olympics, but they are really boring compared to the mountains easily accessible from Spokane.
As a Forester that has lived throughout the west, that is my PROFESSIONAL opinion and I am sticking to it.
Why Lie ? I've lived in Washington my whole life . Anyway Google Maps puts Spokane 6 1/2 hours from North Cascades National Park. And Seattle is 2 hours according to Google Maps. Also Google maps has Seattle at 2 hours from Olympic National Park and 2 1/2 from Mt Rainer National park.
Certainly Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and Colorado Springs would be better than most on your list, though not as large. You can walk into the mountains in Albuquerque and maybe SLC.
I'd actually be interested in making a second poll for smaller metros and including all three, but I'm not sure how to sidestep it being taken down.
Why Lie ? I've lived in Washington my whole life . Anyway Google Maps puts Spokane 6 1/2 hours from North Cascades National Park. And Seattle is 2 hours according to Google Maps. Also Google maps has Seattle at 2 hours from Olympic National Park and 2 1/2 from Mt Rainer National park.
Yea I think 509 was stretching a bit. Seattle is much closer to North Cascades than Spokane. That is not a knock on Spokane though. Spokane has some great stuff to the north in the Selkirk range, and it is “relatively” close to the Canadian Rockies. Spokane is a great spot for mountain sports.
For the simple question of 100 miles / 2 hours (weekend distance) access to big mountains and alpine terrain, Denver cannot be beat, from the major cities OR smaller mentioned metros. There is a TON of easily accessible alpine terrain and more trails in that area, more than a normal person would ever have time to hike. More skiing acres than anywhere else in that radius as well.
The CO Rockies, particularly the Front Range(s), are the most accessible mountains in the west US by a long shot. Other ranges are sexier and more lush and more pristine, but for access, the Front Range wins, thanks to those miners back in the day putting roads all over the place...
I 70 and the other highways out of Denver are a blessing and a curse. Weekend traffic means 2 hrs doesn't get you far, but weekday traffic means you can access a LOT more terrain than smaller areas can because interstate travel is so much faster than backroad. Beyond that, there's a ton of paved and not too gnarly gravel roads in the mountains around Denver.
If you want close by weekday access, other cities like Colorado Springs rank better. But for the question of 1-2 day drive range access, Denver handily beats SLC, Seattle, COS, Albuquerque, Boise... SLC would need the Uinta Range flipped vertically and more accessible to compete.
Saying all this though, there's a LOT to be said for flora and variety. Put those into the mix and this becomes a much more debatable topic. Beetle killed spruce and lodgepoles put a dent in the outdoor experience.
Yes, you see the Sierra Nevada from Sacramento and you can see the Coast Ranges from Sacramento at the same time. When driving down I-5 you can see Mt. Diablo (Coast Ranges) to the southwest, and look east and see the Sierra Nevada Mts.
The question is about ACCESS to mountains, Sacramento is by far CLOSER to the Sierra Nevada than any California Coastal city and CLOSER to the Sierra Nevada than every single major western city except for Reno.
From Sacramento, you can go west and be in the Redwood filled Coast Range mountains, Or go East and be in the Sierra Nevada. Two very different mountain ranges; in two very different climates, and both climates different than Sacramento, in as little as 45 minutes and no longer than 2 hours depending on where you are going.
Mountains from Fresno State via a cellphone camera. Show me the mountain views from Sacramento state to compare(sac State= east sac. Fresno State = east Fresno)
Sac has a lot going for itself, buts it's mountain access is overrated on this forum.
Can't agree there, chim. And if you want underrated access, look into Bakersfield. Nobody talks about Bakersfield, but it has pretty sweet and quick access.
Edit:
Another way to look at it
1 hour from
Sac=4k elevation
Fresno=6k+ elevation
Denver=8k+ elevation at least. 9k+ isn't out of the question.
I voted Denver
Last edited by dontbelievehim; 11-22-2021 at 06:24 PM..
Saying all this though, there's a LOT to be said for flora and variety. Put those into the mix and this becomes a much more debatable topic. Beetle killed spruce and lodgepoles put a dent in the outdoor experience.
Not just flora, but the diversity of terrain from stratovolcano Mount Rainier glaciers to the Olympic ridge also makes a difference in the outdoor experience.
Seattle Ballard neighborhood with Olympics in distance, own photo
Seattle sunrise with Mount Rainier in back, own photo this week
I don't agree, but I do agree with you about the San Joaquin Valley it should be its own state, from Modesto down to Bakersfield, and Bako does has good access to mountain ranges.
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