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60 Examples of Outdoor Activities

John Spacey, updated on December 06, 2023

Outdoor activities include any form of leisure, recreation, sport, play or cultural activity that can be enjoyed outdoors. Humans evolved in the outdoors and are intensely attracted to fresh air, nature and places of natural beauty. It is common for people to feel that the simple act of walking or sitting in the outdoors is beneficial to their sense of well-being. As such, access to the outdoors can be viewed as a human right. Outdoors activities can include personal reflection, social activities and exercise. The following are common examples of outdoor activities.

Archery	Badminton
Baseball	Basketball
Beach Volleyball	Beekeeping
Birdwatching	Bodyboarding
Camping	Canoeing
Capture the Flag	Cricket
Cross-country Skiing	Cycling
Diving	Dodgeball
Dragon Boat Racing	Fishing
Football	Free Play
Frisbee	Gardening
Hacky Sack	Hide and Seek
Hiking	Hopscotch
Horseback Riding	Ice Skating
Inline Skating	Kayaking
Keep Away (Ball)	Kite Flying
Landscape Painting	Lawn Bowling
Mountaineering	Outrigger Canoeing
Photography	Picnics
Rock Climbing	Rowing
Running	Sailing
Sightseeing	Skateboarding
Skiing	Skipping Rope
Snorkeling	Snowboarding
Soccer	Sunbathing
Surfing	Swimming
Tag	Tennis
Tobogganing	Trampolining
Tug of War	Walking
Water Fight	Windsurfing

Nature Activities

Activities that involve natural environments such as a river, lake, beach, forest, mountain or urban park.

Water Activities

Activities that involve water or water environments such as swimming, boating or simply going to the beach. If you don't have access to water environments, it is also possible to have a water fight.

Sports

Competitive activities played as a team or individual. Although sports are competitive by definition, it is also common to practice or play friendly games for the joy of it such as a family game of soccer.

Winter

Activities that involve snow and ice. This includes alpine activities that take place on snowy mountains and urban activities such as an outdoor ice skating rink.

Urban & Backyard

Outdoor activities that take place in a community setting, park or backyard. This includes community events such as a dance festival and family activities such as a backyard BBQ.