Thinking of Places to Move to – Colorado, Utah, Oregon,…?

[J-L]

I'm currently living in Arizona, where my "3-season" backpacking season is roughly September – May. During these months, I can go hiking through a wide variety of terrain (desert one weekend, snowy pine forest the next) with moderate temperatures typically ranging from 15-75 degrees.

There are a few places in the state where I can go the other 3 months of the year (June – August), but those are fairly limited. I'll usually flee to the mountains of a nearby state for a long backpacking trip during these months. I can reach the Sierras, the Uintas, or the Rockies with about 10-13 hours of driving.

So on paper, Arizona actually makes a decent state to live in. For a variety of reasons, however, I am thinking of moving in the next few years:

General lack of water almost everywhere
6-7 months of summer per year
The demonic orb some call the "Sun"
Practically unable to go outside during the "off-season"

A few cities I am considering are (metro areas included):

Denver, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Salt Lake City, UT
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA

How would the locals describe their backpacking season and access? Off-season activities? Any advice from people who have made similar moves?

Any other areas to consider? I'd like to stick to good-sized cities for the job aspect. California is out – too expensive.

[Katherine .]

How do you feel about snow? For Portland, that could factor in to how many spring options you have and how soon you can start.

Do you like coastal trips? If so, Portland is proximal.

For day trips Portland is excellent year round. From my house:

10 minute drive and I'm in Tryon Creek State Park.
15 minute drive to a 1,100 ft EG hike with multiple volcano views (Council Crest)
20-30 minutes gets me to Forest Park.
An hour, give or take, gets me into the Columbia River Gorge.

Mt. Hood is very accessible. The rest of the Cascades are right there. Olympic National Park is 3 hours away.

I'm just starting to explore the eastern, desert parts of the PNW.

I like it. Works well for me. I tolerate the rain/overcast weather pretty well.

[Jerry Adams]

I live in Portland.

I do one week backpack every month of year. Have to be flexible with exact days and location. I don't like trips with lots of rain and wind but some is unavoidable.

Trinity Alps in Northern CA, Rogue River in Southern OR, Cascades in OR and WA, Olympic Peninsula. East of the Cascades is sometimes dry when it's wet on the West side…

Wait a second, what am I saying, no, Oregon is miserable, moldy, dreary, you'll never be happy here, stay in Arizona,…

[J-L]

Yes, Portland is high on the list. I enjoyed my time there earlier this year, but was uncertain if people actually got out backpacking October – April.

[Alexander S]

The Pacific Northwest allows for terrific winter coastal or desert hikes when snow closes the mountains.

People who move here usually don't leave again. Bring your job with you if you decide on Portland.

[Jerry Adams]

http://www.nwhikers.net/ is a good Seattle centric website

portlandhikers.org is a good Portland centric website

lots of trip reports to see what people are doing, get ideas

most people do not backpack in the winter, I don't know why. Days are short so you probably have to find something in evening like make a fire.

I just spent three nights at Toleak Point on Olympics without seeing anyone, but I could tell someone was there the night before. I spent four nights on Deschutes without seeing anyone, except when I was walking in and out.

[Katherine .]

btw Jerry, thanks for reminding me about portlandhikers a few months back.

The field guides are great — I'm using some of your contributions for my 2015 plans.

[Jerry Adams]

great!

great to see people getting out there and using that information

go to portlandhikers.org and click on "field guide"

[Monte Masterson]

Hey fellow Zoni. Does it have to be a large city? If not and making a living isn't a big part of the equation, I'd consider St George, Utah. It's about 2500 ft elevation so the winters are mild. And you're close to Zion, Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness and so many other great places that are within a few hours drive.

I think if you moved to Denver or Salt Lake after living in AZ, come the first Winter you'd say: "my God, what have I done?"

Medford or Eugene OR might a be good choice too (warmer winter than Portland)

[David Chenault]

Sounds like the real answer to your question is a relocation to Prescott or Flagstaff. I lived in former and it made for some very good years.

If you need a larger city to meet your economic wants, SLC is the obvious answer. If you're willing to drive 3-5 hours you can backpack 11.5 months a year, with almost as much sun as AZ, and a diversity of terrain within said radius which is unmatched. Traffic sucks but no worse than anywhere else, and much better than the Denver I-70 rush west on the weekends.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

If'n I had my druthers I'd move to Lewisville, Colorado. It adjoins Boulder but does not have Boulder's insane real estate prices.

Great skiing, great backpacking, Utah is close, and GREAT micro breweries.
And it also has Neptune Mountaineering, a fantastic backpacking/backcountry store.

(And then there's the Colorado legalization of a certain "herb" – if you're so inclined.)

Also look at Durango, CO, on the southern terminus of the Colorado Trail. What a beautiful town!

[Edward Jursek]

I went through a similar search back in 1997. My wife and I looked at CO, UT, NM, OR, and WA. We settled on WA and Seattle and have never regretted it. First, the economy and job market here are strong. Portland, in particular, is a notoriously tough place to find a job unless you are a 20 something looking to retire. There were also cultural and political considerations that attracted us to Seattle and caused us to pass on places like UT/Salt Lake City and even made us leery of CO/Colorado Springs/Denver (as we could not afford to live in the Peoples Republic of Boulder). Some folks love places like SLC, Houston, or Tehran, just not for us.

I think the Seattle metro area offers better outdoor access then Portland and more outdoor diversity then CO or UT. With three National Parks (MRNP, ONP, NCNP) and at least 4 wilderness areas that could be National Parks (Pasayten, Glacier Peak, Alpine Lakes, Goat Rocks) you have a lot of great options within a 4 hour drive of downtown Seattle. The Oregon coast is beautiful, but not condusive to multi-day backcountry beach hikes the way the ONP coastal sections are. There is also a good UL community in and around Seattle. I hike with 2 other BPL members and I am meeting more. There is even a GGG weekend being planned for this summer.

I peg the PNW hiking season as early April to late October. In the spring, I look towards coastal hikes in ONP, or lower elevation hikes on the east-side of the cascades. You can still hike in some higher elevations late into October, depending on the weather and how far East you go. There are also some good desert hikes, and hikes in the Blue Mountains of South Eastern WA that offer early/late season options. I downhill ski in the winter and have just started winter hiking/nordic skiing, so there is no real off season me. Add sea kayaking into the mix and there is no reason you can't be busy year round. During the summer season, from July-September, I think WA has some of the best hiking there is.

[Jerry Adams]

what are some lower elevation backpacks on east side of cascades?

the only thing I don't like about Seattle is the traffic and congestion. Whenever I drive through there, there are traffic jams.

It seems like Seattle wants to compete with big cities like L.A., New York, and Chicago. Portland is content "being weird".

I think you're right, more jobs in Seattle. Although engineers can find jobs in Portland, for example.

But, Seattle is good…

[Ron D]

Hi John – I live in Colorado Springs and it's a great location for hiking. I live in the foothills area and can access extensive hiking trail networks with a 5 minute walk from my porch. Easy access (15 minute to an hour drive) to day hikes, backpacks, 10-14 thousand foot peaks, rock climbing and mountain biking. Off season you can day hike year round and there are lots of snow sports including skiing, winter backpacking and mountaineering. Politically it's very conservative and regardless of your political bend the local government is as innovative and far thinking as a block of concrete. Jobs are limited and pay structure is lower than Denver or Boulder, but real estate and overall cost of living is more reasonable. Weather overall is very good and the "demonic orb" is more kindly here than AZ, I believe our record high is 101 degrees.
Ron

[John Mc]

Yucky Traffic as Jerry said. We are always top 10 worst in the country.

I'm fortunate enough to ride a bike to work…I actually do a bike/bus combination. However, there are those times that I must drive and it truly sucks. I mean really sucks. The traffic will barely move. A 10 mile commute along I-5 can easily take over an hour.

Besides the traffic Seattle really is a great place to live. However, I do know of people that are leaving here and moving to Portland….Hhhhmmmmmm. Are they hikers…no.

[Jerry Adams]

except there are so many more hoardes of people in Seattle, that close by hiking places are busier

I could see more of an urban residence at either Portland or Seattle and then traffic wouldn't be so bad – just walk or ride bike to work or take bus or light rail

It takes longer to take bus, but if you're reading newspaper or whatever then it can be better

[BlackHatGuy]

I'm still looking at checking out Boise when I retire, I've heard lots of good things about it. Don't know about jobs though.

[J-L]

Thanks for the responses and insights to each city and its backpacking/outdoors season. It's given me a lot to think about.

As appealing as a small mountain town sounds, I think I would be better off job-wise in a larger city. But who knows, maybe I will keep and eye out for opportunities.

Salt Lake City does seem like an obvious choice. The only thing that gives me pause is that I am not Mormon. But since I spend almost 50% of my weekends outdoors, I'm not sure if that would be a real issue or not.

Portland and Seattle: I had the chance to winter in Portland last year and generally enjoyed it. In the Arizona summers, going outside is almost unbearable – you can't do anything about the heat. In rainy Portland, I simply put on a jacket and didn't let it bother me.

Colorado: seems awesome except for the traffic. That said, I'm already planning a 3-week backpacking, camping, and brewery tour of the state for 2015

[BlackHatGuy]

"Salt Lake City does seem like an obvious choice. The only thing that gives me pause is that I am not Mormon."

From Wikipedia:

Recently, Utah has experienced an in-migration of population from other U.S. states which served to change the state's sociocultural/political character. The percentage of Utah residents who are Mormon has declined while the number of the religiously unaffiliated has increased.
…

Percentages of LDS population is much lesser in urban than in rural areas where they remain the majority. Other Christian faiths 1/4th of population statewide, but over half are non-Mormon in Salt Lake County. A projected Mormon minority in Utah by the year 2060, while the percentage of Mormons already dropped to about 50% in Salt Lake County.

[Katherine .]

"I think the Seattle metro area offers better outdoor access then Portland and more outdoor diversity then CO or UT. With three National Parks (MRNP, ONP, NCNP) and at least 4 wilderness areas that could be National Parks (Pasayten, Glacier Peak, Alpine Lakes, Goat Rocks) you have a lot of great options within a 4 hour drive of downtown Seattle."

I'd argue that much, not all, granted, is well within reach of Portland too. Google maps says 20 mins difference between Portland – Randle (Goat Rocks) and Seattle – Randle.

But yeah, it helps if you can bring-your-own job.

[Paul Magnanti]

Colorado has been great.. I developed my outdoor skills and my day-job skills in tandem. It is just getting crowded (traffic, backcountry for sure) and expensive along the Front Range corridor. L-Ville, for an example mentioned, used to be a nice little 'burb of Boulder in terms of pricing. The median house price is now 417k. A bit less than the 546k for Boulder, but still not exactly a bargain.

Colorado Springs is more affordable at 290k for a median home price, but you still have the crowd problems in my opinion. Every time I go through there, seems to be a tad bigger.

We can only afford to live in the Boulder area because we rent..and that is even getting difficult. We could move to a 'burb but my wife does not drive AND if I am going to move to a generic suburb (Broomfield, Westminster, et al) along the 36 corridor, I may as well move back to where I grew up. :) And what good is life if I am in a car two hours a day for a r/t commute?

Great economy in the Front Range though, esp for tech. It is just resembling Western Sprawl a bit too much for me now. To be fair, if I had just moved from back East, I'd probably be amazed at how few people are here. :)

The Front Range, overall, has given me acquire a skill set which I hope to work remotely with at some point in the next year or so.

SLC is "only" 50% Mormon. Needless to say, it is more conservative politically. The outdoor opportunities are awesome. The economy is pretty good, too.

I don't agree with the LDS political or religious views, but every member of the faith I knew has been a stand up person FWIW.

[David Chenault]

John, SLC is remarkably not-Mormon these days. Unless you get involved in city or state politics I doubt you'd notice. Even the liquor laws are becoming more reasonable. Mormons also, on average, make fine neighbors, much moreso than a comparably generic gentile. The theology is a bit odd, but the prejudice against the people is just sad.

[J-L]

Yea, I read the same thing on Wikipedia. I've always had positive experiences with friends and co-workers of the LDS, so I'm assuming it would be a non-issue for me in reality, but I have met a few people who said they had to get out. Maybe that is from awhile ago. Politically, I am not conservative, so maybe they need some diversity :)

Mags: those are some expensive homes! I guess you are paying for the location though

[Ian]

Boise – college town, nice restaurants, decent entertainment, skiing hiking biking fishing, and hockey.

Bellingham – college town, nice restaurants, decent entertainment, skiing hiking biking fishing, crabbing, and NHL hockey across the border.

Wenatchee – Apple town, has McDonalds, multiple ski options, hiking biking cow tipping, and hockey.

Yakima – Surenos, Nortenos, more gang taggings than what I saw in Mexico City and San Salvador combined, and minutes away from the cascades and some decent skiing at White pass. Jr hockey.

Spokane – meth and hockey.

[Greg Mihalik]

"John, SLC is remarkably not-Mormon these days."

Unless things have changed, you will have a hard time advancing job-wise in SLC unless you are a Morman, or are working in a predominately non-Morman company. I know there are exceptions, but unless you are part of the Church, you will be passed over if the guy hiring and promoting is Mormon.

IMHO.

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