7 Adventure Ideas for Your Weekends

Are you tired of squandering your precious weekends on the couch? It’s time to set out on an adventure — to see the world and enjoy everything it offers.

In this guide, we’re exploring seven adventure ideas for your weekends. While you can also enjoy these experiences on a weekday, the weekend will give you a chance for multi-day excursions or make preparations for gear-intensive activities.

And even if one of the ideas below doesn’t strike your fancy, they might inspire you to uncover a new adventure opportunity in your area: the sky’s the limit.

#1 Hit the Shooting Range

For an adventure that will help you build practical skills, consider visiting your local shooting range for some marksmanship practice.

Whether you’re in the process of building a custom firearm or you’re a newcomer to shooting sports, range visits are key to honing your skills, troubleshooting your equipment, and learning more about the sport.

Before hopping in the car to practice your sharpshooting, gather up some important supplies:

• Your firearm (if you don’t have one, some ranges offer rentals)
• Ammunition
• Weather-appropriate clothing (like rain and cold weather gear)
• Accuracy tools like a rangefinder, tripod/bipod, and resting pads
• Targets
• Exposure protection (like sunscreen or bug spray)
• A first aid kit
• Gun cleaning supplies (degreaser, oil, rags, and a bore snake)

#2 Take a Hike

Hiking is another highly accessible adventure for everyone from city slickers to backwoods homesteaders. While hiking can simply provide an outdoor escape, you can also pair a hike with another outdoor activity like:

• Hunting or fishing
• Rock climbing
• Camping
• Spelunking (more on this adventure in tip number four)

If you’re new to hiking, consider starting with an easy, short, out-and-back, or loop trail that doesn’t feature significant elevation changes. You can find information about hikes in your area by:

• Using an app like AllTrails
• Joining a Facebook group or other online community for hikers
• Asking about hiking opportunities at a local county, state, or national park

Don’t forget to gear up: you’ll need hiking clothes, exposure protection, water, a snack, and a first aid kit at minimum.

#3 Sleep Under the Stars

Whether you combine it with a backcountry camping trip or simply string up a hammock in your backyard, camping is an excellent weekend adventure for anyone looking to enjoy the best of the outdoors.

Plus, there’s a camping style for just about every comfort level:

• Hammocking – Whether you’re camping out in your backyard or sleeping somewhere remote, a hammock is an easy-to-pack tool that makes it easy to sleep under the stars.
• Tent camping – If you prefer more protection from the elements (and mosquitos), consider pitching a tent on your campsite. If you’re hiking to your campsite, a tent will take up slightly more room in your pack than a hammock, so plan accordingly.
• RV-ing – If you like the idea of camping but enjoy some of the comforts of home (like the air conditioning), consider renting an RV or pull-behind camper to experience the outdoors with some added amenities.

#4 Explore a Cave

Spelunking — also known as exploring a cave — can give adventurers a chance to experience a somewhat alien outdoor environment. Recreational speleologists generally take one of two approaches to prepare for a caving trip:

• Finding a guide – Cave guides can help cavers find and navigate a local site. If you’re just starting, this is likely the best choice for your first cave excursion.
• Finding a site on their own – If you’ve been caving before, you can find new locations by asking a local park system, outfitter, or online community for potential spelunking sites.

Remember to wear weather-appropriate clothes like hiking, pack first aid supplies and water, and protect yourself from the elements with bug spray and sunscreen.

#5 Discover the Deep

While scuba diving might only sound like an adventure for people living (or vacationing) in the tropics, there are opportunities for scuba diving in a variety of different environments:

• Lakes, rivers, and springs – Dive down to see freshwater flow out of an aquifer, drift down a river, or submerge in a natural lake.
• Quarries – Many quarries around the country offer diving experiences in sunken mine passages or retired pit mines.
• Caves – While you’ll likely need to go with a guide or practice in open water first, there might be a sunken cave in your area ripe for exploration.
• Oceans – If you live in a coastal area, catch a ride on a dive boat to explore a local shipwreck or reef ecosystem.

#6 Climb or Repel

Whether you spend your entire Saturday practicing in a climbing gym or take your climbing skills to a local bouldering trail, climbing is an excellent opportunity to build physical fitness and mental fortitude — and get out of the house over the weekend.

Like caving and scuba diving, newcomers to climbing sports might benefit from a guided experience or lesson first to build skills. Plus, it’s important to reduce your safety risks by climbing with a partner.

#7 Explore Off-Road

If you have an off-road vehicle like a side-by-side or ATV, there are numerous adventuring opportunities available at your fingertips. Load your vehicle onto a trailer or simply ride to a nearby area to explore the wilderness.

You can also use your ATV as a transport tool for another adventure, like:

• A hunt
• A hike
• A caving excursion
• A climbing trip

Most importantly, remember to prioritize safety when riding an off-road vehicle:

• Wear a helmet
• Don your weather-appropriate clothing and exposure protection gear
• Carry your cell phone, a satellite phone, or walkie talkie to keep in touch
• Bring water and a snack

Say Goodbye to Boring Weekends — It’s Time for Adventure

Any of the ideas above — shooting, hiking, camping, spelunking, scuba diving, climbing, and off-roading — could help you turn a would-be-boring weekend into an action-packed day off. Plus, you can even combine some of the activities above to curate a truly unique adventure.

No matter what you add to your docket for the coming weekend, make sure to pack safety supplies, double-check your gear list before departure, and communicate as much as possible with anyone staying behind. Safety and preparation are key to any successful adventure.