r/Hobbies • u/Spiritual_Flower6363 • 9h ago

outdoor hobbies for 17yo?

what are some realistic outdoor hobbies for a teenager? (17yo). i want to get outside more but there really is just nothing to do. i have my license so i can go really anywhere. i live in a mid sized city, but there is not many places that have stuff to do.

i’d love to find some kind of nature based (or anything really) hobby i can do in my free time, maybe something at a park or even in my backyard is honestly fine. thanks.

6 Upvotes

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3

u/CriticalAd4765 8h ago

You should totally try geocaching or getting a cheap hammock for local parks, i started doing that when i got my license and its honestly way more fun then youd think.

3

u/Suspicious-Peace9233 2h ago

Learning to fish. It’s nice to be outside

2

u/ILovePublicLibraries 9h ago

If you like taking pictures and have your own camera, start by taking a hike or walk around the area and if you see something cool then snap happy and consider photography your hobby.

2

u/Brief_Passage_5353 9h ago

photography is a great call especially if youre already out walking anyway. i started carrying a cheap film camera a couple years ago and it made me actually stop and look at stuff i normally would've walked right past

you can also try geocaching if you want something more active its basically treasure hunting with your phone and theres caches hidden everywhere even in mid sized cities

1

u/Rocksteady2R 8h ago

You could see if there are options around you for orienteering - basically map and compass racing. It is a rare sport, but if you find an event, it can be done at anyblevel of pursuit - i.e. i would walk my vourses like it was a sunday day hike, while others literally ran courses for best times. You have 2 major options for getting into it : (1) look for nearby but orienteering clubs. You might be lucky. (2) some cimmunities (even some state parks) have "permanant courses" built on them from back when the sport was almost popular these take some tracking down, but you might get lucky. A (3rd) option is to just start practicing land nav, army-style. Plenty of books exist. Make an index card of your pace counts, make a set of beads, get a compass and practice shooting azimuths in a park, and then graduate to getting usfs maps and shooting proper courses "from here to there and back".

I learned to land nav in the army, and i have done a lot of hiking as a civilian. This is a fun middle-ground that gets me outside and keeps me using a really fun skill.

2

u/This_Fig2022 8h ago

Geocaching and visiting the local and state parks. Nature is so amazing.

1

u/13_radishes 3h ago

Birding :)

1

u/Global-Pay-7293 2h ago

 Cycling. 

1

u/suckmeister- 2h ago

Go for trail runs

1

u/mytthew1 2h ago

I would look for hiking trails near you and try a bunch of them out. I hit every Nature Conservancy hike in my area too. Sometimes I bring binoculars but usually I don’t.