Where the height of the northern summer is still mild enough for a long day on foot. Of 365 towns and cities that draw visitors in North America, 30 rate Good or better in July. These 14 are the best of them, spread across the region.
The shortlist
- 184 · IdealPort TownsendWashington, United States
A typical midday in July feels like 17°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 84 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about six and a half months, from mid April to October. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 283 · IdealWhitehorseCanada
Midday in July feels like 16°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid May to mid September, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 383 · IdealMontereyCalifornia, United States
Midday in July feels like 17°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 479 · GoodAstoriaOregon, United States
Rated 79 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 19°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid April to early November, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 576 · GoodParksvilleCanada
Rated 76 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 18°C, with mostly clear skies. The good spell lasts about six months, from late April to mid October. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 671 · GoodFairbanksAlaska, United States
A typical midday in July feels like 19°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 71 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from May to mid September, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 766 · GoodMarquetteMichigan, United States
A typical midday in July feels like 19°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 66 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from June to early October. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 863 · GoodOxnardCalifornia, United States
Midday in July feels like 23°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 63, Good, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid September to early August, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 962 · GoodJacksonWyoming, United States
Rated 62 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 21°C, with mostly clear skies. The good spell lasts about five months, from mid May to early October. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1062 · GoodSan Luis ObispoCalifornia, United States
A typical midday in July feels like 22°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 62 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from mid September to August, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 1157 · GoodCharlottetownCanada
A typical midday in July feels like 21°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 57 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from late May to mid July, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1257 · GoodSault Ste. MarieCanada
Rated 57 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 22°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about two and a half months, from mid May to July. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1356 · GoodKenoraCanada
Midday in July feels like 22°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 56, Good, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid May to September, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1455 · GoodGlenwood SpringsColorado, United States
A typical midday in July feels like 20°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 55 over the stretch. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
How this list is worked out
The data
Every figure comes from a decade of weather-station observations, blended into one typical year and read at midday, local solar time. Scores here are averaged in July; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Active outdoors: A mild feels-like gates the score — best 10–20 °C, cool enough for hiking, cycling and running. Dryness matters most, with a penalty for strong wind. A place is also left out when its typical readings contradict its own rating, for example a high score alongside frequent rain.
The spread
To keep one warm corner from filling the list, entries are at least 150 km apart, no more than three sit within 1,000 km of each other, and no more than three come from one country unless the list would otherwise run short.
Only places that draw visitors
Towns and cities with plenty of hotels, guest houses and holiday lets nearby for their size, or a great many of them in all, counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset. That keeps out places the weather favours but nobody travels to. Where two places share one resort or city, the one a visitor would name is kept.
The dotted links open the map at that place and time of year, on the same layer. The map remembers the time of day you last chose there; set it to midday to see these exact numbers.