Beach Towns:

Pismo Beach, CA  |  Atlantic Beach, NC |  Cordova, AK 

Jacksonville, FL  |  Kahului, HI  |  Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Kahului, Hawaii:

Population: 20,146

Median Home Price: $578,000

The Scene: Port workers and retailers kitesurf the Hawaiian trade winds. Kahului, on Maui, is also the reputed birthplace of the Loco Moco—a hamburger patty on rice with a fried egg and gravy on top.

OPTIONS: Maui is a mecca for watersports, but Kahului, which sits on a flat between two sets of mountains, acts like a geographic wind tunnel, perfect for wind sports like wind- and kitesurfing. All of Maui is within the radius of a day trip, including all its hiking, diving and even spelunking (the lava caves of Hana are only an hour away).

OUTFITTER: Bike the Skyline Trail down the spine of the 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) dormant volcano Haleakala into the Kula forest reserve with Haleakala Bike Company (+1 808 575 9575).

GOOD EATS: Locals feed their Loco Moco addiction at the old classic, Cupies.

30 More Places to Live and Play:

Boise or Bust!

Outdoor Meccas  |  Adventure Cities  |  Small Towns

Cultural Hubs  |  Beach Towns  

Adventure's September 2006 issue features 31 amazing adventure towns; chaos at the top of Mount Everest; an inside look at surfing California's Lost Coast; 11 fall weekend getaways near you; the best high-tech footwear, world class adventure travel; hiking the Alps, and more!