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No matter what you're into - nude bungee jumping, organic ballooning, power fishing - you'll find a spot to do it and folks to do it with in America. And it will be bigger, faster, harder and better than anywhere else in the world - just ask the locals!

Take surfing, f'rinstance. While the Hawaiians may not have invented the sport, Oahu is surfing's spiritual home, and the legendary winter swells at Waimea, Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline are the most beautiful, awesome and potent swells on earth (with the possible exception of the surfers who ride them). Not to be outdone in the outdoing stakes, California also has a few surfable breaks itself - Malibu, Rincon, Trestles and Mavericks among them. There's a hundred other perfect breaks along the US coastline - but if we told you where they were, we'd have to kill you! Other popular watersports include sailing, windsurfing, sea kayaking and ripping around dangerously on noisy jetskis, disturbing the peace and frightening fish to death.

Still on the aqua theme but back on land, the Rocky Mountain states (and Colorado in particular) are home to the country's most popular downhill skiing destinations. Along with flash places like Aspen, Vail, Jackson Hole and Big Sky are smaller operations with a handful of lifts, cheaper ticket prices and terrain that is often as challenging as their glitzier neighbors. Lake Tahoe is the major ski destination in the Sierra Nevada, doubling as a watersports playground in the summer. Elsewhere in the US, you'll also find great cross-county skiing. In the past few years snowboarding has swept the nation's ski culture, and there are plenty of ski mountains developing half pipes and renting boards.

The US may be the most industrialized nation on earth, but it's also the land of opportunity when it comes to hiking, with some of the most varied and spectacular landscapes you'll find anywhere - from the alpine meadows of the High Sierra to the forested byways of the Appalachian Trail. Walking trails are generally well kept, well marked and well patronized. But it's also possible to (quite literally) lose yourself in the 'backwoods,' where there's just you, the rattlers and the huge night sky.

Rock climbing and mountaineering are also popular pursuits, especially in the Sierra Nevada and Rockies. El Capitan and Half Dome are both legendary climbs up the face of sheer granite walls in Yosemite National Park. Mt Whitney, in California's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, is the highest in the contiguous 48 states at 14,500ft (4350m), and has a mountaineers' route that is both fun and challenging.

Despite the overpowering car culture, cycling enthusiasts need not despair. Many cities are relatively cycle-friendly and many hardy souls cycle across and around the country on the picturesque backroads, while those stuck in tin cans fume on the freeways. It's easy to hire good quality machines and gear throughout the country - and usually pick up some detailed local knowledge at the same time. Mountain biking is a huge pastime in the US, particularly in California (where it was invented), and there are plenty of places to hit the gravel and graze the knees.

If you still have energy left, you can go horseriding in New York's Central Park, river rafting on Idaho's Snake River or caving in New Mexico's beautiful Carlsbad Caverns.