10 of the Best Places
to Ruck

It goes without saying that rucking is a growing sport, and that it has caught on in some places faster than in others. There are tons of reasons that rucking may capture the imaginations of people in certain locations rather quickly, while in other places it takes a bit more time. Having a military community to draw inspiration from is one factor. An abundance of inviting scenery is another reason. Also, having ruck-friendly weather throughout the year is definitely a clear-cut advantage for ruckers in environments that are warm and mild. At the same time, having a climate pleasant enough that it doesn’t leave ruckers drowning in pools of their own sweat is ideal.

With all of these factors in mind, we have compiled a list of some of the best places to ruck. While all of the aforementioned criteria were taken into consideration, much of this list comes down to the raw popularity of rucking in these regions.

Now that we’ve gotten all of the disclaimers out of the way, here are the best places to ruck, in no particular order.

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, VA Photo courtesy of Visit Richmond — Richmond, VA
Photo courtesy of Visit Richmond

Richmond is ideally located between the mountains and beaches of Virginia, which makes it a perfect staging ground for reaching whatever type of terrain you wish to tackle. However, if you live in Richmond and have no desire to leave your home city, there’s a lot of beautiful scenery along the James River that is worth exploring while you’re getting your daily workout in.

Whether you’re hitting the mountains, the beaches, or just sticking to a trail along the river, you can count on the RVA Ruck Club to help you prepare for the challenges that await you.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, PA Photo courtesy of www.Post-Gazette.com — Pittsburgh, PA
Photo courtesy of www.Post-Gazette.com

Pittsburgh sits on the confluence of three rivers, but it is also surrounded by mountains that are easily accessible to ruckers. As a result, Pittsburgh is one of the most rucker-friendly environments in the U.S., in terms of both the quality of the scenery, and the ease with which the challenge of the terrain can be adapted to personal preference.

If you’re looking for the appropriate level of challenge to tackle, talk to the fine people of the established rucking clubs of the area. That includes Steel City Tough, Fit N Fun Life and the RUCK-ulators.

Norfolk, Virginia

Airfield element of Joint Base Langley–Eustis by Ndunruh at en.wikipedia - 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office., Public Domain — Airfield element of Joint Base Langley–Eustis
by Ndunruh at en.wikipedia - 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office., Public Domain

Norfolk is a picturesque seaside setting. It’s also the home of the Navy Fleet Forces Command, while Langley Air Force Base and Fort Eustis Army Base are just on the other side of the water, more or less. In other words, if there is a region of the country where the military wields a great deal of influence over the culture, including the recreational culture, it’s definitely Norfolk.

There will be no shortage of camouflage-clad individuals in the region for you to train with, but if you’re looking for a formal ruck club to meet up with, make sure you talk to the folks at Coastal Virginia Ruck Club or Tidewater Ruck Club and see if you can coax them out to the waterfront with you.

Raleigh, North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountains Photo courtesy of SmokyMountains.com — The Great Smoky Mountains
Photo courtesy of SmokyMountains.com

Located in the middle of North Carolina, Raleigh is perfectly situated for ruckers that want access to every form of rucking terrain. To the east are the waterfronts and beaches of the Outer Banks, and to the west are the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains. In short, Raleigh is a reasonable driving distance away from practically any environment that a person might want to ruck in.

Clubs in the general vicinity of Raleigh include the Fuquay-Varina Ruck Club, Clayton Ruck, Hope Valley Ruck Club and Black Creek Ruckers. They’re fine folks to train with when you’re preparing for Raleigh’s 12 Miler Star Course and Marathon Star Course.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

SkyWheel @ Myrtle Beach Photo courtesy of SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — SkyWheel @ Myrtle Beach
Photo courtesy of SkyWheel Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach was home to the Army Air Corps, and this was followed up by it becoming the home to the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. While the base is no longer open, the military influence remains in the area. All of that might speak to how readily the people of Myrtle Beach are to embrace military workouts, but that says nothing about the miles of gorgeous beachfront awaiting you if you opt to ruck in the Myrtle Beach region.

On top of that, who wouldn’t want to ruck with the famous Skywheel in the background? You should definitely take a shot at it as you ruck your way around the country. And, if you’re looking for people to train with while you’re visiting Myrtle Beach, the folks at F3 Grand Strand would be happy to show you the ropes.

Columbus, Georgia

Chattahoochee Riverwalk Photo courtesy of Explore Georgia — Chattahoochee Riverwalk
Photo courtesy of Explore Georgia

The Columbus area is the home of Fort Benning, which employs more than 120,000 people, most of whom are active duty personnel. Of that group, a sizable chunk are involved with the United States Army Infantry School. Moreover, the National Infantry Museum is situated in the southern part of Columbus.

Clearly, this is an area full of people that take to rucking like ducks to water. While those on active duty have plenty of government-mandated workouts to keep themselves occupied, there is still plenty of room along the Chattahoochee River that you can use to carve out a respectable rucking workout. However, if you’re looking for some friends to go with you, please be sure to check out the Smiths Station Go Ruck Club.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Pikes Peak & Garden of the Gods Park Photo courtesy of Colorado.com — Pikes Peak & Garden of the Gods Park
Photo courtesy of Colorado.com

As the home to at least three military bases and the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs was always going to be likely to secure a position on this list. However, Southern Colorado has a distinct rucking presence, and is the source for a ton of rucking-related internet searches.

Unsurprisingly, Colorado is the home to several active rucking clubs, including Colorado Front Range Ruck Club, Northern Colorado Ruck Club, Southern Colorado Ruck Club, Team Adventure Veterans Ruck Club and Colorado Front Range Ruck Club. Also, it should go without saying that the mountainous terrain of the Rocky Mountains makes rucking a dual pleasure. In the Rockies, ruckers can strike the perfect balance between the desire to challenge themselves, and also wanting to enjoy the idyllic scenery of their surroundings.

Rochester, New York

Ontario Beach Park Photo courtesy of www.Iloveny.com — Ontario Beach Park
Photo courtesy of www.Iloveny.com

If you’re interested in rucking by the waters of Lake Ontario even when the beaches are iced over and it’s freezing outside, Rochester is for you. Yes, you can also ruck by the flowing Genesee River, but Lake Ontario is definitely the main scenic attraction here, even if the sands you’re walking or jogging on are sometimes frozen.

Rochester is also home to the Ruck for Roc, which was created for the betterment of the surrounding community, and also to provide services for military veterans. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Jacksonville, Florida

Sugar Cookies Photo courtesy of GORUCK — Sugar Cookies
Photo courtesy of GORUCK

Jacksonville Beach is where the GORUCK headquarters is located. We could end this section right now, and it would have been done justice. However, there’s more to Jacksonville’s rucking importance than simply providing a brick-and-mortar building for rucking’s foremost innovators. Jacksonville is also the home of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and is within hailing distance of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, so the size of the local military community is respectable.

In 2019, Jacksonville was the host city for the running of the GORUCK’s 50 Miler Star Course, which makes for an absolutely brutal day at the office. If you live in the area and you’re looking for some people to help you train for the 50 Miler, there are several options, including Now We Ruck, River City Ruckers, NOC Rucks and Jax Beach Rucking Group.

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio River Walk Photo courtesy of City of San Antonio — San Antonio River Walk
Photo courtesy of City of San Antonio

If you live in San Antonio and you engage in regular rucking, our hats are off to you. Not everyone is tough enough to strap a backpack on and go out for a ruck in the scalding Texas heat. Undoubtedly, the San Antonio River Walk - one of the finest attractions in all of Texas - is a fantastic choice as a rucking locale. And, because San Antonio is the home to four military bases, there is plenty of military influence in the area to inspire the local workout culture.

Should you decide to take us up on our suggestion and head down to the San Antonio River for a ruck, take our advice and go before the sun is at its apex. You should also follow our advice and take members of the Hillcountry Ruck Club or the San Antonio Rucking Club with you. They’ll know how to prepare you for the effort, and can also teach you how to endure the heat.