A good adven­ture is defined in many ways. The amount of expo­sure to new expe­ri­ences, the peo­ple you meet along the way, or per­haps how long you can make the bud­get stretch. To add some good depth to any adven­ture trav­el, hos­tels are the way to go. The com­mu­nal spaces often shared in hos­tels (i.e. dorm rooms, bath­rooms and full kitchens), lend to low­er rates and real­ly set the stage for meet­ing some like-mind­ed trav­el­ers. Often nes­tled qui­et­ly in live­ly sur­round­ings, hos­tels can usu­al­ly be found amongst adven­tur­ous sur­round­ings. While this list only uncov­ers the tip of the friend­ly hos­tel com­mu­ni­ties in the U.S., each of these sev­en hos­tels embod­ies the adven­tur­ous spir­it of their stun­ning surroundings.

The Beach Waiki­ki Bou­tique Hos­tel, Waiki­ki, Hawaii 
It should come as lit­tle sur­prise that Hawaii has an excel­lent hos­tel or two, and The Beach Waiki­ki Bou­tique Hos­tel in Hon­olu­lu is a great exam­ple of what they can offer. Blocks away from the world-famous Waiki­ki Beach, surfers and sand­cas­tle builders alike uti­lize the afford­able rooms and deluxe accom­mo­da­tions of this beach hos­tel, with dorm beds start­ing at $37. The hos­tel also offers tours of the area, free piz­za nights and access to a rooftop patio area.

White Moun­tains Hos­tel, Con­way, New Hampshire 
The type of trav­el­er you’ll meet at the White Moun­tains Hos­tel of New Hamp­shire depends on the sea­son in which you vis­it. Attract­ing all sorts of adven­ture enthu­si­asts through­out the year, you can expect fel­low rock climbers, cyclists, back­pack­ers, anglers or skiers to be shar­ing the com­mon space. Set in a ren­o­vat­ed New Eng­land farm­house, this cozy abode offers dorm room beds start­ing at $30. Along­side a com­fort­able bed, White Moun­tain Hos­tel has great com­mu­ni­ty space includ­ing a loung­ing room with an epic record collection.

The Hos­tel Cal­i­for­nia, Bish­op, California 
Wel­come to The Hos­tel Cal­i­for­nia, such a love­ly place. For some PCT hik­ers that take a break from the Sier­ra Moun­tains in Bish­op, and stay at The Hos­tel Cal­i­for­nia, they some­times find them­selves unable to leave. That’s because the com­fort­able con­fines of this friend­ly hos­tel always encour­age one more night to stay, and the friend­ly rates do the same. Out­side of free hot­dogs at 4:20 p.m. every day, The Hos­tel Cal­i­for­nia (THC) also pro­vides com­fort­able hang­ing out space both inside and out, which is a safe spot to meet new peo­ple and per­haps lis­ten to some­one rock­ing on the com­mu­nal instruments.

Lazy Lizard Inter­na­tion­al Hos­tel, Moab, Utah
On the out­skirts of the adven­ture-dense city of Moab, the Lazy Lizard Inter­na­tion­al Hos­tel not only attracts trav­el­ers from around the globe, but every­one pays an out­stand­ing rate to spend the night. Dor­mi­to­ry beds at this world-famous hos­tel go for as low as $12 per night and include full access to the com­mu­nal kitchen, bath­rooms and liv­ing space. The Hos­tel, like Moab itself, is sur­round­ed by some of the best adven­tures of the low­er 48. Arch­es and Canyon­lands Nation­al Park are with­in a short dri­ving dis­tance of the hos­tel, and local guide com­pa­nies are hap­py to intro­duce you to the sur­round­ing world-class moun­tain bik­ing and rock climbing.

Shaw’s Hik­er Hos­tel, Mon­son, Maine
Rec­og­nized as one of the best hos­tels on the Appalachi­an Trail, Shaw’s Hik­er Hos­tel real­ly caters to the hik­ing com­mu­ni­ty. Offer­ing pri­vate rooms, beds in the bunkhouse or a spot to pitch a tent, Shaw’s ful­fills hik­er needs with free WiFi, laun­dry ser­vice and an exten­sive shut­tle sys­tem, plus a calo­rie-dense and deli­cious option­al break­fast add-on. Thru-hik­ers are not the only hik­ers who can enjoy Shaw’s accom­mo­da­tions, and only a short shut­tle ride away, the icon­ic 100-Mile Wilder­ness of Maine is rea­son enough for a visit.

Hos­tel Fish, Den­ver, Colorado
Den­ver is always host­ing an adven­ture, just ask all your friends who have moved there in the past five years. If you can’t secure a couch to crash on and would pre­fer the friend­ly atmos­phere of a hos­tel, the Hos­tel Fish is one of the nicest ways you can go. All rooms, includ­ing the pri­vate queen and king, have a unique theme and a cer­tain class that comes from the his­toric build­ing they find them­selves in. The mixed and female-only dorms start at just about $40 and fea­ture unique three-sto­ry bunk beds for those not afraid of heights.

Green Tor­toise Hos­tel, Seat­tle, Washington
For a great taste of the Pacif­ic North­west cul­ture and sur­round­ing attrac­tions, the Green Tor­toise Hos­tel in Seat­tle has a long rep­u­ta­tion for bring­ing peo­ple togeth­er. Locat­ed direct­ly down­town across from Pike Place Mar­ket, along­side dorm rooms, fam­i­ly rooms and pri­vate rooms, the Green Tor­toise also offers a vari­ety of events and pro­grams that explore the city. With easy access from all major trav­el hubs into Seat­tle, the Green Tor­toise makes it easy to explore with­out a car—and the major adven­ture attrac­tions sur­round­ing the city make it easy to want to stay awhile.