Bay Area probably provides the best access to all things outdoor with a relatively short distance: - Water sports/fishing: Ocean/bay, rivers, lakes.

- Hiking/Camping: Most of CA with deeply varying terrain, from thick forests to mountains to plains/desert.

- Snow: Mammoth, Yosemite, Tahoe.

- Motorsport: Laguna Seca, Sonoma Raceway, Willow Springs.

- Wine: Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and the surrounding areas of each.

SoCal gets a lot of that too, but usually more driving/flying involved.

You also don't get very extreme weather, but you do get earthquakes.

All-in-all, I'd say CA scores really well for all kinds of active lifestyles, but the big negative is the cost of living coupled with CA taxes. If you don't mind a bit more cold and fewer jobs (slightly fewer?), Seattle becomes super appealing.