Yup. As soon as I learned to bike as a child, I was off. By the time I was thirteen, there were days in the summer when I'd just go and bike 20, or 30 miles away from my house and back again. I found lots of roads and places I never knew about before. I have a near perfect mental map though, and never once made a wrong turn/got lost when exploring, I always knew my way back.
Lately I've been really into hiking and alpine touring. I've hiked almost every trail I know of in the Presidentials, and lots of the Long Trail in VT. However, none of that compares to AT skiing, especially when I was out in Tahoe. In essence, it combines motions of cross-country with downhill skiing, and allows you to climb relatively easily, more easily than walking. What's so nice about it, is you really can just see a mountain you like, and go climb it, and ski it, or trek wherever. (Assuming you know basic avalanche safety.)