To use an old restaurant adage, the three most important things for a restaurant are: location, location and location.  And it is very relevant when it comes to your investment in an outdoor recreation property.  It all depends on how you plan to use it.  Is it a weekend getaway?  Do you want to be able to run over for a few hours, when time permits?  Do you want to move your family there to escape the city?

If two properties are similar, but the first is one hour and the second is three hours, the first has a big advantage, Convenience.  You will utilize the first one so much more often.  Also, assuming you live in a city, the closer to the city it is, the more likely you are to see the property value increase in a shorter amount of time.