I offered Utah appropriately caveated. @thumper1 was just following my lead.
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FWIW hereās a list of āmore than 10ā schools including Va Tech, which you mentioned but is massive area wise (and maybe the nicest college in the country), UNC A and a few further West mentioned (Utah and NM).
Also two small private NC schools and UT Chatt where youād get merit and itās not far off pace geographically.
I know someone mentioned WVU earlier. Iāll mention again Ohio U. Merit!!
Good luck
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Just a note on the Singletracks article. You can get to Foothill Trail via the city bus (free to students by showing a UNM ID. ABQ buses are bike friendly and all are equipped with bike ranks.). Also ABQ is a very bike-friendly city with a well developed set of urban bike routes that will get you just about anywhere you want to go. Both my daughters rode their bikes to UNM campus and UNM hospital for years. My husband commuted by bike to work daily year round for over 30 years.
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The good thing about Virginia Tech is that although it is fairly large , it is not overwhelming and is manageable in terms of getting around. Good luck!
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I should mention - despite living in Virginia, her father and I are both graduates of the University of Maine. Apple does not fall far, and all that.
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You donāt hear of too many Black Bears 
On the Maine website, they list nothing about the flagship match program they had a few years ago.
It looks restructured with varying amounts and not all states.
But if she loves Maine, you can end the search. Itās a safety - but not sure it will fit your price. With UVAs in state tuition and fees, you wonāt be under $25K.
Available Annual Award:
$13,200 to $19,360*
The Flagship Match Scholarship allows eligible out-of-state students from specified states to attend UMaine at the same cost as their home stateās flagship institution. Qualifying students will receive a substantial scholarship that is applied to UMaineās out-of-state tuition and fees. The amount of the scholarship will vary depending on the tuition and fee rates of the flagship institution in the studentās home state.
Good luck.
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I may have missed it, but what about something in the middleā¦UVM. Burlington is a great town. The campus is pretty. I donāt know if the money would work though.
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Montclair State and Fairleigh Dickinson (Florham Campus) are both in/near mountains and meet your budget expectations with merit.
St. Lawrence University came to mind, though it might be too small, and it might not fit your budget. My D had lower stats (much lower gpa but higher test score) and they came in around $30-$35k. I believe they have some big (though competitive) scholarships. Adirondacks right there, as well as lots of other outdoor recreational opportunities. Active outdoor club. Outdoor Recreation | St. Lawrence University
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Another suggestion for App state. Here is the scholarships page which lists both merit and need scholarships. It may come in budget.
https://scholarships.appstate.edu/first-year-students/signature-scholarships
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I second the St Lawrence recommendation although $25k is probably unlikely. Another far away school that would work is University of Idaho. They offered my DS what essentially amounts to in-state tuition, and I think they automatically give it to everyone from the East Coast (maybe everyone outside WUE?). All in cost was about $22K per year, less than our state flagship. Great location for hiking, huge outdoors program, and itās a mid-size flagship.
I know a boy who got a full tuition merit scholarship to St. Lawrence and they have other big merit scholarships so itās worth looking into if your D would not mind cold and snowy winters.
East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. For certain border/near-by states ā Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia ā estimated annual COA is $20K. OOS students from certain border counties are also available for merit scholarships.
Some smaller schools that might bear worth investigating:
Maryville College in Maryville, TN (foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains).
West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV.
Putting in a plug for WVU, at least go for a visit 
My kid is at WVU and it totally rocks for your criteria, at least on the outdoors front. Freshmen can pick from a pretty great selection of Adventure WVU trips for $95 - they go in the summer before they start and thereās a lot of bonding with new classmates. The rec center offers lots of other outdoor-oriented trips (weekend & longer, close-by and international) and has gear to rent. Area canāt be beat for outdoor rec; so much hiking. Google Coopers Rock State Forest.
Hereās the first-year program: https://adventurefirstyear.wvu.edu/
Canāt speak to psych but my kid is a theater tech BFA. Itās a pretty varied program, 4 theaters, tons of shows, lots of hands-on. I just saw 35mm yesterday there and it was quite good. I donāt know whether you can get into all that if youāre not majoring in it, though; not sure whether that was something your D wantedā¦
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This thread inspired me to have a look at the latest in Binghamtonās outdoor offerings, so that I can share with my kid.
Have a look at this page. https://www.binghamton.edu/campus-recreation/outdoor-pursuits/index.html
It has links to all the outdoor programs and offerings.
I am jealous! I want to do all this fun stuff. You can even rent tents, camping gear, x-country skis and snowshoes.
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My son goes sailing at Bama. My daughter joined an outdoor fitness club at Charleston.
We all need to become like Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School.
Even though the kids donāt realize it college is way more fun than real life.
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Update: She has committed to the Honors College at Western Carolina. 
We visited twice and itās a perfect match for her.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I hope they live on in search for others to find!
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Congratulations! I know that itās a big load removed for both you and her!
Congrats for WCU! Go Catamounts!