Do I Need a Hiking Guide

Hiking in Asheville

So you have a longing for adventure, looking to take a hike in Asheville, but are unsure of where to start or what skills you need to have. You keep scrolling through Instagram, travel blogs like Blonde Abroad or Adventures of Empty Nesters or wishing you were in epic spots you’ve seen in photographs like Steve Yocom’s cover of Blue Ridge Outdoors . You keep catching yourself day dreaming, saying to yourself, I have got to try something like that but you aren’t sure you can or aren’t sure where to start… well that is exactly when you should think of hiring a guide.

End Analysis Paralysis

We hear from a lot of people that we helped them get out of the analysis paralysis of trying to find the best hike in Asheville, with the best views, without a ton of people, that wasn’t too long, etc…  We live in Western North Carolina, so we know that we have so many options it feels impossible to choose where the best hikes are!

What does a guide do

A guide does more than just select the right for the skill level of the group, they may carry your extra water, snacks, have a first aid kid, understand safety, orienteering, and more. A good hiking guide will share fun facts about the area you wouldn’t have learned otherwise, like flora, fauna and history of the area. If you want to strike out on your own without a guide, let people know where you are heading, check in with friends before you lose service with specific details including trail head you plan on starting and finishing, length of hike you are planning, start time if you can send a share of your map location. There are lots of park rangers around but it is always good to be specific with your coordinates just in case, safety first!

One of Our Favorite Hikes & Pro Tip

We can’t give all of our secrets away and if you have done any research you may have come across these, but they some of our favorite hikes and so we want to give you are take on them. First is Bearwallow Mountain – it is a family friendly hike, great for dogs and people who are inexperienced hikers. It is very well marked, can be done in a loop or out and back and incredible views. You will still do some elevation but if you take your time anyone can do it and the views are worth the climb!  Pro tip: it’s a bald and usually almost always windier then you think – also no shade so sun screen should be a priority. Ask us, we can take you there!

Looking to hike over 6,000 feet, check these out

What to pack

We’ve got a post and a YouTube video on this, but in short: water proof shoes are ideal, water, snack bars, compass on your phone, camera, a great attitude and hiking poles if you have them.

Let us know what questions we can answer or to check on dates to book with us!

Adventure on!
Greg