Buncombe County Recreation Services celebrates the kaleidoscope of fall color that define the region as leaves change with two local day hikes. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, space is limited to 15 hikers and advance registration is required. Everyone is also required to wear a face covering that completely covers their mouth and nose and remain at least six feet apart from others who do not live in their household.

• Distance: 2 miles
• Difficulty: Some Obstacles
• Steepness: Very Steep
• Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
• Enjoy a plethora of wildlife, breezes, and views of the summits of Bearwallow Mountain, Little Pisgah Mountain, and the upper end of Hickory Nut Gorge.
• Dogs and other pets are not allowed on this group hike. However, please be aware others using this trail may have four-legged friends with them.

Take a moment away from the busyness of life to breathe in breathtaking vistas as the sun sets before you. Enjoy a 2 mile round trip hike to a mountaintop and sink into a lovely all levels yoga practice on the summit while soaking up the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A unique way to practice self care and social distancing ;)

Need a different date? Sunset hikes are available daily for private groups of 1-20. Message me with your desired date and group size or visit the website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/ to browse options.

Covid Considerations: for a detailed rundown of the precautions we’re taking, visit our website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/

Take a moment away from the busyness of life to breathe in breathtaking vistas as the sun sets before you. Enjoy a 2 mile round trip hike to a mountaintop and sink into a lovely all levels yoga practice on the summit while soaking up the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A unique way to practice self care and social distancing ;)

Need a different date? Sunset hikes are available daily for private groups of 1-20. Message me with your desired date and group size or visit the website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/ to browse options.

Covid Considerations: for a detailed rundown of the precautions we’re taking, visit our website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/

Take a moment away from the busyness of life to breathe in breathtaking vistas as the sun sets before you. Enjoy a 2 mile round trip hike to a mountaintop and sink into a lovely all levels yoga practice on the summit while soaking up the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A unique way to practice self care and social distancing ;)

Need a different date? Sunset hikes are available daily for private groups of 1-20. Message me with your desired date and group size or visit the website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/ to browse options.

Covid Considerations: for a detailed rundown of the precautions we’re taking, visit our website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/

Take a moment away from the busyness of life to breathe in breathtaking vistas as the sun sets before you. Enjoy a 2 mile round trip hike to a mountaintop and sink into a lovely all levels yoga practice on the summit while soaking up the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A unique way to practice self care and social distancing ;)

Need a different date? Sunset hikes are available daily for private groups of 1-20. Message me with your desired date and group size or visit the website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/ to browse options.

Covid Considerations: for a detailed rundown of the precautions we’re taking, visit our website at https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/tour/yoga-hikes/

We will meet near the Fresh Market on Highway 25 and walk 2.5 miles in on the MTS trail and then back to the Fresh Market. This trail comes out on the road at least twice, so keep this in mind with dogs on the trail.

Join us for twice weekly hikes that alternate among four fairly standard routes. Typically, we take the same hike twice weekly, three of which are along the mountains-to-sea trail, running alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. Once a month, we go on a hike among the 25 miles of hiking trails within the campus of Warren Wilson College. We focus on weekday hikes, with occasional weekend jaunts.

I’ve done part of this hike and it’s nice but I haven’t done the Pump Gap section. So I don’t know what this part of the trail is like other than it will be downhill and probably rocky. It should be about 3.5 miles one way but could be more.

This is a car shuttle hike meaning we leave cars at each end of the trail head. The hike is located in the Hot Springs so we could possibly have a meal after (but would be based upon COVID restrictions).

Let’s meet at the Ingles in Weaverville (the one across the street from Publix) at 9:45 with a departure at 10 a.m. Park near the gas station, road side. I have a white Hyundai. Suggested car pool donation is $5 each. If you carpool please wear a mask in the car and bring hand sanitizer.

We will drive out to the trailhead in Hot Springs, leave a car and then drive back up to the other trailhead. This part will involve carpooling so please make sure you are ok with that.

Once hiking, we immediately start uphill and this is one of the hardest parts of the hike but it’s short. We will travel along the AT with a gentle uphill most of the way, but it is scenic.

Eventually we will come to the intersection with the Pump Gap trail and take it back down to the trail head. Who knows what the trail holds? It’s about 1 mile down this section.

Please wear proper hiking shoes, hiking poles are recommended. We won’t be stopping for lunch so bring a snack if you want. Don’t forget the water.

I don’t put attendee limits on my hikes so you don’t have to worry about having a spot. Therefore, you can sign up a day before the hike.

We will meet at the Ingles on Tunnel Road. I’m not that familiar with this Ingles, but if there is a gas station at this Ingles please park over by it. I have a white Hyundai and will stand outside the car. Suggested car pool donation will be $2-$3 each as this is not a far drive to the trailhead.
Meeting time is 9:45 with a departure of 10 a.m.
We will then drive out to Warren Wilson to the trailhead which is in a parking area for one of the living areas. Parking is at a minimum so car pool if you can. If carpooling, please wear a mask in your driver’s car and sanitize your hands.

Once we arrive at the trailhead we will meander through the woods. I haven’t done this trail for probably 4 years so I hope it will all come back. But you might want to plan on a few mishaps and a retracing of steps.

We start out gradually uphill, will past through a dark forest with trees planted in rows, find the trail that goes down hill for a least half a mile, turn left and head towards Swannanoa River, walk up to a man made lake, retrace our steps, head towards the agricultural area of WW, turn right, crawl through the fence and pick the trail back up, now going uphill and re-intersect the trail we started out on.

This trail isn’t hard but it does have it’s ups and downs.
Bring a snack if you like but we won’t be stopping for a meal.
As usual wear shoes with a good tread, bring water, and a hiking pole if needed. There are no creek crossings.

What we’re about

 Mingus Creek

4 miles | easy

Historic cemeteries and mill, wildflowers

2021 CLASSIC HIKES OF THE SMOKIES

Discover America’s most-visited national park with a guided day hike! The Classic Hikes of the Smokies feature interpretation of the history, flora, and fauna of park trails. Hikes vary in distance, difficulty, and location within the park to provide a comprehensive overview of the Smokies, exposing hikers to high Appalachian vistas, streams teeming with aquatic life, the best collection of log structures on the Eastern Seaboard, and much more.

After completing registration…
You will receive an email the Friday before the hike with directions, and more information. All hikes begin at 9 a.m

What is an airstrip doing in the middle of DuPont State Recreational Forest? Why the formal entrance into a state forest? And how did the lakes come to be?

Come on a moderate all-day hike through historic DuPont Forest where we will walk, talk, take photos and even speculate. DuPont Forest is in Cedar Mountain, located between Hendersonville and Brevard. We will visit Bridal Veil Falls and four lakes. Although the hike focuses on DuPont Forest history, we might see some early spring flowers and buds.

Here are the details:

• The hike is 7.5 miles and about 800 feet of altitude gain over the day. The trails are well-maintained but will be muddy and rocky.
• Meet at the Transylvania County Library (212 S Gaston St, Brevard, NC) by 8:20am. We will depart from there in a caravan and arrive at the Fawn Lake Access Area of DuPont just before 9am.
• Wear light boots or good sneakers with hiking sock, a rain jacket (no matter the weather forecast) and a couple of layers of warm clothing – a long sleeve shirt and a fleece.
• Bring lunch and snacks and at least one quart of water – two pints. Water will not be available  on the hike.
• There are no toilets in the forest. We will stop several times for trail breaks in the woods. There is also no cell service in the area including the forest.
• Note: For liability reasons, no dogs are allowed on this hike.

Questions, concerns? Email me at [email protected]