Around Asheville

Activities in the Asheville, North Carolina Area

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains the Asheville area offers endless opportunity for outdoor recreation and adventure. Acclaimed by numerous magazines as a top outdoor adventure destination, visitors enjoy scenic driving, hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, horseback riding and now zip-lining.

The beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway celebrated it 75th Anniversary in 2010. Linking the Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, it provides more than 400 miles of Mountain views and vistas uninterrupted by man-made construction. Travelers can visit Mount Mitchell, highest peak in the Eastern United States, or stop off at Grandfather Mountain to cross the mile high-swinging bridge.

The more adventurous can leave their cars at various trail heads and venture into the mountains, climbing to waterfalls, balds and escarpments. Rock climbers and bikers will find much to interest them as well

An hour’s journey west of Asheville, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its biodiversity with more plant and animal species than in any other National Park. Lucky visitors may spot elk, bears or other animals in their natural habitat. A simulated community showcases the lives of pioneers in our mountains.

Southwest of Asheville, the DuPont State Forest is home to several awe-inspiring waterfalls which can be visited with a short hike.

If our swift running mountain streams and rivers call to you, local businesses offer white-water rafting as well as fly-fishing, and other water sports. Not to be missed is a “zip” through the canopy at one of Asheville’s state-of-the-art zip lines.

Chimney Rock Park, 25 miles southeast of Asheville is named for the large rock at its summit. The observation area, which can be reached by ascending on foot or, for the less adventurous, by elevator, afford a 75 mile view of the surrounding area. And here cinema enthusiasts will find the 404-foot waterfall featured in the Last of the Mohicans.

Romantic Asheville, a comprehensive website guide to Asheville and the surrounding areas, features pages dedicated to 40 Asheville Hikes and the Top 10 Quick Hiking Trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is also a page featuring the 20 Top Waterfalls.

Your bed and breakfast hosts will be glad to put you in touch with just the adventure you seek. These sites provide additional information to assist with planning your Asheville adventure: Hike WNC ; Nantahala Outdoor Center; Explore Asheville; RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide and Land of Waterfalls.