You won’t believe it. Asheville is a 12-13 hr drive, same distance as some of those Colorado spots often hit up by Kansas City peeps. Looks like we could could all switch it up by heading east as well, amiright?

Have some time? You do a ville to ville to ville tour. You drive through Nashville, Knoxville if you stay south and Louisville on the way back if you stay North. Wanna get wild, I hear great things about Chattanooga. Hop on down there.

For the sake of this lil ditty, we are going to stay near and around Asheville. I have been down there twice to explore and put together my ideal trip between those two experiences. Note, there is SO MUCH TO DO beyond my recs. My hope is that this little guide will be a resource to get you outside and somewhere new. Please comments with recommendations, questions and always reach out if you want support in getting outside. It can be intimidating but just takes one trip to find your comfort zone!

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Start out in Morganton!

When I went out to Asheville last year with my friend Dr. Leigh, we stayed at the BEST little Airbnb in Morganton for two nights. It is on an adorable goat farm with incredible views of the mountains. We didn’t get there until late, when we woke up in the morning our minds were blown by the unbelievable views. From this amazing treehouse style airbnb (furnished, with plumbing and mini kitchen), there were plenty of cute spots to stop in, check out and explore. Everything I share below is within an hour drive of our place so whether you want a home base or plan on camping, this is a great spot to first settle in.

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You have two options here! If it is just one or two of your, the Loft Treehouse Apartment is perfect starting at $69 a night (a steal) or if you have a bigger group, check out the Urban Rustic Treehouse Apartment for $79 a month (also a steal). Both have air conditioning, comfy beds and are surrounded by trees. While you are there, I had a couple favorites places you should check out.

Flora Fona Brewery @ Whippoorwill Farm us THE PERFECT brewery to sit and chill at. Located under the backdrop of the stunning and rugged Linville Gorge, the farmhouse brewery sits on 9 acres of beautiful land surrounded by Lake James State Park. Hit is on the right night and the owners of your treehouse just might be selling their goat cheese right out front.

Moondog Pizza: We bellied up to the bar and had the best chat with the local bartender. Gluted free or not, the pizza is amazing and the toppings are fresh high quality ingredients. Moondog offers a variety of pizza choices and a tap list with so many local brews.

From Morganton you have great access to Blue Ridge Parkway. If you have asked anyone about visiting Asheville, they have likely recommended checking it out. You can spend the whole day cruising up and down and finding great hikes and viewpoints.

Blue Ridge Parkway

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile road with the best views of Virginia and North Carolina. Don’t worry, I don’t expect you will drive it all :) t is highly accessible from both Asheville and Morganton but of course, there is so much to do, it is good to know what is close. From Asheville, grab your coffee and take a nice drive to stop off the road for amazing views. Highly recommend hitting up Frying Pan Mountain as it is only 20 minutes from downtown Asheville or go further and check out Skinny Dip Falls.

From Morganton you have access to one a beautiful, challenging and fun hike to Calloway peak. It is impossible to tell you all there is to offer from Blue Ridge Parkway in a small post so I highly recommend do your own searches on google as well as looking at these location on Instagram to find spots that intrigue you!

Frying Pan Mountain Fire Overlook: This is a great hike to get out of the car and move your body. It is an available 1.5 mile round trip hike with stunning panoramic views of The Blue Ridge Mountains. I think this view would be good any time of year but as you can see from the pics, Fall was next level.

Skinny Dip Falls: This refreshing swimming hole would be right up my ally on a summer day. the water is clear and cool. You can hike up a little or further. I like that is was playfully technical. Individuals and families were up there alike. Oh, and the waterfalls don’t suck either.

Calloway Peak: This is the highest peak on Grandfather Mountain. So obviously, VIEWS ON VIEWS ON VIEWS. Although it is 3.5 miles, you wanna be ready to hike this one. I love some playful technical spots but they are not fo everyone. I also wouldn’t scare you off by saying it is for experts. Patience and being mindful can get you a long way. You can get to the peak by several different trails but the suggest is the most secluded and just off mile marker 300 of Blue Ridge Parkway.

Roan Mountain

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Just over an hour from Morganton, you can either make it a day trip for a beautiful hike or pack up and backpack in to stay on one of three bald mountain you walk across on this 6 mile out and back hike. I would clearly choose the latter but either way you go, do your best to catch sunrise, sunset or bonus for both. What I love about this hike specifically is that you are playing on the boarder of Tennessee and North Carolina. For whatever reason, this seemed special to me.

Roan Mountain is not one mountain, but a five-mile ridgetop. You hike on the Applacian Traill to cross the grassy “bald” summits of Round Bald, Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge and gasp at panoramic mountain views. It's famous for the massive native Rhododendrom display which I did not see both because it was fall and raining. I still thought it was spectacular.

Because of the rain we were unable to camp up top but we did stay at Max Patch a couple nights early and imagine it to be just as magical with way less college kids partying up top. Win win. The cloud inversions, when we were there in October, were crazy. When you climb up the mountain you could have clouds above you and thick layer of fog clouds below you. Although it was raining up top, we were lucky to find a great campsite below with sunshine. (I know, I can’t explain it so don’t ask.) Ill include that campsite in case you are more comfortable at a community campsite OR get caught in the same predicament we did. Our trailhead fro Roan Mountain: Carvers Gap (right on the state border).

Or stay at our campsite we stayed at just a mile down the road: Roan Mountain State Park

The Chimneys & Beyond

The Chimneys: This was my favorite place on either trip. It was straight up magical. I am already planning my next trip around it getting bacek to The Chimneys. A large cluster of dramatic rock formations along a canyon rim is an easy 1.5-mile roundtrip hike. Know there is a trail (Mountains-to-Sea trail) that keeps going if you are looking to get in your fitness for the day. The images above do not do it justice. YOU MUST check it out yourself.

Table Rock: We skipped this hike do to available time but if you are hanging in this area, rumor has it you should check out Table Rock Mountain's distinctive summit. They say the rocky summit is fun (and safe) to explore. It is a 2.2-mile roundtrip with some steep climbs. Views of the 3,930-ft. peak are a cannot miss (unless on a serious time crunch of course).

Hawksbill Craig: Slipper when wet. I ate it as we were walking through the fog but I imagine when I go back that this 1.5-mile round-trip hike to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain will blow my dang mind and not be so slippery. For us it looked like cliffs dropping off into oblivion but when the clouds clear there are panoramic views of Linville Gorge. On a clear day, you can even see the skyline of Charlotte - about 90 miles away!

Pro-tip! There is some seriously fine primitive camping in this area if you know anything about that, look into it.

Finish with a Night in Asheville

It is always best to finish a camping and hiking trips with a nice shower and night on the town. After cooking over campfires and pulling beers out of coolers - going out to eat feels like a next level luxury. So many people have visited that will have better recommendations than me but here area few spots I will work through when I visit again: Taco Temple, Wicked Weed, Funkatorium, Dinner at Curate, Top of the Monk and The Crow and Quill.

As always, I hope this Get Outside Guide helps you get out and adventure. Please comment with questions and recommendations!