There are lots of great hiking trails, waterfalls, and camping spots near Asheville. We even have our own trails in Ventana Asheville. If you’d rather bike than hike, there are hundreds of amazing scenic mountain biking trails here in Western North Carolina. There are plenty of tracks, local parks, and roadways to bike as well. If you’re into social rides or races, there are lots happening across Western NC, as well as clubs and meet-ups that you can join. There are BMX and Cyclocross tracks and events in and near Asheville.
Don’t worry if you don’t have your own bike, there are multiple places to rent one or purchase one. You can rent or buy from Asheville Bicycle Company, which is near Ventana, or Beer City Bicycles or Liberty Bicycles. You can rent from the Adventure Center of Asheville, near downtown. The Asheville Adventure Center has many adventures to choose from, one of which is the Kolo Bike Park. Kolo Bike Park is a purpose-built park that’s appropriate for all biking skill levels. They have trails to ride, a pump track, and dirt jumps designed for skills progression. You can rent there or BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike, that is). For guided bike rides, the Bike Farm has tours in Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest.
The Biltmore Estate has its own trails, ranging from easy to difficult. The network of Bent Creek trails in Asheville, located near the North Carolina Arboretum, are great for all levels of experience. Mills River area of Pisgah Forest has a large collection of popular trails and multiple loops of miles and miles to ride, ranging from easy to very challenging. Some of these trails have a very backcountry feel to them, some are by water, and some of the bike trails can be steep or hilly. If it’s water you want to see, you can bike to the waterfalls in DuPont State Forest. DuPont Forest has about 86 miles of trails. It has impressive scenic attractions, including the waterfalls.
If you want road biking with scenic views, you can ride different areas that take you up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Point Lookout Trail is a paved greenway from Old Fort to Ridgecrest near Black Mountain, North Carolina. The trail is about 3.6 miles one way. If you start at Old Fort, you’ll bike the uphill part first and you have the more downhill part of the trail to “rest” at the end. If you prefer a ride without the steep climbs to the Parkway, try Riverside Drive in Asheville.
As you can see, Asheville is a great place to go for a ride!