We decided last minute to take a trip to Asheville, NC for the Fourth of July weekend and it did not disappoint. It isn’t often that we can get away (eh em still haven’t had a honey moon 1 year later 🙂 ) so it was so amazing to step away from daily life with this trip.
The hiking options are endless. We didn’t even scratch the surface with the hiking trails, but the two we were able to do were gorgeous.
The two hikes we did were 45 minutes north of Asheville; Snowball trail and Craggy Gardens.
Snowball Trail was perfect for us because we weren’t planning to hike all day. We started at the Craggy Gardens picnic area (before you go further up the hill to the picnic area) and we hiked up to the HawkBill Rock which was just under 3 miles round trip. The hike was beautiful the whole way and I would give this a medium difficulty rating but it honestly depends on how quickly you are hiking. There are a couple of spots where you need to climb up a rock or two to continue on, but that was rare. Getting to HawkBill Rock was incredible. Diego and I sat there for quite a bit. I don’t know what it is about oceans and mountains but I always feel like when I am looking out, I get very philosophical and reflect on life. Anyone else? No, ok 😉
Craggy Gardens Pinnacle came the most highly recommended from friends who had visited the area. As someone who wants their hike to also count as a workout, don’t count on this trail to get you too many steps with less than 1.5 miles round trip, BUT it gets you to some stunning views very quickly. I would give this a very easy difficulty rating. Perfect if you have kids coming along! There is a cute seating area at the summit. Perfect for relaxing and taking in the views.
Snowball Trail & HawkBill Rock – 3 miles
Craggy Gardens Pinnacle – 1.4 mile round trip
