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101 Quotes About Hiking and Adventure

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Hiking is one of my favorite things to do in the world. It connects you to nature, clears your mind, and can provide a sense of accomplishment like nothing else. There are so many beautiful quotes about hiking that capture these feelings.

I’ve compiled the top hiking quotes into this list, including funny hiking quotes, mountain hiking quotes, hiking with friends quotes, and hiking Instagram captions for when you need some inspiration.

Some are classic quotes by famous adventurers, while others are unknown, but all of these hiking quotes will inspire you to get outside and hit the trails.

Inspiring Quotes about Hiking

Need some inspiration for your next hike? These quotes perfectly capture the incredible joys that hiking can bring.

We don’t stop hiking because we grow old – we grow old because we stop hiking.

– Finish Mitchell

Hiking is not escapism; it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong.

– Jennifer Pharr Davis

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.

– Diane Spicer

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

– Lao Tzu
hiking quotes

I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference

– Jack Frost

Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.

– Carrie Latet

For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you.

– Unknown

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.

– Rosalia de Castro
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Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.

– Cindy Ross

That one is so true! After hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, I felt like a completely new person. Long-distance hiking is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done.

Walking is a man’s best medicine.

– Hippocrates
walking is a man's best medicine quote

We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.

– Robert Sweetgall

On a hike, the days pass with the wind, the sun, the stars; movement is powered by a belly full of food and water, not a noxious tankful of fossil fuels. On a hike, you’re less a job title and more a human being. A periodic hike not only stretches the limbs but also reminds us: Wow, there’s a big old world out there.

– Ken Ilgunas

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.

– Raymond Inmon

That is some great advice. If I’m ever feeling stuck on inspiration for creativity, a walk outside usually does the trick.

When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.

– Thornton Wilder

Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.

― John Muir
john muir quote

If everyone in the world took care of each other the way folks do out on the trail, and if everyone approached each day with as much hope and optimism as hikers do, the world would be a better place.

– Jon Tullis

This quote is so true! I love how kind people are when they are out hiking. Everyone says hi to each other and smiles, people pick up garbage that they find on the trail – imagine if the world was like that everywhere?

Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.

– Bob Bitchin

Only one who wanders finds a new path.

– Norwegian Proverb

Most men take the straight and narrow. A few take the road less traveled. I chose to cut through the woods.

– Unknown

I’d rather be hiking in the rain, than sitting inside at a desk on a sunny day.

– Unknown

I agree with this 100%! Even when the weather is bad, I’d still rather be out in the wilderness than stuck behind a desk any day.

Hiking is the best workout! You can hike for three hours and not even realize you’re working out. And, hiking alone lets me have some time to myself.

Jamie Luner

Mountain Hiking Quotes

Mountains and hiking go hand in hand. There is no better feeling in the world than conquering a mountain summit or a beautiful mountain view after a long hike. Some of my favorite mountain hiking experiences have been the Ghandrul Trek in Nepal and El Chalten in Patagonia. Here are the best mountain hiking quotes.

 Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

– Richard M. Nixon

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.

– Aldous Huxley

May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits.

-Harley King

It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.

– Sir Edmund Hillary
quotes about hiking in the mountains

Stop staring at mountains. Climb them instead, yes, it’s a harder process but it will lead you to a better view.

– Unknown

Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.

-Greg Child

The best view comes after the hardest climb.

– Unknown
mountain hiking quotes

I walked slowly to enjoy this freedom, and when I came out of the mountains, I saw the sky over the prairie, and I thought that if heaven was real, I hoped it was a place I never had to go, for this earth was greater than any paradise.

– Daniel J. Rice

Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.

― David McCullough Jr.

Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.

– Barry Finlay
mountain hiking quotes

Those who travel to mountain-tops are half in love with themselves and half in love with oblivion.

– Robert Macfarlane

There are two kinds of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest.

– Alex Lowe

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.

– Edward Abbey

Funny Hiking Quotes

While most of my hiking experiences have been fun adventures, there have been times where I’ve slipped, fallen in the mud, or gotten lost. At those times, it’s good to remember that laughter is the best medicine. Here are some funny quotes about hiking for the next time you need a laugh on the trail.

Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost, and you see a path.  By all means, you should follow that.

– Ellen Degeneres

Sleeping bags are the soft tacos of the bear world. 

– Bears

Bring a compass.  It’s awkward when you have to eat your friends. – Unknown

I hike to burn off the crazy.

– Unknown

Always hike with someone in worse shape then you. The bears out there will know.

– Unknown

Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.

– Hermann Buhl
funny hiking quotes

I just wanna kick it in the woods with my birches.

– Unknown

Hiking’s not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty.

– Sonja Yoerg

Hiking is the answer, who cares what the question was.

– Unknown

The closer you are to nature the further you are from idiots.

– Unknown

I have a therapist.  Her name Is nature.

– Unknown
nature quote

 There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

– Sir Ranulph Fiennes

I don’t get it. The trail looked so flat on the map.

– Unknown

Anywhere is ‘within walking distance if you have the time.

Steven Wright

This is so me! I am forever that person who says ‘let’s walk it!’

Hiking Instagram Captions

These hikes are short and sweet, making them perfect for the gram when you got the insta-worthy hiking shot.

The mountains are calling and I must go.

– John Muir

Coffee, Mountains, Adventure.

Adventure awaits.

Hike more, Worry Less.

hike more worry less quote graphic

All good things are wild and free.

― Henry David Thoreau

It feels good to be lost in the right direction.

Let’s wander where the wifi is weak.

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.

– Frank A. Clark
quotes about hiking

 Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

– Maya Angelou

Do more things that make you forget to check your phone.

There is no wifi in the forest, but you will find a better connection.

Move the body, still the mind.

Life is better in hiking boots.

Quotes About Hiking with Friends

While solo hiking is a powerful thing, sometimes you want company on your hike. Here are some quotes about hiking with friends to inspire you to call a friend next time you head out on an adventure.

Happiness is hiking with friends

Good company in a journey makes the way seme shorter

– Izaak Walton

It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.

– Unknown

A good friend listens to your adventures. A best friend makes them with you.

– Unknown
quote about hiking with friends

A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.

– Tim Cahill

There is a whole world out there. Pack your backpack, your best friend, and go.

– Unknown

Sharing adventures means enjoying them 100% more.

hiking with friends quotes

It’s not how many miles you walk, it’s how many smiles you share.

In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.

– Charles Schulz

My favourite thing is going on adventures with you.

hiking quotes with friends

I love these quotes about hiking with friends! It’s such an amazing experience to accomplish a difficult hike with a friend.

Hiking in Nature Quotes

Hiking allows you to connect with nature on a much deeper level. There is nothing more therapeutic than a long walk in the woods. So many times in my life I’ve felt lost and through hiking, I’ve found the answers. Here are the best quotes that capture the beautiful feeling of hiking in nature.

I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm.

– John Mackey

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

– Henry David Thoreau

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.

– Frank Lloyd Wright

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

– John Muir

Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.

– Albert Einstein

Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.

– John Muir
nature quote pin

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

– John Muir

A walk in nature walks the soul back home.

– Mary Davis

I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees.

– Henry David Thoreau

Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.

– Walt Whitman

To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.

– Mary Davis
quotes about hiking in nature

Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings.

– John Muir

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.

– Edward Abbey

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

– John Muir

Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.

George Washington Carver

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.

– John Burroughs

I love walking in the woods, along the trails, by the beaches. I love being part of nature. I love walking alone. It is therapy. One needs to be alone, to recharge one’s batteries.

– Grace Kelly

Trekking Quotes

When everything feels like an uphill struggle, Just think of the view from the top.

The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot

The long distance hiker, a breed set apart, from the likes of the usual pack. He’ll shoulder his gear, be hittin’ the trail; long gone, long ‘fore he’ll be back.

M.J. Eberhart

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.

T.S. Eliot
trekking quotes

You, who know that all the bruises and scrapes from scrambling and rambling are the best because they remind you of being alive.

Madison Perrins

Days of slow walking are very long: they make you live longer because you have allowed every hour, every minute, every second to breathe, to deepen, instead of filling them up by straining the joints.

Frédéric Gros

I hope some of these hiking quotes resonated with you! I have three of them hanging up as home decor in my bedroom, and it always inspires me to get outside. What’s your favorite quote about hiking? Share it in the comments below!

FAQ: Best Hiking Quotes

What do they say about hiking?

Hiking is often described as a rejuvenating and transformative experience, connecting individuals with nature and providing a sense of accomplishment and peace.

How do you caption a hiking post?

Caption a hiking post with a short, inspiring quote or a personal reflection that captures the essence of your adventure and the beauty of the natural surroundings.

What is the best caption for hiking?

“The mountains are calling, and I must go.” – John Muir

What is a cool quote for hiking?

“Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.” – Diane Spicer

What is a good quote for nature pictures?

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

What is the best feeling after hiking?

The best feeling after hiking is a mix of accomplishment, tranquility, and a deepened connection with nature.

What is a famous quote for hiking?

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

What is the quote about walking up a mountain?

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary

Is hiking a bit like life quotes?

Yes, hiking is often compared to life, symbolizing the journey, challenges, and rewards we encounter, as in the quote: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is so fun about hiking?

Hiking is fun because it combines physical activity with the joy of exploring new landscapes, experiencing the beauty of nature, and the satisfaction of reaching new heights or destinations.

Looking for more travel quotes? Check out these posts!

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Author

  • Lora Pope

    Lora is a full-time digital nomad on a quest to visit every country in the world and pet as many dogs as she can along the way. Over the last 15 years, she has traveled to 70+ countries and six continents solo. She currently calls Puerto Vallarta, Mexico home and enjoys ending each day with sunset and tacos on the beach.

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