Anyone who has been hiking knows how refreshing it is. It’s inspirational, life-changing, and even funny sometimes. Check out these epic hiking quotes that will remind you just how much you love to get out and explore the great outdoors.
There is an abundance of inspirational hiking quotes by so many well-known names like John Muir and Henry David Thoreau, but plenty of lesser-known people have a way with words.
Even when the hike gets tough, and you want nothing more than to stop, these will remind you to keep on going.
And once you get that perfect view on camera, you can post it on Instagram with your favorite quote!
59 Of The Best Hiking Quotes
1. “Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care.” – Early Shaffer
2. “After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” – G.M. Trevelyan
3. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
4. “A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” – Mary Davis
5. “You’re off to great places; today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” – Dr. Seuss
6. “Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical.” – Carl Sagan
7. “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery of why we climb.” – Greg Child
8. “Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir
9. “Look deep into nature and you, will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
10. “Leave the road, take the trails.” – Pythagoras
11. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle
12. “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” – William Blake
13. “The climb speaks to our character, but the view, I think, to our souls.” – Lori Lansens
14. “Hiking’s not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty.” – Sonja Yoerg
15. “Cover the earth before it covers you.” – Dagobert D. Runes
16. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
17. “We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall
18. “On a hike, you’re less a job title and more a human being.” – Ken Ilgunas
19. “Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder
20. “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
21. “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
22. “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau
23. “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir
24. “Where the signposts end, the trail begins.” – Marty Rubin
25. “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
26. “If you face the rest of your life with the spirit you show on the trail, it will have no choice but to yield the same kind of memories and dreams.” – Adrienne Hall, A Journey North: One Woman’s Story of Hiking the Appalachian Trail
27. “I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprising of all, that I could carry it.” – Cheryl Strayed, Wild
28. “In the mountains, there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can’t.” – Rusty Baillie
29. “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost
30. “Not all who wander are lost.” – JRR Tolkien
31. “You need special shoes for hiking – and a bit of a special soul as well.” – Terri Guillemets
32. “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau
33. “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
34. “I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. Then I ask myself the same question.” – Harun Yahya
35. “Walking is a man’s best medicine.” – Hippocrates
36. “And in the end, you won’t remember the time you spend working in the office or mowing your lawn, climb that goddamn mountain!” – Jack Kerouac
37. “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
38. “The mountains whisper for me to wander; my soul hikes to the call.” – Angie Weiland-Crosby
39. “Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue.” – John Muir
40. “I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order.” — John Burroughs
41. “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
42. “If you’ve ever walked a mile into a virgin forest – you know, like a deep forest where trees have been uncut – the energy is totally different from the shopping mall.” – James Redfield
43. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
44. “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes
45. “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
46. “Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.” – Diane Spicer
47. “Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” – Thitch Nhat Hanh
48. “We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall
49. “On a hike, you’re less a job title and more a human being.” – Ken Ilgunas
50. “Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.” – Carrie Latet
51. “The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot.” – Werner Herzog
52. “The trail leads not merely north and south, but up to the body, mind, and soul of man.” – Harold Allen
53. “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” — Aristotle
54. “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” — T.S. Eliot
55. “The earth has music for those who listen.” — George Santayana
56. “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
57. “In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” — Alice Walker
58. “Land really is the best art.” — Andy Warhol
59. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —Lao Tzu
I'm also a freelance writer and creator. You can see my published work here. I've been featured by Impact Travel Alliance as a creative who is transforming travel, and by Matador Network as a vegan travel blogger you should be following on Instagram.
When I'm not writing, I'm traveling, reading a book, trying not to kill my houseplants, worshiping my dog, or having an existential crisis.
You can also reach out to me on Instagram and TikTok.
Want to know more? Here's my full bio.
- 9 Weird Things To Do In Dublin, Ireland - April 13, 2024
- 14 Weird Things To Do In Indianapolis, Indiana - April 13, 2024
- Saudi Sands: Discovering Arabia’s Cultural Tapestry - April 1, 2024
