28 Mar 2014

Take a Hike – Consider a Hiking Wedding!

 

Have you considered putting on your boots and saying, “I do!” in a scenic, remote hiking wedding ceremony?

My wife and I recently packed up our girls and headed out to Max Patch, a cleared mountaintop site that has gorgeous 360-degree views of seemingly hundreds of miles of mountain ridges across Tennessee and North Carolina.  Here’s my attempt at shooting an interactive panoramic view on the top of Max Patch.

There are a few things Asheville is known for.  One is the Biltmore Estate.  Another is our local beer scene.  Hiking and outdoor recreation are probably two of the biggest draws to Asheville, and there’s no reason why you can’t take a hike along a narrow trail to the top of a ridge in a hiking wedding ceremony you will never forget.

Below are just a small fraction of locations where we could go to say your vows.  I’m just tossing these ideas out there so you can get a general idea of what the possibilities are.  You can always check out Romantic Asheville’s list of Top 50 Hikes to get a better idea for where you want to go.  Weddings don’t always have to be in high heels and patent leather shoes.  Why not have a wedding in your best hiking boots?

Hiking Wedding in Graveyard Fields

Don’t let the name fool you.  Graveyard Fields‘s name comes from the stumps of wood left after a wildfire many years ago that looked like gravestones in some of the openings.  Trails take you on both paved and unpaved hiking paths, and you have several options based on how rugged a terrain you wish to walk through, though both of the most popular trails take you to waterfalls.

The waterfalls are what make this a very attractive hiking wedding destination.  The easiest trail leads to a deep pool of water right at the base of a stunning waterfall.  You will stay dry – though you will have to crawl over some pretty large boulders – but the scene is just breathtaking.  You will have your ceremony completely surrounded by every form of nature: running water, hard rock, Appalachian forest, and deep cold water.

Hiking Wedding at Black Balsam Knob

Black Balsam Knob is one of my favorite hikes around Asheville.  It’s one of those places that’s not much work to get to, and the payoff is huge!  The top of Black Balsam Knob is clear of trees, giving a great panoramic view of the silence that is the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A hiking wedding at Black Balsam Knob would provide one of the highest peaks in the area at over 6,200 feet.  The trees at this altitude are either nonexistent or very slow growing, so this gives an unobstructed view for miles and miles.  Much of the climb to that altitude is done in your car.  There’s parking next to the trail that will take about 15-20 minutes of an easy to moderate walk to get to the top.  During spring and summer, the surrounding forests below this peak are a lush green, and the smell of pure air blowing up from the valleys is sweet and fresh.  In the fall, the colors come out, and you just can’t believe how beautiful the world can really be.

Hiking Wedding at Craggy Gardens

Craggy Gardens is one of the only local hiking areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway with its own Visitor’s Center and parking area.  That doesn’t take away from its beauty as you walk the 1.5-mile Craggy Garden Pinnacle Trail.  The best time of day for this location is later in the evening.  You can get married at the Pinnacle and then go down to the Visitor’s Center and watch the sun set behind the mountains to the west.

There are a wide variety of native flora along the way, and you will feel like you are walking along a carefully planned garden to the lookout at the top.  A large reservoir is located to the east, and nothing but mountains are westward.  The wind coming through the gap in the mountains makes this a very cool, comfortable spot even in the dog days of summer.

 

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If you are more interested in getting married out in nature instead of a local venues, it’s actually very easy to do.  Take a look around at all of the available hikes in the area, and let me know where you want to go.  That’s pretty much it!  I will take care of everything else that you may need, and you will have a hiking wedding unlike anyone else… possibly in the world!