The sole purpose of this hiking quotes guide is to motivate you to hit a new trail and explore the great outdoors. But of course, many of these hiking quotes will also make perfect Instagram captions.
Hiking has many benefits which can affect you both mentally and physically in a positive way. There is no better form of exercise and hiking can be experience by any age group.
So next time you are looking for an adventure, check out some of the best hikes in the United States.
Where will your next hike be?!
We have organized this long list of hiking quotes into manageable sections in case you wanted to search for a particular topic.
In this guide, we will show you:
- Popular hiking quotes
- Funny hiking quotes
- Inspirational hiking quotes
- Hiking with friends quotes
- John Muir hiking quotes
- Hiking puns
- Fall hiking quotes
Now, let’s find the best hiking quotes for your next outdoor adventure!
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Popular Hiking Quotes
1). “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
2). “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
3). “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” – John Kerouac
4). “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
5). “Fall down seven times and stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“6). It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
7). “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost
“8). I’d rather be hiking in the rain, than sitting inside at a desk on a sunny day.” – Unknown
9). “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” — T.S. Eliot
10). “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” – Ed Viesturs
Funny Hiking Quotes
11). “If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain.” – Anonymous
12). “Cover the earth before it covers you.” – Dagobert D. Runes
13). “You need special shoes for hiking – and a bit of a special soul as well.” – Terri Guillemets
14). “It’s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.” – Henry Ward Beecher
15). “I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here.” – Wislawa Szymborska
16). “Sleeping bags are the soft tacos of the bear world.” – Bears
17). “Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” – Hermann Buhl
18). “DEET is nature’s cologne.” – Every Hiker
19). “Hiking’s not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty.” – Sonja Yoerg
20). “Trails are like that: you’re floating along in a Shakespearean Arden paradise and expect to see nymphs and flute boys, then suddenly you’re struggling in a hot broiling sun of hell in dust and nettles and poison oak…just like life.” – Jack Kerouac
21). “Where the signposts end, the trail begins.” – Marty Rubin
22). “There is always an adventure waiting in the woods.” – Katelyn S. Bolds
23). “The closer you are to nature the further you are from idiots.” — Unknown
24). “Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee.” — Demetri Martin
25). “Bring a compass. It’s awkward when you have to eat your friends.” – Unknown
Inspirational Hiking Quotes
26). “Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care.” – Earl Shaffer
27). “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
28). “After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” – G.M. Trevelyan
29). “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees.” – Henry David Thoreau
30). “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
31). “The more you know, the less you need.” – Yvon Chouinard
32). “We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall
33). “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
34). “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
35). “I would never have started this trip if I had known how tough it was, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t quit.” – Ben Montgomery
36). “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” — Henry B. Eyring
37). “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”- Edmund Hillary
38). “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
39). “We don’t stop hiking because we grow old. We grow old because we stop hiking.” – Finis Mitchell
Need a new hiking app? Read our best hiking app guide and use our special link for 20% off Gaia GPS Premium subscription.
Hiking With Friends Quotes
40). “In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.” – Charles Schulz
41). “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
42). “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton
43). “Hiking is the only slightly less ugly stepsister of running.” – Lindy Hughes
44). “What on earth would I do if four bears came into my camp? Why, I would die of course. Literally sh** myself lifeless.” – Bill Bryson
45). “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” — Tim Cahill
46). “A good friend listens to your adventures. A best friend makes them with you.” — Anonymous
47). “We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
John Muir Hiking Quotes
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist who was a strong advocate for U.S. forest conservation. Many of his writing were extremely influential in preserving landscapes, specifically near the Yosemite area and the Sierra Nevadas.
In 1901, Muir published ‘Our National Parks’ which attracted the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt. Then in 1903, Roosevelt visited the Yosemite with Muir right beside him and this became the foundation for Roosevelt’s innovative to creates America’s National Park System.
Below are a few of his famous quotes about hiking and his love of the outdoors…
48). “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
49). “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
50). “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
51). “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir
52). “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” – John Muir
53). “The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir
54). “How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!” – John Muir
55). “Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir
Further Reading: Yosemite National Park Itinerary and where to stay at Yosemite
Best Hiking Puns
56). “There’s snow place like the mountains.”
57). “What were you saying? I lost my terrain of thought.”
58). “Don’t be a pine in the ass!”
59). “Be sure to leaf your worries behind.”
60). “Hiking puns are hill-arious!”
61). “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s maple leaves.“
62). “Hiking with my birches.”
63). “If you’re feeling bad, you better change your altitude.”
64). “Canyon help me out?”
65). “I love hiking — I don’t take it for granite.”
66). “Woke up feeling pine.”
More Hiking Inspiration: Complete guide to the best National Parks in the US.
Fall Hiking Quotes
67). “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne
68). “He found himself wondering at times, especially in autumn, about the wild lands…” – J.R.R. Tolkien
69). “It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” – Winnie The Pooh
70). “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” – Anonymous
71). “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” – Jim Bishop
72). “Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.” – Stanley Horowitz
73). “I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau
74). “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Further Reading: Complete guide to a New England Fall road trip.
Hiking Quote FAQ’s
Let’s take a look at some of the most asked questions regarding hiking quotes and why we are so drawn to the great outdoors!
One of the best hiking captions is by Sir Edmund Hillary, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
Hiking is good for the mind because it clears your head by releasing endorphins helping to reduce stress as well as anxiety and positively boost your mood.
Hikers get motivated by planning their hikes and preparing the night before. You can also do some research about new hikes and find new hiking buddies through popular hiking apps.
We recommend to always take amazing photos during a hike because you will appreciate the views long after the work is done.
Our Popular Quotes Guides
- Travel – Best travel quotes
- Hiking – Best hiking quotes
- Photography – Best photography quotes
- New York City – Best quotes about New York
- Beaches – Best quotes about beaches
- Waterfalls – Best waterfall quotes
- Sunsets – Best quotes about sunsets
- National Parks – Best quotes about national parks
- Mountains – Best mountain quotes
Our Popular Hiking Guides
- United States – 50 best hiking trails in the USA
- Sedona – 20 best hikes in Sedona, Arizona
- Grand Canyon – 17 best hikes at Grand Canyon South Rim
- Zion – 20 best hikes in Zion
- Acadia – 10 best hiking trails in Acadia
- Mount Rainier – 23 best hikes in Mount Rainier
- Red Rock Canyon – 10 best hikes in Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas
We hope this guide to the best hiking quotes helps with inspiring your next outdoor trip!
Please let us know if you have any questions about hiking quotes or any upcoming trip in the comments below.
Happy Hiking,
Mark and Kristen
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