Anna is a co-founder of Adventure in You and has been traveling the world for the last 9 years. She has spent time living in Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, and Spain and is our local expert in these areas. Her expertise on travel, gear, and building businesses have been featured on Foundr, Business Insider, Yahoo Travel, and more.
Looking for some inspirational hiking quotes to get you inspired and moving? In this article, I compiled a list of the best hiking quotes out there plus give you some pretty awesome graphics-because who doesn’t love some good eye-candy?
Hiking for me has been a huge life saver. While I’m not the most athletic person, I do love spending time outdoors around nature. My partner Tom is an avid hiker and together, we’ve conquered some pretty epic mountains.
So whether you want a quick stroll around your local trail or you want to reach an epic goal similar to when we did Everest Basecamp, hiking is something that anyone can do. You just strap on a good pair of shoes and let yourself get lost in nature.
Without further ado, here are a few of my all-time favorite hiking quotes.
If you like any of the images below, feel free to Pin them on Pinterest!
Best Hiking Quotes
1. “Jumping from boulder to boulder and never falling, with a heavy pack, is easier than it sounds; you just can’t fall when you get into the rhythm of the dance.” – Jack Kerouac
2. “Between every two pines, there is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir
3. “There is always an adventure waiting in the woods.”― Katelyn S. Bolds
4. “The best view comes after the hardest climb.” – Unknown
5. “Climb mountains, not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world” – David McCullough Jr
6. “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
7. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
8. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
9. “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees.” ― Henry David Thoreau
10. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost
11. “If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain.” ― Unknown
12. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”– Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Sir Edmund Hillary, a famous New Zealander who is known for being the first person to conquer the peak of Mt. Everest together with Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay. He is an icon in the climbing world, and rightly so as he is an avid adventurer and mountaineer. Here are a few of his famous quotes on climbing.
13. “Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.” – Edmund Hillary
14. “Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb towards it.” – Edmund Hillary
15. “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” ― Sir Edmund Hillary
16. “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
17. “Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
18. “If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
John Muir Quotes
We can’t be talking about famous climbing quotes without citing quotes from the famous John Muir. Known as as “John of the Mountains” and the “Father of the National Parks”, John Muir is a Scottish-American naturalist and author who wrote tons of books about nature, hiking, and the environment.
If it wasn’t for Muir’s writings and research, many of the National Parks in the US wouldn’t have been created. He was also involved in the creation many of the National Parks including Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, and Mt. Rainier National Parks.
19. “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
20. “Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue.” – John Muir
21. “Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.” ― John Muir
22. “Wherever we go in the mountains, we find more than we seek”. – John Muir
23. “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
24. “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” -John Muir
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When it comes to hiking or any sort of travel adventure, the thing that I realized is that you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously. If you’re looking for hiking quotes that aren’t as serious that will make you laugh, here are a few good ones which I love.
25. “Sleeping bags are the soft tacos of the bear world.” – Bears
26. “I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.” – G.M. Trevelyan
27. “You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” ― Dr. Seuss
28. “I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here.” – Wislawa Szymborska
29. “Happiness and hiking go hand in hand or foot in boot.” – Diane Spicer
30. “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.“ ― Sir Rannulph Fiennes
Hiking Quotes for Instagram Captions
Are you looking for fun hiking quotes to share on Instagram? Here’s a list of quotes that are deep, profound, and just downright inspiring. One of my favorite things about quotes is their ability to convey a a full range of emotions-in just a few lines!
31. “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark
32. “If you’re on the right path it will always be uphill” – Henry B. Eyring
33. “Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” ― Jaime Lyn Beatty
35. “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
36. “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
I absolutely love this particular quote below, mainly because it talks about determination that you can only really discover when you’re out hiking.
We’ve been on so many hikes when I am tired, cold, hungry, and in the brink of giving up yet I somehow find some superhuman strength to keep pushing as giving up isn’t really an option. Especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere!
37. “For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you.” – Unknown
38. “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” ― Ed Viesturs
39. “The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain he is inspired by it.“ ― William Artur Ward
Hiking Quotes about Life
Ironically, there are so many hiking quotes that can be related to real life that can help teach you a lesson. For me personally, hiking has taught me so many lessons. It taught me never to give up (even when I wanted to). It taught me that less is always better when it comes to packing your bag.
It also taught me that I am stronger than I think! One of our most difficult hikes was our 12-day hike to Everest Basecamp. During this trip, I got a bad case of altitude sickness as well as food poisoning, making it one of the most eventful hikes EVER.
Needless to say, I learned a thing or two about perseverance and was able to complete the trek only by sheer forcer and determination. No matter how difficult it was, I was able to overcome it, making it a huge learning experience.
40. “If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options. You can climb it and cross to the other side. You can go around it. You can dig under it. You can fly over it. You can blow it up. You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there. You can turn around and go back the way you came. Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.” -Vera Nazarian
41. “There really is no correct way to hike the trail and anyone who insists that there is ought not to worry so much about other people’s experiences. Hikers need to hike the trail that’s right for them.” -Adrienne Hall
42. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” ― Beverly Sills
43. “We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall
44. “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
45. “Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care.” ― Earl Shaffer
46. “Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again. And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit” – Unknown
47. “For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you.” ― Unknown
48. “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” ― Greg Child
49. Achieving the summit of a mountain was tangible, immutable, concrete. The incumbent hazards lent the activity a seriousness of purpose that was sorely missing from the rest of my life. I thrilled in the fresh perspective that came from the tipping the ordinary plane of existence on end. ~ John Krakauer
50. “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” ― Albert Einstein
51. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ― Lao Tzu
Inspiring Quotes About Hiking
Before I end this epic article on the best hiking quotes, here are the quotes that I find the most inspiring. I honestly love reading these quotes and whenever I do, I find myself feeling so upbeat and inspired.
52. “May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits” – Harley King
53. “It’s impossible to walk in the woods and be in a bad mood at the same time.”- Unknown
54. “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” ― John Burroughs
55. “Everybody wants to reach the peak, but there is no growth on the top of a mountain. It is in the valley that we slog through, the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak.” -Andy Andrews
56. “You never climb the same mountain twice, not even in memory. Memory rebuilds the mountain, changes the weather, retells the jokes, remakes all the moves.” – Lito Tejada-Flores
57. “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.” ― Andy Rooney
I love this particular climbing quote by Andy Rooney mainly because it can be applied to anything! In the world of entrepreneurship, so many people see successful businesses and are quick to make judgements. What they don’t see is the years of effort, sacrifice, and hard work that it took to get to where people are.
This is why I love the phrase happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it…not when you are at the top!
58. “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.” ― Andy Rooney
59. “You need mountains, long staircases don’t make good hikers.” ― Amit Kalantri
60. “You need special shoes for hiking—and a bit of a special soul as well.” ― Terri Guillemets
61. “Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.” – Dr Janice Anderson
62. “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 Mc Cullough Jr.
63. “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” ― Albert Einstein
There you have it! A collection of my all-time favorite hiking quotes. What about you? Which ones are your favorites?
If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out our list of other quotes.
