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WNC Trail Triple Crown Challenge

April is Hiking Month at Diamond Brand Outdoors, and we want you to hike, run, bike, and explore the outdoors! We’ve partnered with our friends at Asheville Trails for the WNC Trail Triple Crown Challenge.

Visit any Diamond Brand Outdoors or Frugal Backpacker location to check out the awesome new Asheville Trails kiosks with dozens of local trails. We believe the outdoors are for everyone of all abilities, so you’ll find lots of good stuff at the kiosk, like directions and insider tips on easy, moderate, and difficult hikes of varying distance. Find a trail you like, and then snap a picture of the info sheet with your phone. And then visit the Asheville Trails website to get driving directions and more trail info.

Hit any three trails from the displays during April and we’ll give you 20% off up to five items, plus a free Asheville Trails sticker! Just post a pic to Instagram while you’re on the trail, tag both @diamondbrand_outdoors and @ashevilletrails, and use the hashtag #WNC3C.

Once you’ve hiked three of the trails, return to any Diamond Brand Outdoors or Frugal Backpacker location to receive your discount. A team member will take a look a look at your tagged photos — which we’d probably like to share on our feed if you give us permission!

Discount cannot be used for gift cards, boats, or special orders. See store for any other exclusions.

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Asheville’s Urban Trail

Ask your neighbor to describe the Great Outdoors and you’ll get plenty of answers peppered with words like “trees,” “trails,” “rivers,” “sky,” and other hallmarks of untamed areas. You’re a lot less likely to get a description of downtown Asheville, but it’s home to one of the most interesting hikes you’ll ever find. It’s kind of a museum without walls – all under a beautiful skyline.

Courtesy of RomanticAsheville.com

The Urban Trail is just 1.7 miles, but it winds through vibrant city streets and tells Asheville’s history through public sculptures at 30 stops. These bronze plaques and art pieces are so familiar, they’re easy to overlook, but serve as reminders of the legends and lore that are part of the rich fabric of our little corner of the world. Mostly local artists created the vibrant bronze sculptures and other art works that are found at each station.

A small group of dedicated friends and neighbors started the Urban Trail in 1991 as a way to help revitalize downtown. They decided to divide the trail into five distinct eras, each of which has a symbol carved into pink granite blocks placed in the sidewalk along the way.

Highlights include:

The Gilded Age (1880-1930) is marked with a feather. Covering Asheville’s post-Civil War boom to the Great Depression, you’ll find the bronze pigs and turkeys in front of the Vance Monument that represents the Buncombe Turnpike, a busy dirt thoroughfare used by travelers in the early 19th century. The rails represent the arrival of the train in 1880 and the electric trolley in 1889. This section of the trail includes the giant iron in front of the 1926 Flat Iron Building, metal cats on Wall Street, and musicians and dancers in front of the U.S. Cellular Center representing the musical heritage of the Blue Ridge.

Courtesy of RomanticAsheville.com

A horseshoe marks The Frontier Period (1784-1880). With just two stops, it’s the shortest part of the trail. It recognizes Lexington Avenue’s previous life as the city’s home to produce markets and livery stables. A wide-eyed boy on stilts represents Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect of Biltmore and designer of many downtown buildings.

No history of Asheville would be complete without a bit of attention to Thomas Wolfe, author of Look Homeward, Angel and one of Asheville’s favorite sons. The Times of Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) is marked by a replica of the angel sold by his father. One of the most popular stops is entitled “Wolfe’s Neighborhood” and gives a panoramic view of Asheville as it would have been seen in the early 20th century. “On the Move” outside of Asheville Community Theatre is another interesting sculpture that represents the history of transportation. Spin its wheel to hear 11 different sounds ranging from trains to horse-drawn wagons.

The Era of Civic Pride (1876-1903) celebrates the role of local government. It’s marked by replica of the sixth Buncombe County Courthouse, which stood during the period. Among the five stops, you’ll find an historic bell similar to the one that hung in the 1892 City Hall and a little girl in bronze representing Childhood.

Courtesy of Asheville.com

The final leg of the hike is The Age of Diversity and is marked by an eagle, a nod to the historic significance of Eagle Street as the center of Asheville’s early African-American community. Markers commemorate craftsman James Vester Miller, “The Block,” and grand The Eagle Hotel that once stood near the stagecoach stop.

The self-guided tour begins and ends at Pack Square Park and takes about two hours to complete in its entirety. It can be made shorter by covering just part of the trail, but it’s you’ll find it hard not to be inspired to visit all time periods. It’s hard not to be taken in by the many tempting distractions of downtown, too, which prove adventure is where you find it whether you’re on the trail or on the town.

Grab a map at Diamond Brand Outdoors in the Aloft Hotel on 53 Biltmore Avenue or download one from the City of Asheville’s website.

For more information, visit RomanticAsheville.com.

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Resolve to Get Outdoors in 2017

New Years Asheville OutdoorsThe turn of the year means 2016 is in the books—and for many of us, it can’t come a moment too soon. The end of a year usually brings a time of self-reflection, a time to get our priorities in line and make a plan for improvement. That seems especially important this year.

The top New Year’s resolutions remain largely unchanged year after year: stay fit and healthy, lose weight, and enjoy life to the fullest. If the goals on your list look similar, scratch them out and replace them with one enjoyable item: get outdoors!

These days, the average American spends 93% of their life inside, 87% in buildings and 6% in vehicles. Spending just 20 more minutes outside each day is long enough to provide a cleaning of the mental windshield to recover from everyday life.

You might be thinking, “This sounds great, but I went camping once and hated it.” Luckily, there are countless ways to get outdoors that don’t include pitching a tent—although that can be pretty great, too! If you’re already an outdoors maestro, introduce newbie friends and family to your favorite outdoor activities.

Take a Hike

Asheville Hiking Outdoors Western North Carolina MountainsOn a tree-lined street, your closest park or greenway, or one of the many trails a few minutes outside of town, hiking is great because it doesn’t require a lot of special equipment. A good pair of hiking shoes from your local outdoors store is good enough to start. As you graduate to more moderate trails, trekking poles can come in handy. The North Carolina Arboretum is a beautiful choice this time of year with lots of parking and trails of all levels.

Train for a Big Event

Running Asheville Big Event Western North Carolina OutdoorsWhether you’re a runner, biker, or hiker (or want to be one), having a specific challenge in mind will give you structure and motivation. If you’re already running a few times a week, but want to warm up your winter right away, the Asheville Hot Chocolate 10K is January 21. For beginners and those just getting back into the game, the Race to the Taps series kicks off on March 18. Followed by three additional races in April, September, and October, you’ll be able to trace your improvement through the year.

Find Inspiration

Outdoors Volunteering Asheville Mountains WNCShare your skills, meet new people, and make a difference by volunteering with organizations like MountainTrue, The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville Greenworks, Carolina Mountain Club, The Pisgah Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Muddy Sneakers, Friends of the Smokies, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, North Carolina Outward Bound School, RiverLink, and…you get the idea?!? There are many ways to volunteer with great local organizations. With the amount of projects available, you can volunteer when your schedule permits, create a custom outing, or join a group event. Local stores like Diamond Brand Outdoors often host information sessions with these groups, making getting involved even easier.

These are a few ways you get outdoors more in 2017 right away. You can also simply visit a new neck of the woods or take a date night outside. As it warms up, maybe join an outdoor sports league or try your hand at kayak fishing. Making time for yourself to do what you love in the places you love to do them will reconnect you with the world and make you happy.

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