Fresh air almost burning your nostrils. The ground crunching beneath your feet. There’s nothing like a bout of hiking to motivate you, and the great outdoors to inspire a hiking Instagram caption, greeting card or just status update. To help you along, we’ve put together a curated list of the best hiking quotes we could find…
Note: If using these hiking captions and quotes for a public platform (Instagram, Twitter, anything social media really), make sure to credit the source or author if there is one specified.
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Top 10 Hiking Quotes
Now we’ve got more than 150 quotes but we had to select what we thought were the best of the lot. Here are the best 10 hiking and walking quotes for your use:
- Anywhere is ‘within walking distance’. Anonymous Hiker
- Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson
- It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary
- It’s never too late in life to have a genuine adventure. Robert Kurson
- Let’s wander where the WiFi is weak. Unknown
- Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. John Muir
- Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. S. Eliot
- The best view comes after the hardest climb. Unknown
- The higher you climb on the mountain, the harder the wind blows. Sam Cummings
- Walking is a man’s best medicine. Hippocrates
Popular Hiking Quotes
Now that we’ve covered our top ten, what about other walking quotes, perfect to immortalize a tramping excursion in the trees? Here are a few very popular hiking captions and sayings:
Adventure is worthwhile in itself. Amelia Earhart
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. John Muir
Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. Jack Kerouac
Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care. Earl Shaffer
Climbing is as close as we can come to flying. Margaret Young
Each fresh peak ascended teaches something. Sir Martin Convay
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street. William Blake
Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot. Diane Spicer
I like being near the top of a mountain, One can’t get lost here. Wislawa Szymborska
I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it. Rosalia de Castro
I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees. Henry David Thoreau
If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. Raymond Inmon
Heading camping? Here is a list of the best camping captions for Instagram!
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark
If you’re going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill
In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle
In every walk with nature, one received far more than he seeks. John Muir
Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
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
Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow. Henry David Thoreau
Mountain hikes instilled in me a life-long urge to get to the top of any inviting summit or peak. Paul D. Boyer
Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence. Hermann Buhl
No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied – it speaks in silence to the very core of your being. Ansel Adams
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
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
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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
Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb. Greg Child
Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise. Carrie Latet
We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down. Robert Sweetgall
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
You need mountains, long staircases don’t make good hikers. Amit Kalantri
You need special shoes for hiking – and a bit of a special soul as well. Terri Guillemets
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
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Short Hiking Quotes
If you want to be a little succinct and brief in your quote, why not try one of these short hiking sayings on for size?
Stop following others and create your own path in life. Dani Jay
Take only memories, leave only footprints. Chief Seattle
Hike Your Own Hike. Thru-Hiker
For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you. Unknown
Hiking in undiscovered places is a lot of fun. Karolina Kurkova
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
Hiking is the best workout! You can hike for three hours and not even realize you’re working out. And, hiking alone lets me have some time to myself. Jamie Luner
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
The long distance hiker, a breed set apart, from the likes of the usual pack. He’ll shoulder his gear, be hittin’ the trail; Long gone, long ‘fore he’ll be back. M.J. Eberhart
There are two kinds of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest. Alex Lowe
Trekking means a traveling experience with a thrilling excitement. Amit Kalantri
We don’t stop hiking because we grow old. We grow old because we stop hiking. Finis Mitchel
When everything feels like an uphill struggle, Just think of the view from the top. Unknown
When preparing to climb a mountain – pack a light heart. Dan May
I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here. Wislawa Szymborska
I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Robert Frost
Find a waterfall on your hike? Then maybe these waterfall quotes will come in handy!
Inspirational Hiking Quotes About Life
Getting out and about in nature often brings about some self-reflection and thought. To capture that sentiment, we’ve compiled this list of inspirational quotes about hiking and life:
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
They are able who think they are able. Virgil
It is not death most people are afraid of. It is getting to the end of life, only to realize, that you never truly lived. Prince Ea
Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical. Carl Sagan
Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be. Steve Pavlina
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. Mohandas Gandhi
Embrace the detours. Kevin Charbonneau
Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. Ernest Hemingway
Fall down seven times and stand up eight. Japanese Proverb
Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory. Ed Viesturs
I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. Eric Roth
I needed to begin respecting my own body’s boundaries. I had to draw clear lines. Ones that were sound in my mind and therefore impermeable, and would always, no matter where I walked, protect me. Aspen Matis
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
In the mountains, there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can’t. Rusty Baillie
It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Helen Keller
Many climbers become writers because of the misconceptions about climbing. Jonathan Waterman
Mountains are the cathedrals where I practice my religion. Anatoli Boukreev
People don’t take trips, trips take people. John Steinbeck
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.
Set loose, a child would run down the paths, scramble up the rocks, lie on the earth. Grown-ups more often let their minds do the running, scrambling, and lying, but the emotion is shared. It feels good to be here. David Miller
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao Tzu
The more you know, the less you need. Yvon Chouinard
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Beverly Sills
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
Slowness means cleaving perfectly to time, so closely that the seconds fall one by one, drop by drop like the steady dripping of a tap on stone. This stretching of time deepens space. It is one of the secrets of walking: a slow approach to landscapes that gradually renders them familiar. Like the regular encounters that deepen friendship. Frédéric Gros
Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken. Frank Herbert
You Can’t Climb Up A Mountain, With Downhill Thoughts. Zig Ziglar
You lift your head, you’re on your way, but really just to be walking, to be out of doors. That’s it, that’s all, and you’re there. Outdoors is our element: the exact sensation of living there. Frédéric Gros
You won, this time. But you are as big as you are ever going to get. And I’m still growing. Edmund Hillary
Mountain Hiking Quotes
Do you remember that exhilarating feeling after reaching the peak of a mountain? To convey that sense of achievement and remind you of how wonderful it is to break a sweat, try one of these hiking quotes about the mountains:
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
Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it. Andy Rooney
How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top. Yvon Chouinard
If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain. Unknown
It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. Robert W. Service
It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary
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
Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion. Anatoli Boukreev
Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery. John Ruskin
Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was. Dag Hammarskjold
The mountains were there and so was I. Maurice Herzog
There is, of course, a deep spiritual need which the pilgrimage seems to satisfy, particularly for those hardy enough to tackle the journey on foot. Edwin Mullins
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way. Dr. Seuss
Walking in solitude fixes nothing, but it leads you to the place where you can identify the malady—see the wound’s true form and nature—and then discern the proper medicine. Aspen Matis
Adventure Hiking Quotes
Hiking is often about new adventures; that exhilarating feeling when tackling a new trail or hill. We’ve searched high (and low) for the best hiking quotes on adventure:
Adventure is a path. Real adventure, self-determined, self-motivated, often risky, forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. Mark Jenkins
Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Richard Aldington
You can’t find happiness at the end of your journey if you didn’t bring it with you all along. Katrina Mayer
Adventure isn’t hanging off a rope on the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life. John Amatt
Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure. Bob Bitchin
If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be top priority. Richard Branson
Not all who wander are lost. JRR Tolkien
Only one who wanders finds a new path. Norwegian Proverb
Real adventure is defined best as a journey from which you may not come back alive, and certainly not as the same person. Yvon Chouinard
Remember that time spent on a rock climb isn’t subtracted from your life span. Will Niccolls
The danger of adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort. Paulo Coelho
The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain he is inspired by it. William Artur Ward
You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. Dr. Seuss
The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask. Rich Ridgeway
A person susceptible to ‘wanderlust’ is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation. Pico Iyer
A vagrant is everywhere at home. Martial
To travel, to experience and learn: that is to live. Tenzing Norgay
Hiking Quotes About Nature
Hiking is often about seeing the natural beauty of the world – exploring forests, coming across exotic flowers and marvelling at icy blue lakes and peaks. Try one of these nature quotes about hiking on for size, or try out entire list of outdoor quotes here!
Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world. John Muir
The mountains are calling and I must go. John Muir
A walk in nature walks the soul back home. Mary Davis
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. John Burroughs
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Henry David Thoreau
If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet. Rachel Wolchin
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. Robert Louis Stevenson
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home. Gary Snyder
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. Frank Lloyd Wright
The end of all exploring will be to arrive where you started and know the place for the first time. T.S. Elliot
Related: The best outdoor hashtags
Quotes About Walking
Not every hike has to be a struggle – sometimes you can just take a leisurely walk. Whether you need a solo travel quote for your wandering walk, or sharing your trek with friends, try one of these great walking quotes:
After a day’s walk everything has twice its usual value. George Macauley Trevelyan
It feels good to be lost in the right direction. Unknown
My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing. Aldous Huxley
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. Albert Camus
The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. Eleanor Roosevelt
Think while walking, walk while thinking, and let writing be, but the light pause, as the body on a walk rests in contemplation of wide open spaces. Frédéric Gros
To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles. Mary Davis
You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong. Sue Fitzmaurice
Relaxing Hiking Quotes
While hiking might be a really rigorous activity, it also teaches us to slow down and take things in. To take your time to smell the fragrant breeze emanating from the trees, and drink in the beauty of the forest, while trying out one of these sayings:
Days of slow walking are very long: they make you live longer because you have allowed every hour, every minute, every second to breathe, to deepen, instead of filling them up by straining the joints. Frédéric Gros
Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains. John Muir
I walked slowly to enjoy this freedom, and when I came out of the mountains, I saw the sky over the prairie, and I thought that if heaven was real, I hoped it was a place I never had to go, for this earth was greater than any paradise. Daniel J. Rice
Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. Jaime Lyn Beatty
Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. Richard M. Nixon
Remember to turn everything off once a week including your brain and walk somewhere quiet.
The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carlson
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
Funny Hiking Quotes
We’ve also added a little humour to the list, because sometimes you just need a laugh, especially after a long hike ?. Check out these funny hiking quotes for Instagram, or even our full guide to funny captions:
A crude meal, no doubt, but the best of all sauces is hunger. Edward Abbey
DEET is nature’s cologne. Every Hiker
Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee. Demetri Martin
Hiking’s not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty. Sonja Yoerg
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
Sleeping bags are the soft tacos of the bear world. Bears
If the winter is too cold and the summer is too hot, you are not a hiker. A Bitter Hiker
I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. G.M. Trevelyan
There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Sir Rannulph Fiennes
Bonus: Using Hiking Quotes For Instagram
Now we don’t know why you’ve landed on our article featuring the best hiking quotes but if, for any reason, its for Instagram, then you’re in luck! We’re avid grammers who love finding the right content and pushing engagement!
We thought it might be worth dropping a few tips on how to increase engagement on your hiking Instagram captions.
Hiking Captions
We’ve given you over a hundred quotes to use in your caption but that’s not where it should end! You should definitely think about how to increase engagement on your caption and we suggest 3 things:
- Use lots of emojis! People love emojis on Instagram so try to drop in at least 5 or 6
- Ask a question of your audience. This is an easy tip since people like to answer questions, so you’ll increase the comments on your post. Something as simple as: ‘Where is your favourite hiking trail?’ might work here.
- Keep it short. People don’t really love very lengthy captions, so try to keep it brief.
Hiking Hashtags
Have you considered the right hashtags to use? Try our outdoor hashtags like, or go and find the right ones on a tool like All Hashtag. More than that, we have a full guide on how to use hashtags effectively, called the Instagram Hashtag Cheat Sheet, which you should try out!
Now hashtags might not be as important as they used to be but they are still critical if you want to improve the ‘reach’ on your posts. We’ve actually got a comprehensive guide for hashtags in our Instagram Hashtag Cheat Sheet.
Hiking Feature Accounts
Ever heard of a repost account? These are large Instagram accounts that feature the best photographs in their niche, and there are actually heaps of nature and landscape ones out there!
If you think your picture is good enough for a feature, then head over to our Guide to Getting Featured on Instagram and read our tips on how to make it happen.
Did you enjoy our article on the best quotes and hiking captions for Instagram? Let us know in the comments, and also check out more of our Instagram guides here!
Do you have a favourite? Ours is definitely this John Muir quote: Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.
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