A 7-Day Dog-Friendly Hiking & Dining Guide for Asheville, NC
- Updated: 04/08/2024
- Janice
Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina, where mountain vistas and good eats await you and your furry companion! In this guide, learn how to spend seven days enjoying dog-friendly hiking and dining in the heart of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. From trails with panoramic views to welcoming eateries perfect for wagging tails, Asheville offers the ideal outdoor adventure. So leash up, slip on your hiking shoes, and get ready for a week of scenic hikes and food you will love, making for a memorable vacation for all.
Table Of Contents
On several trips to Asheville, I have enjoyed all this remarkable region, with its mild climate and rolling mountain topography has to offer. So, dig into this list of dog-friendly suggestions for where to hike and dine below so you can start planning your visit.
About Asheville
Located in western North Carolina in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a vibrant mountain town known for its arts, gastronomy, microbrews, excellent hiking, and dog-friendliness. It even named itself Dog City, USA, a few years ago to be as welcoming as possible to canine companions.
Find the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway—regularly named one of the top ten most scenic drives in the U.S—minutes outside town. Or drive further to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, only two hours away. Known as “The Land of The Sky,” Asheville makes for an excellent getaway for anyone who loves great food, good brews, and the outdoors.
Dog-Friendly Hiking in Asheville
Being such a dog-friendly place, Asheville has a wealth of hikes welcoming to wagging tails, several of which require up to a one-hour drive to reach them. I recommend the top ones below. And knowing not everyone loves a long ride before a walk in the woods, I suggest some pooch-approved hikes and walks closer to town.
All dog-friendly trails in the Asheville area require dogs to be on leashes.
Within a 1-Hour Drive: 4 Trails
Check these four hikes, all within about an hour drive from Asheville.
1. Triple Falls Trail Loop in DuPont State Recreational Forest
Reachable within an hour drive from Asheville—this 2.9-mile trail is rated “easy” by AllTrails users, and it is the hike to do. Although the route can be crowded, particularly during the weekend, it is dog-friendly and checks all the boxes.
The trail only takes a few leisurely hours to complete and includes visits to Triple Falls, High Falls, and Hooker Falls—a short spur hike from the parking lot—and rocky riverside spots to enjoy a picnic. I recently enjoyed this trail with friends and can confirm it is an excellent way to spend the day and entirely worth the drive! Learn more about this trail here.
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Extend the day. After hiking the Triple Falls Trail Loop, consider including a visit to nearby Bridal Veil Falls. Hike this 4.2-mile dog-friendly trail to enjoy another waterfall and one you might recognize if you are a fan of the Hunger Games movies, as the falls were a film site for the first movie. Tackling this trail may be the perfect add-on for visitors looking to explore the area more.
For more information about this trail, visit the Bridal Veil Falls write-up on the Asheville Trails website. Or check out AllTrails for more detailed and up-to-date user comments for this hike.
For good picnic supply options—especially if you would like to avoid doing the work of buying food and packing lunches yourself—check out this list of local restaurants that can provide picnic provisions from an article in the local Citizen-Times.
2. Wildcat Rock Trail
Located a 30-minute drive from Asheville, this is a rewarding 3.5-mile dog-friendly hike. And if you are looking to escape crowds and do not mind a climb with a rocky scramble to the summit, it is a good one.
Rated “hard” by AllTrails users, I found this trail, despite its 1,100 elevation gain, to be more moderate, especially as it offered a well-maintained and easy path to follow.
Found at the top section of the Hickory Nut Gorge and part of the Little Bearwallow Mountain Significant Natural Heritage Area, this trail offers a rewarding two to three-hour hike.
And although you will find the small or low-flow waterfalls on this trail less impressive than the Triple Falls Trail Loop hike, you get to pair your falls with a far-reaching view. I share detailed information and tips to help you tackle this trail in the article “What You Need to Know to Hike the Wildcat Rock Trail.”
Extend the day. Pair the Wildcat Rock Trail with an extension hike, a shuttle hike, or a visit to the nearby town of Chimney Rock which offers more hiking in Chimney Rock State Park. I share details for how to extend your day in the article mentioned above.
3. Catawba Falls
A 30-minute drive from Asheville, this popular 2.3-mile out-and-back hike rated “moderate” by AllTrails users is dog-friendly and takes about an hour to complete. Several top ten hiking lists for the Asheville area consistently list this trail as a favorite.
Find detailed notes for this hike on the Asheville Trails or AllTrails websites. Extend the day. If you are looking for more things to do while in the area, check out this page of the Romantic Asheville website, which also shares helpful Catawba Falls trail notes.
4. Black Balsam Knob and Tennet Mountain Loop Trail
Although this 4.6-mile dog-friendly loop hike, a one-hour drive from Asheville and rated “moderate” by AllTrails users, does not have waterfalls, I included it for its panoramic views.
Find detailed notes for this hike on the Asheville Trails or AllTrails websites. Add a waterfall to this hike. Consider pairing this hike with a visit to Graveyard Fields, whose trailhead is two miles from the Black Balsam Knob trail and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a 2.9-mile loop route that visits two waterfalls. Or skip the Balsam Knob hike and only do this one.
Within a 20-Minute Drive: 2 Trails
1. North Carolina Arboretum
Located a 15 to 20-minute drive from downtown Asheville, the North Carolina Arboretum offers several dog-friendly hiking options viewable on its website or the AllTrails app.
Although there are no waterfalls, consider exploring the 7.4-mile Lake Powhatan Loop Trail, which features a river and a lake. There is currently a $20 parking fee per vehicle to gain access to the grounds.
2. Biltmore Estate
Visiting the Biltmore Estate and its surrounding grounds are often listed as the #1 or #2 activity to do in Asheville for visitors. Located less than a 10-minute drive from downtown Asheville, it is an easy, accessible, and beautiful place to visit.
And what many travelers may not know is that in addition to touring Biltmore House and dining at the village, the 8,000-acre estate offers 22 miles of hiking and biking trails that are also 100% dog-friendly. The only downside is entrance tickets to the Biltmore are not cheap.
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Buy a ticket to gain entrance to the grounds—which does not include a house tour—on the Biltmore ticket page. If you would like to include a tour of the Biltmore House, sans pup, choose from any of the more expensive house admission tickets, as these also cover access to the grounds.
For hikers visiting Asheville who want to leave logistics to someone else, check out the guided small group or private hiking options from highly-rated Asheville-based Blue Ridge Hiking Company or Asheville Wellness Tours.
Dog-Friendly Dining & Drinking
Since casual dining and drinking top my reader’s wish list for what to do, I share a list of easy-going breweries and cafes their family and pup can enjoy together.
6 Top Recommendations
Highland Brewing Company. Dogs are allowed on the patio and inside this east Asheville taproom favorite. Enjoy one, or more, of their rotating small-batch brews, a spacious a spacious outdoor area known as the “Meadow,”, and cuisine from food trucks.
New Belgium Brewery. Next to the river with lots of room to spread out, this dog-friendly well-known brewery offers a lovely place to kick back and relax after a rewarding day of hiking. Food options are available from food trucks.
12 Bones Brewing. A popular place for BBQ, highly rated 12 Bones, in the River Arts District is open for dine-in and takeout. Enjoy tender racks and pulled meats on their outdoor picnic tables.
However, the hours here are more limited than in their South Asheville location in Arden. Check out their website for the most up-to-date opening times.
Sunny Point Cafe. This restaurant offers dog-friendly patio seating, serving American-south comfort food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Universal Joint. With what may be the “most dog-friendly patio in town,” Universal Joint offers beer and pub-style food.
Posana Restaurant. This farm-to-table establishment features locally sourced ingredients and offers a dog-friendly patio. And Posana is so dog-friendly that it has a special menu dedicated just for pups.
4 Resources to Find More Dog-Friendly Restaurants & Breweries
To discover more pooch-approved places to eat and drink, check out this list of restaurants on Romantic Asheville. Or view a more extensive list of dog-ok Asheville digs on BringFido. Additionally, the website Itsaaallgood has suggestions for dog-friendly breweries.
And when you are in town, take your furry friend to Asheville’s official Dog Welcome Center at The Dog Door for a friendly welcome and treat. And while there, pick up a copy of their Dog-Friendly List for Asheville dining, shopping, and drinking.
Related Reading
If you are traveling to the Asheville area, check out my related articles to help you get the information you need to plan your best visit.
Or view my North Carolina book list, including guidebooks, biographies, histories, and fiction set in place in “The Best Books to Read Before an Asheville Trip,” shown below.
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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