How to Find the Best Asheville, NC, Bike Tours & Paths
- Updated: 04/06/2024
- Janice
When visiting a new town, I love to start exploring with a guided tour. And when time and schedule allow, I love for that tour to take place on two wheels.
The reason—it is easier to cover more ground on a bike. When pedaling at leisure, pausing at the good spots, I get a pretty good idea of the places I want to revisit or where I want to explore more.
That is why on a recent Asheville group ladies’ trip, I signed up with two friends to begin a three-hour e-bike tour within hours of our arrival.
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And the e-bike designation in this tour title is noteworthy. Being in the Blue Ridge Mountain area, Asheville has a lot of hills. So, knowing I am not a super athlete or a pro-cyclist—I valued being able to carefreely rely on an electric thrust to get up hills instead of my sweaty effort. If you are similarly physically inclined, you might think access to an electric helper is a good idea too.
I share a review of the tour we took with The Flying Bike below.And information on more biking tours, self-guided biking options, and trails you can tackle in and around the Asheville area, as well as where to rent a bike.
The Flying Bike: Downtown Asheville Electric Bike Tour Review
On day one of an Asheville ladies’ trip, and within a few hours of arrival, two friends and I drove five minutes from lunch at the Laughing Seed Cafe in downtown Asheville to The Flying Bike. This tour company, owned by friends of a friend—is where we caught the start of our three-hour Downtown Asheville Electric Bike group tour.
Once we pulled our rental car into The Flying Bike’s gravel lot and checked into their open-air garage-style office, we joined our guide, Anna, a local mom passionate about biking. On Thursday afternoon in June, our tour had only four riders—the three of us and a political science professor from Tennessee.
Anna fit our small group with bikes and helmets, encouraged introductions—a nice touch, which does not happen on most group tours—and trained us on how to use the bikes.
To ensure we were comfortable and knowledgeable on how to use the e-bike, Anna had us practice maneuvering the bikes (e-bikes are heavier than you might think) in an elongated figure-eight loop. After we established mastery—I mean competence—we practiced using the thrust, an essential speed boost needed to get up the many hills in Asheville, particularly from a standing position at stop signs and lights.
Before this tour, I had been on an e-bike once in Rome on flat paths. So, figuring out how to manage the bike on hills initially felt awkward. Though, I quickly got the hang of it, finding it a joy to follow calls from Anna throughout the tour for which speed to use, then learning exactly when to bump up the thrust to make the bike do all the hard work.
In addition to leading us safely, Anna stopped us along our route to share detailed information about surrounding Asheville landmarks. Her mini talks, aided by printed photos, gave us a better understanding of the history of Asheville and an overall excellent experience. Check out the map below to view our route and see where we went.
How to use this map: In the map header, click the square tab to the left of my logo or click the enlarge frame to the right to view detail. You can save the map to “Your Places” on Google Maps by clicking the star next to the map name. Or you can share it by clicking the share icon.
Tour Highlights
A few of our tour highlights included stops or bike-throughs at:
- Historic Wall Street
- The Grove Arcade
- Basilica of Saint Lawrence
- Botanical Gardens of Asheville
- The Grove Park Inn
- Pack Square Park
My favorite part of the tour was our bike up to—and stop at the historic century-old Grove Park Inn. The inn is a celebrated mountaintop resort with a distinctive red roof, massive stone exterior, and an intriguing history. Founded by E.W. Grove, who made his fortune selling a palatable quinine-based tonic to treat malaria, of which his first wife and daughter died.
The inn also offers sweeping views from its multi-level back verandas and an impressive and cavernous stone great hall that doubles as a reception area and lounge bookended by two formidable oversize fireplaces. It also provides a nice stop for a bathroom break and a snack in the middle of a bike tour.
The Flying Bike Tour Video
Going on this bike tour provided me with my first opportunity to strap on my GoPro action camera to my new chest harness to record the action. Luckily, since this was an ladies’ trip, my mortified 12-year-old daughter was not there to witness and comment on my hardware set-up. Check out my YouTube video capturing footage from our ride and showcasing the best of our tour below.
Is This Tour Good for Kids or Tentative Adults?
For adults thinking about this bike tour for kids—depending on the age of your children, you may want to reconsider. The legal age to operate an e-bike in North Carolina is 16. And any riders under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Additionally, due to significant street biking and repeated ascents and descents, the tour is best suited for teens who are solid riders.
However, The Flying Bike does permit parents to take along kids ages one through 15 as a passenger on the back of their cargo e-bikes. See the Flying Bike FAQ page for more information. If your kids do not mind hitching a ride, this option could work for you.
I am an infrequent and not confident, though enthusiastic, recreational biker, and I loved it (the tour). I felt entirely safe following Anna's careful lead.
For tentative adult riders on the fence about whether to book this bike tour—I am an infrequent and not confident, though enthusiastic, recreational biker, and I loved it. I felt entirely safe following Anna’s careful lead. And luckily, when you book a tour, your satisfaction and safety are guaranteed. The Flying Bike also offers a full refund if—after completing a short practice on your e-bike—you are still uncomfortable and not ready to ride. Refer to the Flying Bike FAQ page for more detail.
Additional Asheville Bike Tour Options
I share bike tour options from four highly-rated Asheville area activity operators below.
The Flying Bike
The Flying Bike offers two additional tour options—and I would do either. Visit their website for more information on the Downtown Asheville Electric Bike Tour With Tastings, essentially a similar guided tour to the one I took and shared above, but with food, including authentic North Carolina BBQ and handcrafted chocolate. Or try their slightly longer—in terms of mileage—West Asheville River Arts Electric Bike Tour.
See 800+ guest reviews and book a tour on Viator (downtown e-bike tour only). Or book via The Flying Bike website.
Asheville Adventure Company
Asheville Adventure Company, known for its whitewater rafting, tubing, and kayaking tours, also offers several guided e-bike tour options. Tours include its Sunset Tour, Tour in the Mountains, and its boozy and well-loved E-Bike Brewery Crawl.
See up-to-date guest reviews and book an Asheville Adventures e-bike tour on Viator: the Sunset Tour, the Tour in the Mountains, or the Brewery Bike Crawl. Or book via the Asheville Adventure Company website.
Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventures
For the more adventurous off-roaders, get in touch with Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventures to book a private half-day or full-day guided mountain bike tour through the Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest for up to six guests.
They will customize the route to the ability level of your group. Check out their website for more information and rates.
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Pisgah Day Ventures
If your desire to explore takes you out of town, consider booking a group bike trip with Asheville-based Pisgah Day Ventures. Choose from one of three group e-bike tours, exploring the nearby North Carolina towns of Black Mountain, Brevard, or Hot Springs.
Self-Guided Biking & Paths
Unlike other outdoor-loving cities, Asheville does not have an extensive network of connected and dedicated paved biking paths. Instead, you will find several smaller segments that you can patch together with a mix of street biking. Or you can travel to nearby private or public dedicated greenways to expand your choices.If you are not sure where to go, get a helping hand from the information below
The Biltmore
Biking here at the Biltmore tops my list for the activity I want to do most on my next Asheville visit. The Biltmore grounds offer 20 miles of trails—varying from single dirt tracks to more gentle paved paths. When biking at the Biltmore, you can bring your bike or rent one from their on-site Bike Barn with no reservations required.
Guests staying at Biltmore hotel properties receive complimentary access to Biltmore grounds. Day visitors not staying at Biltmore properties, and who do not have an annual Biltmore pass, must purchase a one-day Gardens & Grounds ticket. Visit the Biltmore website for more ticketing information.
Additionally, if you prefer to have storytelling with your cycling, try a guided Biltmore bike tour. Expect to learn about the natural history of the grounds, as well as the background of the Vanderbilt family. Visit the Biltmore website for more information about the tour and how to book it.
Kolo Bike Park
For the thrill seekers and shredders who want to stay close to town, check out the Kolo Bike Park, part of the Asheville Adventure Center complex offering zip lining and a mountain biking circuit within five minutes of downtown Asheville. Enjoy four miles of mountain bike trails plus skill-building features.
North Carolina Arboretum
Visit the North Carolina Arboretum, about a 20-minute drive from town to find a small collection of short trails offering varying difficulty and terrain. Consider pairing your pedaling here with a visit to Bent Creek Experimental Forest described below, another 20-minute drive away. Visit the Arboretum website for more information. Expect to pay a fee to park.
Bent Creek Experimental Forest
Head a little further afield from Asheville and visit the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, a 30-minute drive from town. Bent Creek features 30 miles of mountain biking tracks of varying levels.
Mapped Routes
If you would like to bike solo and do not mind mixing street biking with your greenways, book a bike rental with Asheville Adventure Company and get a “mapped route that takes you through quiet streets and gentle right turns” allowing you to explore the town as you like for a half-day or full-day.
More Dedicated Bike Paths
My favorite source for reliable biking trail information is the non-profit website and app, TrailLink, run by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Discover a list of bike paths, either asphalt or dirt, in and around the Asheville region on this page, which includes user reviews and up-to-date information.
A few highlights include these routes.
- French Broad River Greenway. A 3.5-mile paved asphalt path that links three Asheville parks.
- Catawba River Greenway. A 3.8-mile paved asphalt path meandering through forested areas and the small town of Morganton.
- Thermal Belt Rail-Trail. This 13.5-mile paved asphalt path, just over an hour’s drive from Asheville, links three small North Carolina towns.
- Brevard Bike Path. A 5-mile paved asphalt path, also about an hour’s drive from Asheville, leads into the Pisgah National Forest.
Multi-Day Bike Trips
If you love the idea of exploring the Asheville region by bike, consider checking out these guided tours by TrekTravel.
5 Places to Rent Your Bike
Check out these five options for where to rent a bike for a few hours or days while in Asheville:
Related Reading
If you are traveling to the Asheville area, check out these 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,” 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.
Love to travel? Sign up for my monthly Gather & Go Travel Discovery Newsletter and get a free trip budget calculator.
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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