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25 Best Hiking Quotes to Inspire Your Next Outdoor Adventure

"A walk in nature walks the soul back home."

To help get you even more excited about hiking, check out these wise words that will remind you just how wonderful it is to explore this incredible world we live in. If you're an avid hiker, you're probably also into the beauty found in nature—and many of these quotes embody that sentiment. They will have you thinking about the stunning land you've seen and have yet to explore. Others are funny and will remind you that hiking can be a source of fun and joy. Once you read through this roundup of famous inspirational quotes about life's simple pleasures, save a few (or all) of these on your phone to look at during your hike. Even when the climb gets tough, these sayings will remind you to keep going. As Beverly Sills notes: "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." Now, on with the hiking quotes!

Earl Shaffer

"Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care."

"Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits."

Sir Edmund Hillary

"It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

G.M. Trevelyan

"After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value."

Beverly Sills

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”

Andy Rooney

“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.”

“You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.”

Gary Snyder

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

“For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you."

“Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical.”

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”

John Burroughs

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

“Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.”

Henry David Thoreau

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees."

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

Terri Guillemets

“You need special shoes for hiking—and a bit of a special soul as well.”

“If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain.

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

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55 Incredible Hiking Quotes that Will Inspire You to Get Outdoors

By Kay Rodriguez

FYI: Some of our posts include affiliate links. When you make a purchase from one of these links, Urban Outdoors may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Updated October 5, 2021

While it may seem simple, both the easiest and the hardest parts of hiking are continuing to push forward. Whether you’re a seasoned Appalachian Trail finisher or an amateur weekend hiker, you sometimes need some extra inspiration to continue your trek. We’ve compiled a list of 55 of our favorite hiking quotes to help motivate you to tackle that next hiking challenge. On your next adventure, you can use these hiking quotes to motivate you to keep moving!

Hiking Quotes about Mountains

The hardest part of any hike is the scramble up to the summit. Hiking and mountains go hand-in-hand. Check out these famous hiking quotes about conquering mountains!

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary

“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.” – Andy Rooney

“Each fresh peak ascended teaches something.” – Sir Martin Conway

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.” – William Blake

“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

“I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here.” – Wislawa Szymborska

“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

“You need mountains, long staircases don’t make good hikers.” – Amit Kalantri

“You can’t climb up a mountain with downhill thoughts.” – Unknown

“If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain.” – Unknown

“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” – Hermann Buhl

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” – Greg Child

Inspiring Quotes for When the Trail Gets Tough

Stuck on a tough uphill climb? Need a little pick-me-up after a long day of hiking? Use the following hiking quotes to inspire and motivate you to keep trekking..

“Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir

“I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees.” – Henry David Thoreau

“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” – G.M. Trevelyan

“You need special shoes for hiking—and a bit of a special soul as well.” – Terri Guillemets

“Hike Your Own Hike.” – Unknown

“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

“Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical.” – Carl Sagan

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

“For hiking is one of those things that you can only do when you have the determination in you.” – Unknown

“You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” – Dr. Seuss

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” – Frank Herbert

“We don’t stop hiking because we grow old – We grow old because we stop hiking.” – Finis Mitchel

“Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care.” – Earl Shaffer

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills

“Walking is a man’s best medicine.” – Hippocrates

“Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.” – Carrie Latet

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

Quotes about Hiking in Nature

The Great Outdoors is every person’s place. There’s nothing more freeing than a long walk through nature. These hiking quotes will remind you of the beauty of an open road.

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” – Gary Snyder

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” – Mary Davis

“A vagrant is everywhere at home.” – Martial

“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

“The best view comes after the hardest climb.” – Unknown

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

“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

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs

“When everything feels like an uphill struggle, Just think of the view from the top.” – Anonymous

“Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir

Funny Hiking Quotes

After several days of backcountry hiking, you’re bound to get a little delirious. Check out these funny hiking quotes that any long distance hiker can relate to.

“DEET is nature’s cologne.” – Unknown

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Sir Rannulph Fiennes

“If the winter is too cold and the summer is too hot, you are not a hiker.” – Anonymous

“A crude meal, no doubt, but the best of all sauces is hunger.” – Edward Abbey

“I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.” – G.M. Trevelyan

“We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall

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