After a few days in the great outdoors, the last thing you want to do when you finally get home is tackle the task of cleaning your gear—we get it. But, as any outdoor enthusiast knows, gear is pricey stuff—and that’s if you buy it once. However, putting in just a little bit of time […]
When you live near a city it can be easy to forget just how many stars are in the night sky. But if you take the time to get away from the light pollution, spread out a blanket, and look up, there are more to see than you can imagine. It’s relatively easy to find […]
Across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, miles of interconnected trails meander through lush, green valleys, hug the banks of moss-laden, rocky creeks, and climb through thickets of mountain laurel and rhododendron to the blue-tinged mountain peaks. You could spend weeks backpacking through this rich landscape, but a weekend trip will also allow you to […]
The lush and timeless beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains has appealed to movie producers and location scouts for the last 90 years. In fact, North Carolina has more sound stages and production complexes than any other state outside of California. Many of the movies shot in Western North Carolina were filmed on public lands, […]
Western North Carolina is a land of waterfalls. Countless cascades punctuate the waterways braiding the vast expanses of forest and lofty Appalachian peaks dominating the western corner of the state, lending the landscape an undeniably enchanting quality. Some of the falls are accessible only after delving into wild pockets of backcountry, while others are just […]
Tubing the French Broad River is a quintessential Asheville experience, one which combines languid, fluvial enjoyment with artistic urban charm. You will float through forests, breeze past breweries, and find ample opportunity to shore up for local brews, bonfires, and food trucks. It’s no wonder that tubing has become a time-honored tradition here in Beer City. Read […]
It’s no secret that the wilderness of Western North Carolina is brimming with swimming holes, staggering mountain views, and thousands of miles of trails. But there is also a wealth of fascinating places that lie far off the beaten path—the sites of abandoned infrastructure, forgotten art, and the crumbling ruins of old towns—where human history and the […]
Autumn has reached its peak here in Asheville, and we have the traffic to prove it. Our small city has been jam-packed with leaf-peepers, weekend-warriors, festival-goers, and tourists in search of pumpkin ale from Wicked Weed and mountain vistas from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes, fall is a truly spectacular time to live in the Blue […]
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a paradise in the summer, alive with flowers and fireflies. But the blazing heat can sometimes feel brutal, driving many people indoors to the comfort of air conditioning. There’s no reason to stay cooped up when so many trails offer a respite from the soaring temperatures. Tucked inside the shade of […]
Whether you’re brand-new into kayaking, or a paddler with years of experience under your belt, dropping thousands of dollars on a single boat is a hard decision to make. So, we here at Frugal Backpacker made your decision just a bit easier by adding Tidal Watersports’ affordable Coast and Dually kayak models to our store. […]
