Post in Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Hey , biking is probably easier than having a car, the parkway is right around asheville, I live like 5 min from one of. Parkway entrances, lots of day hikes

I don't think Asheville is great for bikes but bike lanes are on the increase. Closest places to hike from downtown might be the parkway, like the other person mentioned, but it's a big climb up Town Mountain Road and big hills along the parkway to get beyond the Mountain to Sea trail (which borders the parkway near town,so there is traffic noise. ) Other close -ish hiking is Shops Creek in Swannanoa - narrow curvy road to get there though. Good hiking in Pisgah National Forest but that's a long bike ride. So, long way to say, for really good hiking, a car might help.

Biking downtown is super easy! Lots of places to lock up & walk. I know it's not nearly as cyclist-friendly as some other larger cities, but we run a pretty good show for the casual user.

All good answers. You could bike anywhere worth going in the city - downtown, river arts, west asheville. Yes some spots aren't great infrastructure wise but drivers are generally used to bikers. Unless you're hardcore you likely don't want to bike to hike and you'll miss out on some good ones if you do. Find something within a reasonable distance and Uber there or try and tag along with a Couchsurfer going out. You could also look for an area meetup or see if any of the land conservancies have hikes planned for better carpooling options.

There are several hiking clubs, both Meet-up groups and Carolina Mountain Club. Often, they carpool to the hike, offering more opportunities for amazing hikes without a car.

Biking sucks in Asheville. Its only easy between downtown and west Asheville. If you want to hike, you will need a car.

Hi,

The trick is to combine bike and bus to get to trails. The bus system is horrible if one has to rely on it to get to work or to get anywhere in the evenings - but that shouldn't matter much to you, and the good news is that the buses have bike racks. This is great for getting to some nice trails.

Bus route 170 allows you to get near Warren Wilson College ( https://www.warren-wilson.edu/news/warren-wilson-has-the-best-hiking-in-the-southeast ) and to Montreat College and Conference Center ( http://www.montreat.org/play/activities/hiking/ ). Montreat offers many scenic trails and Warren Wilson has several, including one that is relatively flat and runs beside the Swannanoa River. Here are links to PDF's with maps and info: Warren Wilson, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj86YH3ps_SAhUDPiYKHa21BpsQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swangathering.com%2Fdownloads%2FWWCTrailMap.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHPmhxOGqS0ERsmishYzVRuHH6Q-Q&sig2=q0-pr8REJhQubuaTpYvE7w and Montreat, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi49Mn-ps_SAhUI5CYKHR8_CrwQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graybeardgraphics.com%2Fimages%2FTrailDescriptionsLegal1109.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGwhsCdwhbqrRE7rWEB1U_6_mNCXA&sig2=8Q2ePzBAF9qbwHFKDmXOfQ

Routes E-1 and E-2 pass underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway and nearby bus stops allow easy access. Numerous trails are accessable within a short distance.

Routes N-1 and N-2 both allow easy access to the Botanical Gardens of Asheville at UNCA: https://www.romanticasheville.com/botanical.htm and the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary: http://emasnc.org/beaverlake.html Both of these have short but interesing trails.

There are several places to rent bikes (and I know someone who has an old cheap one that can be borrowed). Here is a link to the bus system's web page: http://www.ashevillenc.gov/departments/transit/maps_schedules.htm They also have a phone app that has schedules and realtime maps of the location of a bus on a given route.

So - all is not bleak :) Have fun and don't hesitate to ask me if you have questions about hiking or anything else.

Oh yeah - to get a little feel for Asheville check out https://www.facebook.com/AmbientAsheville/ and be sure to "Like," "Follow" and "See First" :)

Ditto main points said. Definitely not a biker-loving city yet there are many of us who use bikes to commute, for pleasure & for exercise. Be a good ambassador of biking and follow traffic rules so motorists know what to reliably expect (e.g. stop at stop signs & red lights, wait for green lights, use headlamps & rear lights when dusky/dark etc.) Merrimon Avenue is not biker (nor car) friendly so avoiding that road. Definitely wear a helmet. Many good secondary roads.

Also, regarding getting around. Asheville town (it's not a "city") itself is a small geographic footprint. West Asheville is its own "ville." Both very doable on a bike if you're in good shape & used to biking in mountains.

Posting this for future readers:)