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Pisgah National Forest Backpacking: Balds & Blue Ridge Views
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Redpoint travel protection
Weather shifts, flights cancel. Core and Premium include Redpoint travel protection to cover you when they do. Standard follows 57hours' booking policy. See full coverage
Every booking, whichever you pick
Cancel within 48h of booking 100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason) 70% refund
Full coverage details
Basic Standard terms Most popular Core protection Recommended Premium protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund 100% refund 100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund 70% refund 75% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
75% refund 100% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p. Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p. Up to $100,000 p.p.
Basic Standard terms
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Most popular Core protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
75% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p.
Recommended Premium protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
100% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p.
Cancellation policy

The percentages in the table above are of the full trip price, not of what you’ve paid at the time of booking.

Cancellations made within 48 hours of booking receive a full refund on all plans, including booking fees and insurance. After the 48-hour window, your refund depends on your selected protection plan and when you cancel. Core and Premium plans extend your cancellation rights beyond the Standard policy:

  • With Core, a covered reason gets you 75% of your trip cost back — even the day before you go.
  • With Premium, a covered reason gets you 100% of your trip cost back — and any other reason gets you 75%, right up to the day you leave.
What counts as a covered reason
  • Sudden illness or injury — yours, a travel companion’s, or an immediate family member’s, confirmed by a doctor
  • Death of a traveler or an immediate family member
  • A natural disaster affecting your destination or your departure point
  • A government travel advisory against travel to your destination

Changing your mind isn’t a covered reason. Premium is the only plan that covers that. Documentation is required for all insurance claims.

Everything the travel insurance covers

Both plans include travel insurance through Redpoint Travel Protection. Core insures 75% of your trip cost; Premium insures 100%.

Maximum per person:

  • Trip cancellation — up to 100% of your trip cost
  • Cancel for any reason — up to 75% of your trip cost (Premium only)
  • Trip interruption — 150% of the trip cost limit
  • Trip delay — $200 a day, $1,000 max
  • Itinerary change — $250
  • Single occupancy supplement — up to 100% of trip cost
  • Missed connection — $1,000
  • Travel inconvenience — $250 each, $750 max
  • Pet return — $1,000 per pet
  • Baggage and personal effects — $2,500, max $300 an item
  • Baggage delay — $600, after 12 hours
  • Baggage delivery — $100 per trip
  • Emergency medical expenses — $100,000
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation — up to $1,000,000

These are maximums. What a claim actually pays depends on what you can document and on the policy’s exclusions — pre-existing conditions and undeclared activities among them. We’ll send the full policy wording with your confirmation.

Reserve deposit (30%) $0
Second Payment Amount: $0
Pisgah National Forest Backpacking: Balds & Blue Ridge Views
Itinerary
Pisgah National Forest Backpacking: Balds & Blue Ridge Views
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  • Pisgah National Forest Backpacking: Balds & Blue Ridge Views
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  • This 3-day, 2-night guided backpacking trip takes us into the high country of Pisgah National Forest, just outside Asheville. We follow the Art Loeb Trail over Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain, camp near Shining Rock, and wrap up with 360-degree views from Devil’s Courthouse before returning on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Daily mileage runs between 4 and 8 miles, mostly over rolling terrain, with two nights in backcountry tent campsites. Backpacking gear, food on trail, permits, and transportation between Asheville and the trailhead are all included, so all you need to bring are your personal items and some good fitness.

    • We meet at 8 am in downtown Asheville, where the guide hands out gear and food and goes over packing, safety, weather, and logistics for the trip. We also walk through how to pack a backpack properly and may look over what you’ve brought to make sure you’re not carrying extra weight. Around 10 am, we head to the trailhead off the Blue Ridge Parkway and start hiking. We follow the Art Loeb Trail over Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain, two grassy balds with wide-open views, before arriving at our campsite near Shining Rock, a striking white quartz outcrop.

      Meals: Lunch, dinner
      Accommodation: Backcountry tent campsite

      Graveyard falls

    • Day 2 is a gentler one. After breakfast, we enjoy level hiking from Shining Rock to a creekside campsite, where we set up for our second night. If you want a little more, there’s the option to climb to the top of Sam’s Knob, another of the area’s open summits, before settling in by the water. Expect cool, crisp mountain air along the way, with wildflowers lining the trail in spring and summer and foliage turning in the fall.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
      Accommodation: Backcountry tent campsite

      Black Balsam

    • On our final morning, we pack up camp and make our way to Devil’s Courthouse, a rocky summit with 360-degree views across the surrounding mountains. From there, we return to the trailhead via the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and the hike usually wraps up around lunchtime before we head back to Asheville. If you have a time constraint on the last day, let us know ahead of time.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch

      Pisgah departure

    • Included:

        • An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area (all guides are certified in Wilderness First Aid (or higher) and CPR)
        • 3-day Pisgah National Forest backpacking trip
        • Accommodation for 2 nights in backcountry camps
        • All food while on trail (lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 3)
        • Backpacking gear (backpack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, trekking poles)
        • Transportation between Asheville and the trailhead
        • Backcountry permits and fees
        • A pre-trip video call

      Not included:

        • Transportation to and from Asheville
        • Personal clothing, footwear, and toiletries
        • Anything not mentioned in the “Included” section above
        • Insurance — recommended, available to add at checkout
        • Guide gratuities — optional

    • In order to join this backpacking tour, good fitness is required, but no backpacking experience is necessary. The most you’ll hike within a day is up to 8 miles (12.9 km) with a full backpack, with up to 1,500 ft (457 m) of elevation gain.

      This trip is approachable and encouraging, and perfect for beginners who want to expand their comfort zone, practice skills, and experience the rhythm of a multi-day backpacking trip. Expect rolling terrain with a few noticeable ascents and descents and a pack of around 25 lb (11 kg) with all the gear, food, and water. You should be comfortable completing a 10-mile (16 km) hike on hilly terrain or a 12-mile (19 km) walk on flat ground.

      Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more hiking vacations in the USA here!

    • Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:

        • Trail-appropriate clothing and footwear (synthetic or wool, not cotton)
        • A raincoat and a warm layer
        • A beanie and lightweight gloves for cool mountain nights
        • Two 1L water bottles
        • A headlamp
        • Personal medications and toiletries

      Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

      A detailed packing list is sent by the guide several weeks before departure.

      Got everything you need? Grab your gear through Active Junky and earn cash back on top outdoor brands — plus a $10 bonus on your first $25+ purchase. Shop now at Active Junky!

    • Group sizes and pricing

        • For this Pisgah National Forest backpacking tour, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 7:1. 
        • It takes a minimum of 2 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 7 participants.

      A Pisgah National Forest backpacking tour can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

      Min. age requirements

        • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
        • Minors older than 14 may be permitted to join the Pisgah National Forest backpacking tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

      If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

    • A single occupancy room is not available on this Pisgah National Forest backpacking tour because we’ll be sleeping in tents.

    • The starting point of your Pisgah National Forest backpacking tour is Asheville, North Carolina. To get there, most people fly into Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) or Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or rent a car to reach Asheville.

      You will meet your guide at 8 am in downtown Asheville.

      The exact meeting address is sent in the booking confirmation and pre-trip emails.

    • We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

      Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.

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