In the beginning...

 

Our Story: A lifetime in the making... America's National Parks have always been important parts of our lives. We've spent many, many nights bundled up in sleeping bags, surrounded by friends, beneath the heavens. What an experience. We like to think of the Park boundaries as the no stress zone. As soon as we point our treads in the right direction and cross that imaginary (but very real) line our worries melt away.

 

Years before the founders, Mike and Joe, had ever met their lives centered around the great outdoors.

 

In fact, Joe and his wife spent their honeymoon traversing the country and spending star filled romantic nights in many of our most famous National Parks. "The two nights my wife and I spent in Big Bend National Park in west Texas were two of the most unbelievable nights of my life. To spend one night on the desert floor watching a thunderstorm light up the Mexican skyline just over the Rio Grande, and the next atop the tallest peak (Emory Peak - 7825ft) in the Park. The experience was spectacular."

 

Mike grew up traveling America's national parks as a young child. "I see myself in many of the young boys and girls who are now on my trips. I was as lucky as they are to experience and grow from such memorable adventures." You can find him leading tours in the Smoky mountains, or like Joe, traveling across America looking for the next great adventure in one of Amerca's national parks.

 

The two finally crossed paths years later when Mike joined the crew at PaddleFish Kayaking, a guided sea kayaking company on the S.C. coast, a venture Joe co-founded in 2003. After a few years, the two became friends and began looking for something they could create together. In 2007, after a considerable amount of research the idea of providing hiking tours in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was born. The company was founded in the fall of that year, and the difficult task of putting down roots in a new community, obtaining the pertinent permits, and the excitement of creating something new began.

 

Today, American Hikes is positioned for an outstanding season in the wilderness of western North Carolina. Tours have been created, guides are trained, and the season is quickly approaching. Looking back, it has been a long road to reach this destination, but a much longer path lies ahead. We strongly believe that everyone can benefit from even a short excursion into the wild. Take a deep breath and make that first step towards uncovering the mystery and dispelling the fear that we find when our cell phones don't work and help is more than an email away.

 

Looking Ahead: American Hikes, Inc. plans on expanding to other Parks as the company grows. So, be on the look out for the American Hikes experience. It might be coming your way someday.