Calling outdoorsy locals! Join us on three family- and dog- friendly hiking tours! Interesting in touring the archaeology sites at Warren Wilson, the ruins at Rattlesnake Lodge, or geological events along the Blue Ridge Parkway – all with local experts? This affordable series may not happen again, so sign up while you can at www.landandloreecotours.com!

A special series of guided hikes provided by an archaeologist, ecologist, and geologist! These local and family-friendly hiking tours occur Saturdays (Oct 21st-Nov4th) 9:00 am -12:00 pm.  See below for the details of each tour. Tours are $30/adult and KIDS ARE FREE!

Oct 21, 2017: Rattlesnake Lodge History and Appalachian Forest Tour. Join us on this autumn hike along the Mountain to Sea Trail to the historic ruins of Rattlesnake Lodge with ecologist Dr. Jeff Beacham. We will trek through a rich hardwood forest and enjoy vibrant fall colors, weave through huge boulders, and explore the ruins of Rattlesnake Lodge.  The lodge, built in 1903 and 1904, was the summer home for Dr. Chase P. Ambler and his family.  What remains are the stacked-stone foundations of the lodge, barn, tool house, spring house, swimming pool, and several surrounding buildings.  You will learn about the important role Dr. Ambler played in the conservation of the Southern Appalachians and the establishment of Pisgah National Forest and Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  The hike is 2.8 miles round trip – easy (to somewhat moderate) difficulty.  For this tour, we meet at 9:00 am in front of the Ingles near Exit 21 on Hwy 26, north of Asheville.  The address of this Ingles is: 499 Weaverville Rd, Asheville, NC 28804.

Oct 28, 2017: Warren Wilson Cherokee Digging Site and Archaeology Lab Tour.  Archaeologist Dr. David Moore gives a special tour of our local Cherokee digging site, Cherokee culture, and the college archaeology lab. Take a walk into Cherokee Past on the Swannanoa River. We’ll gather on the campus at Warren Wilson College and spend about 90 minutes walking along the Swannanoa River to visit several archaeological sites associated with the Cherokee Indians.  We’ll talk about the history and culture of the Cherokees and how archaeologists study the Cherokee past.  We’ll also visit the Warren Wilson College Archaeology Lab to see artifacts and learn more about local western North Carolina archaeology.  For this tour, we will meet at 9:00 am in the pavilion next to the Jensen Building on the campus of Warren Wilson. The address of the Jensen Building is 117 Lower College Road, Swannanoa, NC 28778.  Please click here for a PDF of the Warren Wilson campus map, where you can find the Jensen building (bright blue and lower right area of the map).

Nov 4, 2017: Stories of early Appalachia along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Professional geologist Mark Hostetter shares untold stories of gold, rubies, and sapphires – how mines and minerals changed local history! Come with us as we take a journey back in time and discover fascinating stories about the geology and mining history of this region.  Just imagine historic gold mines, ruby and sapphire mines, ancient mountains, dramatic and fascinating down to earth’s geologic history right in our backyard.  Our guide is a professional geologist with over 40 years of field geology and mining experience, and he loves to share his passion for geology with anyone who will listen.  Come, listen and learn and have a great trip.  Short, easy stops with barely any hiking along the Parkway, to capture the final days of a beautiful fall season. For this tour, we will meet at 9:00 am in front of the Ingles across from the Asheville Outlet Mall.  The address of this Ingles is: 863 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806.