Partner Spotlight · Backpacking · Southeast
Happy Hiking Co. is making guided backpacking accessible for women across the Southeast — one small group, one first-timer at a time.
Picture this: you’re standing at a trailhead in the Great Smoky Mountains. You’ve never backpacked before. The pack on your back is heavier than you expected. You’re not entirely sure what you signed up for.
Now picture what happens next. Your guide checks in with each person in the group, adjusts the straps on your pack, and says something that makes the whole group laugh. You set off on the trail. By the time you reach camp — 2.5 miles in, waterfalls behind you, forest opening up ahead — the nervousness is completely gone. By morning, you’re eating a hot breakfast under the trees, watching the Smokies wake up, and already wondering when you can do this again.
This is what thousands of women across the Southeast have experienced through Happy Hiking Co. — a guided backpacking company founded on a simple belief: that the backcountry should be accessible to anyone willing to show up, regardless of experience level, age, or whether they’ve ever owned a piece of gear in their life.
Backpacking has long had a reputation problem. It’s been marketed as a pursuit for the already-fit, the already-experienced, the already-geared-up. For women especially — and particularly for those hiking solo, or entering their 50s and 60s — the perceived barriers can feel insurmountable. Happy Hiking Co. is systematically dismantling every single one of them.
The Access Problem Nobody Was Fixing
The Southeast is home to some of the most spectacular backcountry in the United States. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail’s legendary balds at Roan Mountain. The wild ponies of Grayson Highlands. The rugged ridgelines of Pisgah National Forest. These are world-class wilderness destinations — within driving distance of millions of people who have never once spent a night in any of them.
The reason isn’t lack of interest. It’s lack of access. Multi-day backpacking without a guide requires gear most people don’t own, knowledge most people haven’t learned, and a confidence that only comes from experience most people haven’t had. For someone who has never backpacked, the gap between “I’d love to try that” and actually doing it has historically been enormous.
Guided options existed, but they skewed toward the already-capable — intermediate and advanced routes, gear-optional experiences that assumed you’d figure out the basics on your own. The beginner was an afterthought. Women traveling solo had even fewer options. And the idea of a guided trip designed specifically for women over 60? That was virtually nonexistent.
Happy Hiking Co. saw that gap and built directly into it.
Meet Happy Hiking Co.
Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Happy Hiking Co. operates guided backpacking trips across some of the Southeast’s most iconic wilderness areas — the Great Smokies, the Appalachian Trail, Pisgah National Forest, Grayson Highlands in Virginia, and the approach trail to Springer Mountain in Georgia.
The philosophy is straightforward: keep the groups small, teach people real skills, meet them exactly where they are, and trust that the mountains will do the rest.
Every guide holds Wilderness First Responder certification. All gear is provided — backpacks, tents, sleeping pads, stoves, water filters, first aid kits — and in excellent condition. Every meal is included. The logistics that would otherwise stop a first-timer before they even started are handled, completely, so guests can focus on actually being outside.
The result is an experience that has generated hundreds of five-star reviews from guests who, almost universally, arrived nervous and left converted.
“This was my first time backpacking and I can hardly wait to go again. Our guide was absolutely fantastic — she explained everything, and was so supportive. She gave us many options along the way based on how we felt. There are no words or pictures that fully describe the views and the sunrises that we saw.”
— Janet P., verified guest review
Built Specifically — and Intentionally — for Women
The majority of Happy Hiking Co.’s trip offerings are women’s-only by design. This isn’t incidental. It’s a deliberate choice rooted in the understanding that women face specific and compounding barriers when it comes to backcountry access — and that removing those barriers sometimes means creating a space where women can show up without having to think about them at all.
In a women’s-only group, the dynamic shifts. The conversations get real. The laughter gets loud. The nervousness of being a beginner disappears faster because everyone in the group made the same decision to show up without knowing exactly what they were doing. Reviews from Happy Hiking Co. guests describe this consistently — the camaraderie that forms on trail, the friends made over shared snacks and tough uphills and views that stop everyone cold, the sense of community that outlasts the trip itself.
“From the start, Liza’s calm and friendly nature enabled us to feel relaxed and ready to leave the world behind for two days and nights on the Appalachian Trail. Our group shared many laughs and stories. I loved this experience.”
— Sharon G., verified guest review
Solo travelers are a significant part of Happy Hiking Co.’s guest base — guests who came alone, a little nervous about it, and left with people they’re already planning future trips with. The solo-friendly format (a private tent at no extra cost, small groups that naturally become communities) means that not having a friend to come with is never a reason not to go.
A Trip the Outdoor Industry Has Largely Ignored: Women 60+
Perhaps the most striking offering in Happy Hiking Co.’s lineup is its Women’s-Only 60+ Great Smoky Mountains Backpacking Trip — a gentle 1-night experience designed specifically for women 60 and over who want to try backpacking at a pace built for them.
This demographic has been almost entirely overlooked by the outdoor industry. Guided backpacking experiences skew young and able-bodied; the assumption has been that older women aren’t the target audience. Happy Hiking Co. rejects that assumption entirely. The 60+ trip — waterfall-lined trails, 2.5 miles each way, small groups, all gear provided — exists because the desire to experience the backcountry doesn’t expire at 59.
It’s a small trip with an outsized message: you don’t have to be young, fast, or experienced to belong out there.
What Guests Actually Experience Out There
The reviews tell a consistent story — one that starts with nerves and ends with conversion.
At Grayson Highlands in southern Virginia, wild ponies roam freely through the highland meadows, wandering up to hikers on the trail and grazing unbothered at camp. This isn’t a petting zoo encounter — it’s one of the most genuinely surprising wildlife experiences in the Eastern United States, and it’s become one of Happy Hiking Co.’s signature draws. Guests describe stopping mid-step when they first see them, reaching for their cameras, struggling to believe this is just what hiking here looks like.
“Grayson Highlands is a place where nature’s grandeur meets the charm of wild ponies. A group of friends with varying hiking experience signed up for a two-night backpacking adventure and thanks to our guide we had such a great time! Even the food was better than anticipated. We are already looking at when we can schedule another trip.”
— Paradise, verified guest review
At Roan Mountain on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, guests hike through the iconic high-elevation balds of the Appalachian Trail — open ridgelines with 360-degree views that feel like standing on top of the world. The Women’s-Only Yoga & Backpacking Retreat here adds guided sunrise and sunset yoga sessions at camp, turning the experience into something that functions as both physical challenge and genuine reset.
In the Great Smoky Mountains, waterfall-lined trails and extraordinary biodiversity create a backdrop for the company’s most beginner-focused offerings — including the Intro to Backpacking trip that teaches guests the practical skills they need to start planning their own adventures: water filtration, camp setup, gear management, trail navigation.
That skills transfer is something guests mention repeatedly. It’s not just that they had a good time — it’s that they left capable. That’s the difference between a guided experience that creates dependency and one that creates independence.
“After trekking with Liza we are now venturing out on our own for a 3-day, 2-night hike. Her goal is to get people to love backpacking — I would say mission accomplished.”
— Kay M., verified guest review
It’s also worth noting: Happy Hiking Co. runs rain or shine. Multiple five-star reviews came from trips where it rained the whole time. Guests describe the guides making it part of the experience — adjusting, laughing through it, delivering on the experience regardless. That resilience matters enormously to first-timers who are already worried that weather will ruin everything.
Eight Trips Across the Southeast’s Best Backcountry
What makes Happy Hiking Co.’s lineup genuinely impressive is its range. There’s an entry point for almost every kind of person, at almost every experience level, across five distinct destinations.
For true beginners, the Women’s-Only Intro to Backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains is the obvious starting point — a 1-night, beginner-friendly experience built entirely around teaching the skills that make future trips possible. The Grayson Highlands Wild Ponies 1-Night Trip and Women’s-Only 60+ Smokies Trip are equally accessible, with manageable distances and all the magic of the destinations doing the heavy lifting.
For those ready for a real intermediate challenge, the Women’s-Only Roan Mountain 2-Night Trip and the Pisgah National Forest Art Loeb Trail 2-Night Trip deliver the kind of backcountry experience that serious hikers travel across the country to find — particularly the Art Loeb, one of the Southeast’s most underrated and consistently spectacular routes.
And then there are the experiences that are genuinely unlike anything else in the region. The Grayson Highlands Watercolor & Backpacking Trip combines overnight backpacking with guided watercolor painting sessions at camp — no experience in either required — turning the landscape into the subject matter and the act of looking into the activity itself. The Roan Mountain Yoga & Backpacking Retreat weaves guided sunrise and sunset yoga flows into a 2-night AT section hike, creating something that functions as a full mind-body reset.
The standout bucket-list offering is the Women’s-Only Springer Mountain & Hike Inn Experience — a 3-day trip that starts at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail and includes a night at the legendary Hike Inn, a backcountry lodge accessible only on foot. For anyone who has thought about the AT, this is the closest thing to walking into that world without committing to a thru-hike.
Why TripOutside Featured Happy Hiking Co.
At TripOutside, we only feature human-powered outdoor experiences that meet a high bar for quality, safety, and responsible stewardship. Our partners need to be properly permitted and insured, consistently highly rated, and genuinely committed to getting people outside in a way that protects the places they operate in.
I was reached out Liza and I jumped on a call to chat with Liza about Happy Hiking Co. and they met every one of those criteria — and then some.
What stood out to me wasn’t just the review scores (though they’re exceptional — the company has maintained a near-perfect rating across hundreds of verified reviews). It was the consistency of what guests described: guides who taught real skills, experiences that built real confidence, and an approach to beginner access that treated first-timers as capable adults rather than liabilities to manage.
The women’s-only focus, the 60+ trip, the creative crossover experiences — They’re evidence of an outfitter that is actually thinking about who has been left out of outdoor access and doing something deliberate about it.
That’s the kind of partner we want on TripOutside. And that’s the kind of experience we want more people to find.
Ready to Book Your First (or Next) Backpacking Trip?
Happy Hiking Co.’s full lineup is available to browse and book on TripOutside. Here’s where to start based on where you are:
- Never backpacked before: Women’s-Only Intro to Backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains
- Ready for something more: Women’s-Only Roan Mountain 2-Night Backpacking Trip
- Looking for something unique: Grayson Highlands Watercolor & Backpacking Experience
- Bucket list experience: Women’s-Only Springer Mountain & Hike Inn 3-Day AT Experience
- 60 and over: Women’s-Only 60+ Great Smoky Mountains 1-Night Trip
All trips include gear, meals, and a WFR-certified guide. All you need to bring is your sleeping bag and your curiosity.
Browse Happy Hiking Co. on TripOutside
Eight guided backpacking trips across the Southeast — from beginner 1-night adventures to multi-day Appalachian Trail experiences.
The TripOutside Team
TripOutside is the only outdoor booking marketplace exclusively focused on human-powered adventures — hiking, backpacking, paddling, climbing, and more. We partner with top-rated, permitted, and insured outfitters across the U.S. to connect people with the experiences that get them outside. Members of the Conservation Alliance and Leave No Trace partners.
