Glamping Wild Introduces the North Carolina High Country’s
First Certified Forest Bathing Trail
In the rolling hills of North Carolina’s High Country, a quiet invitation has been extended — not to hike, camp, or conquer the outdoors, but to slow down, breathe deeply, and simply be in nature.
At Glamping Wild, a luxury nature glamping retreat nestled in the untouched beauty of Ashe County, that invitation is now officially a certified experience. This summer, Glamping Wild launched the region’s first certified forest bathing trail. To the uninitiated, nature and forest therapy is inspired by Shinrin-Yoku, the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” or immersing oneself in the healing qualities of nature. Glamping Wild’s Forest bathing trail meanders through tranquil wetlands preserve, inviting guests to slow down, notice deeply, and engage all their senses in the healing rhythm of the natural world.
This unique trail was certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) under the expert guidance of Kelly Bruce, a nationally recognized forest therapy guide, trail consultant, and founder of Natural Wanders, based in Western North Carolina. Bruce worked closely with the Glamping Wild team to design and certify a route that honors the land’s natural rhythms while creating a deeply restorative experience for guests.
“So many people are burned out, disconnected from their own bodies and from the land beneath their feet,” says Glamping Wild founder Debby Hanley. “This trail offers a different way to be outside in nature — not as a hiker or a tourist, but as a human being remembering what it feels like to belong to the Earth.”
The trail unofficially begins on a guest’s private geodome deck, then weaves gently down through the wetlands, into a meditative walking labyrinth, and beside a quiet stream. Along the way, guests are gently “invited” to pause, listen and reconnect. Streamside sit spots are provided for comfortable reflection and a concluding tea ceremony. It’s less a path to be followed and more a journey inward, facilitated by the natural world.
Unlike traditional hiking trails, a forest bathing trail is designed for slowness and stillness, with no destination or endpoint in mind. And while many certified trails are set in wooded environments, Glamping Wild’s trail expands the concept into a nature-based experience, highlighting the serenity of open sky, water, grasses, and seasonal changes in a dynamic wetland ecosystem.
“We wanted to reflect the true nature of our land,” Hanley says. “The wetlands here are alive with birdsong and movement. There’s something incredibly calming and honest about this landscape, and we felt it too deserved to be part of the forest bathing experience.”
Access to the trail is currently limited to overnight guests and those booking guided forest therapy walks with ANFT-certified guides. Guided sessions offer a deeper layer of engagement, often incorporating gentle movement, sensory invitations, and relational practices to enhance connection with the land and each other.
But the trail through the wetlands is just the beginning.
Glamping Wild is already working on its second certified trail, which will wind through the forested upper ridge of the 40-acre property. Slated to open later this year, the upper forest bathing trail will bring guests under a shaded canopy and offer an elevated, yet grounding, journey — a companion experience to the more open and flowing nature of the wetlands path below.
As Hanley explains it, the new forest bathing offerings are part of Glamping Wild’s larger mission: to create a retreat space where luxury and wildness exist in harmony, and where guests can find both adventure and deep rest.
Alongside the forest bathing trails, Glamping Wild offers luxuriously appointed geodesic domes, each designed for privacy, comfort, and connection to the natural world.
“People don’t just want a vacation anymore,” Hanley says. “They want transformation — or at the very least, to feel something real again through wellness and self-care. That’s what this land offers, and our job is simply to get out of the way and let the experience unfold.”
Learn more or book your stay at GoGlampingWild.com or
follow along on Facebook & Instagram at @glampingwild.
To learn more about Kelly Bruce, ANFT and forest therapy, visit NaturalWanders.us and ANFT.earth.
