About Us

Providing a Full-Service Hostel Experience

At Around the Bend, we are committed to providing a clean, safe, and comfortable environment. From our comfortable accommodations to our outfitter store to our transportation, we are your "one stop shop" for all of your hiking needs (and wants!). Take a look at our site to find out more information about the services we offer, and please reach out if there is anything else we can help you with. We appreciate your support!

Our Story

Hostel Around the Bend was founded in November 2020 after owners Gordon and Lisa Simmons purchased the property earlier that same year. The property had been operating as Top of Georgia Hostel before the Simmons purchased it, but it was sold to them as a residence. At the time, Gordon and Lisa had been working careers in completely unrelated fields (sales and finance for Gordon and healthcare for Lisa) and had no intention of ever leaving those careers to run a hiker hostel. But as they say, "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

During the remodel of the buildings, hikers kept walking in from the trail looking for a place to stay. Gordon and Lisa started taking them in, and after a few great experiences with hikers they decided it might be fun to run a hostel as a side business during part of the year. So they decided to change the hostel's name, looks, and feel to make it their own, and Hostel Around the Bend officially opened in February 2021.

The first NOBO season Hostel Around the Bend was open went so well, Gordon and Lisa decided to keep what they had started going. Lisa left her W2 job first, and Gordon followed a few months later, and now they are both running the hostel full-time year-round. During their second year of operation, they expanded services to include for-hire shuttles and a small outfitter store at the hostel. And they are extremely grateful for all the support they've received so far, including being ranked 4th in The Trek survey of top hostels for 2022. The best part about this job? Gordon and Lisa both agree it's the wonderful people they get to meet from all over the world!

Happy Trails!