Graveyard Fields Best Hike

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Total Length: 3.2 mi
• Trail Tread Condition: Some Obstacles
• Climb: Hilly
• Lowest Elevation: 4960 ft
• Highest Elevation: 5320 ft
• Total Elevation Gain: 450 ft
• Trails/Roads Used: Graveyard Fields
• Hike Configuration: Loop, out-and-back extension
• Starting point: Graveyard Fields Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 418
• How to Get There: From Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway South past Mount Pisgah. The Graveyard Fields overlook is at milepost 418; park here. The trail starts at the right side of the large map.

This hike starts at one of the most popular overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visit on a summer weekend, and you will likely find it overflowing - cars parked up and down the parkway and on every spot of flat grass that can be found. There is good reason for this, however, and if you can't visit on a less popular day, don't let the crowds deter you. This is a spectacular area, and you will never forget a hike here! Note: The trail underwent significant rerouting during the summer of 2005.

Begin the hike by descending the stairs on the right side of the parking area. The path below the stairs down to the river is actually paved due the high volume of traffic it receives, and it travels through a dense rhododendron thicket. At the end of the pavement, a nice new wooden staircase with a couple of viewing platforms has been built that descends to a bridge across the creek. These steps were a much needed alternative to the steep, rocky, horribly eroded trail that used to go on down from here.

Trail Through Graveyard Fields

At the creek, you will cross on a nice wooden bridge, and immediately you begin to see the appeal of the Graveyard Fields area. The creek at this point flows across solid bedrock, and enormous boulders sit in the middle of the stream bed. The bridge actually goes from one bank, to a big boulder, then to the opposite bank. Many people hop off the trail here and spend the entire day rock-hopping and wading in the pools, and I've done this many a day myself. At this point you're just above the brink of Second Falls, so be VERY careful if you wish to do this. Just downstream from the bridge, a small tributary tumbles out of a crack in a huge boulder into the clear, cold stream.

Cross the bridge; the brand new trail (built in the spring and summer of 2005) heads uphill to the right and almost immediately splits. Bear right onto the spur to Second Falls. The trail crosses a tributary on a nice, new bridge in a thin forest of short Northern hardwood trees with grassy patches in between. You'll reach another intersection - this time with a spur that connects to the Mountains to Sea Trail. Again, bear right onto a new section of trail, and you'll soon descend to the base of the falls on many steep, elaborate wooden steps. At the bottom is a viewing platform with some interpretive signs. You can also head out onto the boulders below the plunge pool at the base of the falls or perhaps take a dip in the deep, cold, crystal-clear pool itself. If you decide not to spend the rest of the day here, return via the same steps and trail to the first intersection to continue the hike.

From here, the main trail makes a sharp right and begins the loop. The first section climbs a small hill, and you soon get a great view of the flat valley ahead. The main trail used to descend and closely follow the Yellowstone Prong, but it now bears right and skirts the edge of the basin above the very flat areas near the stream. The trail itself is still mainly level, but built on sloping land which allows the water to drain across the trail, rather than pooling up, causing erosion, and forming mud holes as it did on the former trail. Many small brooks and seeps lead into small wetland areas near the river, too, and these very sensitive areas will now be by-passed or crossed with some neat, new, long boardwalks.

Grasses, small trees, and heath shrubs - typical blueberries, rhododendron, and mountain laurel - cover the flats and the hillsides. The trail travels through vast fields of these blueberries, making for a feast when the berries ripen in late August. Above you looms Black Balsam Mountain and to the right, Graveyard Ridge. The trail is quite easy at this point except for a couple of places that are wet or climb over very small hills. Count how many small brooks and tumbling tributaries you cross as you go, and remember to go through wet areas instead of around them. Notice how the trees - mostly oaks, maples, and scattered spruces - are having a hard time growing back in this area, but are making steady progress. In places near the streams, the ground is covered in a thick mat of Galax. Look for the large, round, shiny leaves just a few inches off the ground.

There are three main intersections you should look out for - which SHOULD be signed (if not vandalized). The first is the intersection with a spur that leads left down to the stream. It actually picks up a section of the old trail and heads downstream to a very popular spot for picnicking and wading. Bear right on the main trail here. Just a few feet past this intersection, the main trail turns left, while the trail straight ahead is the Graveyard Ridge connector trail. Finally, a bit further on near a popular campsite, the loop portion of the trail turns left and crosses a new bridge over the Yellowstone Prong to return to the parking lot (or will soon as of this writing), while the spur to Upper Falls continues straight ahead. Continue on to Upper Falls.

The new portion of the trail will then re-join with the old trail, but even here much work has been done in terms of installing drainage and rock steps. Near the end, the trail shoots straight up between some bigger rocks where a sign proclaims the way to the upper falls. As you come out at the stream below the falls, it becomes a rock-hopping experience and you'll want to be very careful. You'll have to cross the creek to get a good view of the falls. On dry days, you can walk up the sloping rock towards the left side of the base of the falls if you're careful, but if it is wet, forget about it. Do not attempt to reach the top of the falls.

Return down the same path, but when you finish the Upper Falls extension, take a right to travel up the other side of the loop. Again, this SHOULD be signed. As of September 2006, the new bridge has still not been installed. The trail will rise after you cross the creek, through a thicket of rhododendron and mountain laurel, and more attractive, grassy high-elevation forests on its way back up to the parking lot. There are several short (and one long) boardwalks over marshy areas as well as trickles and seeps which are funneled across the trail in trenches. You'll soon reach another staircase at the top of which is the ever-so-popular overlook and the location of your parked vehicle.