

This waterfall is popular among photographers in all seasons, but autumn is when it really shines, especially in the view from the parkway. In May, painted trilliums bloom along the trail between the parking area and the creek. Catawba rhododendron grows on the banks of the falls, putting on a beautiful magenta show in June. In fact, the only way you’ll have this waterfall to yourself during summer is to get here first thing in the morning. The deep pool and large boulders below Second Falls are perfect spots for swimming and sunbathing. Additionally, there is now a restroom facility at the overlook, which should lessen the toilet-paper flowers growing all over the valley. Its unknown how the location gained its name, but it is thought that extensive logging in the area left only tree stumps that resembled grave stones. You can help by staying on the official trails. Graveyard Fields is a loop trail directly off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in a valley at the base of Mount Pisgah that connects to trails such as the Art Loeb Trail. This awesome hike is located in Western North.

These help greatly in lessening the erosion caused by so many visitors wandering all over the place. Known for the gobs of blueberries, Graveyard Fields is of the most popular hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Graveyard Fields makes for one amazing, unforgettable hike. Since I wrote the second edition of North Carolina Waterfalls in 2004, a number of boardwalks have been installed and other trail improvements made. The trail winds through a stream-filled valley filled with wild blackberry and blueberry bushes that burst with fruit in the late summer months. The leading theory is that it originated long before the logging, when lichens and mosses covered wind-thrown spruce trees, creating a ghostly scene resembling a graveyard. The origin of the name Graveyard Fields is not known for certain. The vegetation still hasn’t fully recovered. The heat was so intense that it sterilized the soil below the surface. The valley’s openness is not natural, but rather the effect of a catastrophic fire in 1925 that resulted from logging operations. Yellowstone Prong meanders along the valley floor, and Graveyard Ridge looms in the distance. From the Graveyard Fields Overlook on the parkway, you can look out over a flat, open valley that lacks the dense forest prevailing in much of the mountains. The area owes its popularity to its spectacular and unique scenery and its accessible and easy hiking trails. Like to rub elbows when you hike to waterfalls? Well, have I got the place for you! About the only time Graveyard Fields isn’t crowded is during winter, and that’s only because the Blue Ridge Parkway typically closes during that time.
