Graveyard Fields, Upper Falls and Second Falls

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
9/13/2023	2.9 miles	2 hours 1 minutes	243'	1.7 mph	179.7

Parking: 

• Blue Ridge Parkway, Graveyard Fields

Map:

• Pisgah Map Co., Pisgah Ranger District

Directions:

• Take the Graveyard Fields Loop trail on the left side of the parking lot. Turn left onto the Upper Falls Trail and take to the falls. Retrace steps on the Upper Falls Trail. At the intersection of the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail, turn left. Follow the loop trail back to the parking lot.

Carolina Mountain Club Challenge:

• Pisgah 400 Challenge, #358 Graveyard Fields Loop
• Pisgah 400 Challenge #358A Upper Falls
• 100 Waterfall Challenge - Upper Falls
• 100 Waterfall Challenge - Second Falls (also called Lower Falls)

In the afternoon we headed out to see the Upper Falls. We heard occasional thunder at the trailhead but decided to head out anyways. The weather turned out okay. We have done a different loop at Graveyard Fields but had not hiked to Upper Falls. It's a shortish hike, so a good option while I'm having problems with my foot. The parking lot was crowded, but we did get parking. This was a lovely hike. The terrain was a bit rocky, but the hike itself is easy. There were a few people out - the grey skies didn't scare them away. On the way back, we stopped and snacked on blueberries growing on the side of the trail. The blueberries are popular with bears, but we didn't see any on our hike. We encountered lots of fall wildflowers near the end of the hike as well. 

View from an overlook on the parkway