Hike Length: 1.5 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Graveyard Fields (Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (2)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery. The path down to the base is extremely steep and overgrown. A landslide has made the final scramble to the base extremely difficult and dangerous.
Trailhead GPS: 35.32043,-82.84692
Waterfall GPS: 35.32382,-82.84068
Directions:
From Brevard, head east on US-64 and then turn left on US-276. Drive 15 miles and turn right and then left to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway southbound. In 7 miles, turn right into the Graveyard Fields Overlook. Note this is a very popular spot and parking fills fast.
Map:
Hike Description:
From the Graveyard Fields Overlook, get on the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail (#358) at the north end of the parking lot near the restrooms and hike down to the footbridge over Yellowstone Prong. After crossing the bridge, turn right on the Mountains-to-Sea Access Trail (#358B), passing by Second Falls. Wooden steps lead down to the base of the waterfall.
From Second Falls, continue on MST Access Trail to a fork where both directions follow are Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Go right at the fork to hike MST eastbound and go about 0.3 miles to an open area with a campsite. Get off the trail to the right (south) through the campsite and down to Yellowstone Prong at the top of the falls. Cross the creek and pick up a faint path through the dense rhododendron and follow it down. There's a spot to view the middle of the waterfall.
Continue on this short but steep and overgrown path down to the base of Yellowstone Falls.
The waterfall is visible from East Fork Overlook at milepost 418.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the view is mostly obscured.
From Second Falls, continue on MST Access Trail to a fork where both directions follow are Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Go right at the fork to hike MST eastbound and go about 0.3 miles to an open area with a campsite. Get off the trail to the right (south) through the campsite and down to Yellowstone Prong at the top of the falls. Cross the creek and pick up a faint path through the dense rhododendron and follow it down. There's a spot to view the middle of the waterfall.
Continue on this short but steep and overgrown path down to the base of Yellowstone Falls.
On my last visit in 2022, it looked like a landslide, probably from Tropical Storm Fred, took out the scramble path to the base. I was able to get down, but it was difficult and dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it. A tree had fallen over the base, so really wasn't worth it.
The waterfall is visible from East Fork Overlook at milepost 418.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the view is mostly obscured.
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