Graveyard Fields

Found this in the gift shop at Mt. Pisgah Lodge. It fits, so I took a picture.

My RVing friend Claudia was traveling in the area, so she stopped by for two nights to go hiking with me! Thistle was happy to see Howdy again. He never knows when or where members of his "pack" will show up.

We took the car about 10 miles south on the parkway to a popular hiking place called Graveyard Fields, so named by the remains of fallen trees years ago. But the trail is mostly about waterfalls.

You start out by descending several stairs and pass through this tunnel of rhododendrons.

Then more stairs that lead to Lower Falls of a stream named Yellowstone Prong.

For generations these waters have turned mill wheels to grind corn for mountain residents.

Yellowstone Prong is also home to the Appalachian's only native brook trout, known locally as speckled trout. Thistle was looking for them.

Native azaleas are blooming along the trail.

Azaleas

More stairs lead down to the base of lower falls, a popular swimming hole in the summer months.

You can see the falls through the trees.

Lower Falls. There's a deep pool at the base beyond the rocks, but I couldn't get it in the picture without scrambling over the rocks.

Next we climbed back up all those stairs and took the trail through Graveyard Fields to the Upper Falls, near the headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong.

Through the area know as Graveyard Fields.

Across some boardwalks.

Along some bedrock...

Through lots of wet and muddy places where spring runoff is occurring.

Over some rooty areas.

God's bouquet of trillium.

There were a few creek crossings.

Rock-hopping

Forget-me-nots and ferns.

More mud.

The trail was eroded in several spots.

I'm guessing the shallow roots are due to the bedrock beneath.

Pretty ground cover.

At last we could see the falls through the trees.

We cannot see the top of the falls from here. 

The water falls farther up and cascades a long way over these rocks.

We stopped to rest and eat a snack before attempting to go higher to see the top.

And we must have really wanted to do that! Howdy went under the log, but Claudia is making her come back and go over it with her.

This is the best view we got near the top of the Upper Falls. 

Trees were in the way of a better view, and we both declined to go higher.

On the descent.

Thistle had to sample all the water.

We finished the Graveyard Fields Loop trail back to the parking lot.

More rhododendrons and more wet spots.

Trillium dotting the forest floor.

More information about the history of Graveyard Fields.

The hike was about five and a half miles with lots of variety to make it interesting. I enjoyed having Claudia and Howdy as hiking companions.