NC Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Foliage Report #1
Sept 27-28, 2025
Graveyard Fields is one of the most popular early season fall foliage destinations along the Blue Ridge Parkway. At 5120 feet, the overlook is at mile 418.8 in western North Carolina. Take the trail shown here a for a 2.5 mile hike (round trip) to the Upper Falls — and headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong, a tributary of the Pigeon River. You can see the mist above the tributary in the mile high valley, pictured above.
Photos and words by Sean Rayford
With spectacular vistas towering above the clouds and most of the east coast of the United States, the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway was breathtaking on the final weekend of September — the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene. I had planned this same trip, this time last year — but the storm kinda got in the way.
I came the oldest mountains on the continent to test out new mobile communication technology (for storms) in the challenging conditions of western North Carolina — and to ‘report on leaves’ as we head into the first week of October. All photos made between the East Fork Overlook near Graveyard Fields and Balsam, where Route 74 lends access to the Parkway. The town of Sylva made for great short mid-day treks back to civilization.
Formed about a billion years ago during Paleozoic collisions on the super-continent of Rodina, with Mesoproterozoic geology, the Appalachian Mountains provides a spine for the southern end of Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. The oldest super-continent, Vaalbara, formed 3.5 billion years ago. The most recent, Pangaea, formed 300 million years ago.
I’ve driven nearly the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, multiple times — but the the southern end is something else. It’s powerful. I find a different tranquility at these elevations with this geology, fauna and weather.
The latter of which changes abruptly.
If you’d like to see this drive from the view of my passenger seat, I’ve published a video on YouTube, just for you: NC Blue Ridge Parkway Drive: Fall Foliage Update - 9.27.25 - Episode 2
East Fork Overlook
East Fork Overlook
Graveyard Fields
Courthouse Valley Overlook
Courthouse Valley Overlook
Black Balsam Knob
There are more than 100 species of Golden Rod, which bloom in September along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrod to make rubber for the Ford Model T — launching us into a fascination with road trips. At 469 miles with no stop signs, traffic lights or commercial vehicles, the Blue Ridge Parkway makes for the ultimate road trip.
Graveyard Fields
Graveyard Fields
East Fork Overlook
White Wood Aster features small elongated petals with yellow and reddish centers - which change color after pollination. The stems, and the centers can the white flowers appear slightly purple.
East Fork Overlook