Hike through a graveyard that has no graves

Don’t be fooled by the somber name. Graveyard Fields, the location for one of Asheville’s favorite hikes off the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a prime spot for hiking, waterfalls, fall color and summer blueberries. How the area got its name depends on whom you ask. One theory explains a time when an incredible windstorm blew down hundreds of the spruce and fir trees that originally grew there, leaving upturned roots that resembled gravestones in a graveyard. The other is a tale of extensive logging, leaving stumps of cut trees to become overgrown with moss, resembling an overgrown graveyard. However it happened, a catastrophic fire later consumed the area, destroying the “graveyard” and sterilizing the soil. To this day, plant life struggles as it slowly heals from the fire. Don’t let that deter you from the excellent trails nearby. You can travel to see two major waterfalls, walk over Graveyard Ridge and get a taste of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for adventurous day or overnight hikes.