Upper Falls Trail Map

Route map of the Upper Falls Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Upper Falls Trail Map

Route map of the Upper Falls Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Graveyard Fields Parking Area (West Trailhead) -- 5,130'

This is the view from the west end of the parking lot at Graveyard Fields. A marker at the bottom of the steps points in the direction of the Upper Falls Trail. Upper Falls itself is located high up the valley hidden by the ridge on the left...

Upper Falls/Graveyard Fields Loop Trail Junction -- 5,050'

The Upper Falls Trail begins here, where it splits west from the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail about 2/3-mile from the western trailhead at the Graveyard Fields Parking Lot...

Upper Falls/Graveyard Fields Loop Trail Junction -- 5,050'

The Upper Falls Trail as it departs the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,050'

This is a trail with two distinct personalities. The first half is mostly flat and easy going, with the upper half being far more rugged and steep...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,060'

The high ridge of the Great Balsams can be seen through bare branches during the long, high-elevation winter season

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,060'

Like the rest of the Graveyard Fields area, the Upper Falls Trail is in danger of being 'loved to death'. Hordes of people hike these trails every year, and those who don't stick to the main path are in large part responsible for the terrible erosion damage seen here...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,060'

Just to the north, Graveyard Ridge looms 500-feet above the valley...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,070'

A bit of rock underfoot for a change...this will become the rule rather than the exception the farther up the trail one gets...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,070'

Another confusing split, once again caused by hikers not sticking to the trail. The correct route goes right and crosses the muddy tributary seen in the next shot...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,070'

As you'll see in the next few photos, the lower portion of the Upper Falls Trail can get quite wet and muddy. Be prepared with appropriate footwear...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,080'

If there's a trail most in need of some rehabilitation in the Pisgah Ranger District, it's arguably this one...hopefully the USFS eventually takes an interest in building some boardwalks here before the damage gets much worse...

Yellowstone Prong -- 5,080'

The trail pulls right up alongside the beautiful Yellowstone Prong at about the halfway point...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,090'

This is probably the lengthiest stretch of muddy trail you'll encounter...I know it's nasty to do but PLEASE stick to the center route, your shoes will recover faster then the fragile environment here...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,100'

Into the forest for good now...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,120'

The point where the trail crosses this tiny unnamed tributary is where it also begins its more rugged upper half...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,130'

The trail will steadily be gaining elevation from this point on, so mud should no longer be a problem...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,140'

Looking up at nearby Graveyard Ridge as the trail leaves the open valley floor...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,150'

As you can see, the terrain quickly gets a lot steeper and more rocky...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,180'

As if the scattered boulders weren't enough, the trees are doing their best to trip you up as well by this point...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,200'

Some of the rougher areas have even been fixed up with natural stone steps...kudos goes out to whomever built/rehab'd this trail...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,230'

There's a high danger of turned ankles along this stretch, so watch your steps...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,240'

Looking back down the valley, hidden now by the thick forest...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,250'

Water and ice are also frequent hazards on this path so, again, watch your steps...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,270'

As the valley gets ever narrower, the trail becomes even more rugged...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,300'

It's hard to tell in this picture but the trail splits here, with Upper Falls now being heard just ahead. To get the best view of the falls take the steep path on the right...the lower left path leads down to the stream as well, but at a spot where it takes some tricky scrambling to get a decent view of the cascade...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,320'

The right hand path at the split is by far the steepest stretch of trail...you'll likely have to use your hands for balance scrambling up this steep slope...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,340'

The climbing is over and the falls are near upon reaching this giant stone tooth...it's awesome to think of the natural forces which took place to create such a thing...

Upper Falls Trail -- 5,320'

Beyond the stone tooth the trail begins to descend back towards the stream, which can now be seen ahead...

Upper Falls Trail @ Upper Falls -- 5,300'

One last tricky scramble down to the stream bed is required to see the falls...once you get out to the stones you see ahead you'll be able to enjoy what you'll see in the next few shots...

Upper Falls (Yellowstone Prong) -- 5,300'

Like its sibling (Second Falls) farther downstream, Upper Falls is an unforgivably uninspired name for such a beautiful cascade. Perhaps 50' in height, it needs decent flow to look its best but the multi-colored rocks are always fabulous...

Upper Falls (Yellowstone Prong) -- 5,300'

Like its sibling (Second Falls) farther downstream, Upper Falls is an unforgivably uninspired name for such a beautiful cascade. Perhaps 50' in height, it needs decent flow to look its best but the multi-colored rocks are always fabulous...

Upper Falls (Yellowstone Prong) -- 5,300'

Like its sibling (Second Falls) farther downstream, Upper Falls is an unforgivably uninspired name for such a beautiful cascade. Perhaps 50' in height, it needs decent flow to look its best but the multi-colored rocks are always fabulous...

Upper Falls (Yellowstone Prong) -- 5,300'

I won't explain how to get here for the good of both the environment and your safety, but this is the view from the brink of Upper Falls. The prior pictures were taken from the rocks you see far below. Graveyard Fields lay in the distant valley...

Pisgah National Forest Historic Entrance Gate

No relation to the Upper Falls Trail...just need to put this somewhere to use it for the site background photo...