Graveyard Fields Overlook
Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina · 5,120 ft
The overlook drops into a treeless bowl of blueberry and briar with the Yellowstone Prong cutting through the middle and Graveyard Ridge closing the background. The ground cover turns deep red about two weeks before the maples in the valleys below, so the foreground carries the frame.
Typical peak
Oct 10 – Oct 18
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Best at sunset
Classic view faces NW (305°)
Crowds
extreme
Gridlocked at peak weekends. Go on a weekday, or be there an hour before light.
Getting there
Park in the paved Graveyard Fields Overlook lot at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 418.8; the rim view is at the lot edge and stone steps drop 0.4 mile to the Second Falls platform.
What turns here
- red maple
- mountain ash
- highbush blueberry
- yellow birch
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 14Typical color progression for Graveyard Fields Overlook. No change from Sep 6 to Sep 23. First color from Sep 23 to Oct 2. Approaching peak from Oct 2 to Oct 10. Peak from Oct 10 to Oct 18. Past peak from Oct 18 to Oct 28. Bare from Oct 28 to Nov 11.
Color starts around Sep 23.
Light at peak
Graveyard Fields Overlook on October 14, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:11 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 99° | 7:36 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 34 min of low, warm light | 8:11 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 1:17 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 34 min before sunset | 6:24 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 260° | 6:58 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:23 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 21m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sunrise: front-lit
Sun behind you. Flat, even light — accurate color, little drama. Good for wide valley scenes, weak for single trees.
Sunset: backlit
Sun behind the canopy — leaves glow translucent. The shot most people are after. Expect flare; a hood or a hand helps.
Based on the classic composition here facing NW (305°).
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.