Parking
Use the large Waterrock Knob parking area at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 451.2. Walk to the lower end of the lot, cross the Parkway carefully, and look to the right of the wooden guardrail for the faint trailhead.
Overview
About Yellow Face Trail
Why go
- Real summit adventure in a compact out-and-back
- Best views arrive before the brushy summit
Heads up
- Unmarked crossing and faint trail across the Parkway
- Rocky, steep, sometimes overgrown tread
Yellow Face is a 1.7-mile out-and-back from the Waterrock Knob parking area. The route crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway, then follows a faint, unofficial path through high-elevation balsam forest to the 6,034-foot Yellow Face summit. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. It is short but steep, rocky, rooty, and occasionally overgrown, so it suits hikers who are comfortable with rough navigation.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation5,720–6,037 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Yellow Face Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Waterrock Knob and the Plane Wreck TrailListen
“You're coming up to the Waterrock Knob area, a major stop with some of the best high-elevation views on the Parkway.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Yellow Face Overlook: A View Without the Hike
- Woolyback Overlook's Quiet Panorama
- Scott Creek Overlook's Quiet, Layered Views
- Wesner Bald's Unfussy Vista
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Trail guide
Hiking Yellow Face Trail
Follow the faint lineWalk to the lower end of the parking area, cross the Parkway carefully, and look to the right…
Walk to the lower end of the parking area, cross the Parkway carefully, and look to the right of the wooden guardrail for the trail. Stay on the main tread over a low false summit, ignoring side paths, until you reach Yellow Face. The best view is about three-quarters of a mile in; the summit itself may not have much of a view. This is an out-and-back, so return the same way.
The effort and payoffThe route gains roughly 480 feet and runs across exposed roots, rocks, and brush.
The route gains roughly 480 feet and runs across exposed roots, rocks, and brush. The high country around Waterrock Knob feels cooler than the valleys, and weather can change quickly. The parking area and overlook offer broad mountain views before or after the hike. For a photo, include the winding ridge and a little of the rough trail from the open viewpoint rather than framing only the brush at the summit.
Make the start workPark at the large Waterrock Knob lot at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 451.2.
Park at the large Waterrock Knob lot at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 451.2. The visitor center is seasonal, with restrooms and picnic facilities at the site, so do not assume services are open when you arrive. Use extra care at the Parkway crossing, and carry a map or GPS. The trail is unofficial and unmaintained.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
