News Release

Fatality at Glassmine Falls Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Date: September 23, 2023
Contact: BLRI Public Affairs

(Buncombe County, NC) – On the afternoon of Saturday, September 23, 2023, at approximately 12:15 p.m., National Park Service (NPS) dispatch operators received a report of a female who had fallen down a steep cliff at Glassmine Falls Overlook at milepost 361 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.    

NPS Law Enforcement Rangers arrived on scene and confirmed the female, Nancy Sampson, 61 years old, of Greer, South Carolina, had succumbed to injuries from her fall.  

Rescuers were able to locate Sampson approximately 150 feet below the overlook.  Her body was recovered by first responders from Reems Creek Fire Department, with assistance from Mt. Mitchell State Park Rangers and a Trauma Intervention Program of Western North Carolina volunteer.  

No additional details are available at this time.