View: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ / 5
Trails: Humpback Rocks Trail, Appalachian Trail, Dobie Mountain Trail, Jack Albright Trail
Picnic Tables: 1 (no grill)
Unlike the typical “scenic view” pullouts along the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can see the vista from the parking lot, to get a view of Humpback Gap from the Humpback Gap Overlook you must hike a strenuous and technically difficult trail to what are known as the Humpback Rocks, a 2-mile round trip hike. There are many other hikes that start from here as well, including one on the Appalachian Trail. Read about these hikes on the Humpback Rocks Hiking Trails web page.
Being near the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, this is a very busy area. The hike to Humpback Rocks is one of the best in the park, but on a busy day it is packed with hikers, most unprepared for the difficult terrain standing between the parking area and the views farther up the mountain. On a sunny day during the summer or fall, or on a weekend year-round, the parking area will fill up by mid-morning. I started my hike around 8:30 AM and had no problem finding a spot, but when I finished three hours later the parking lot was full, and cars were parking on the shoulder of the Parkway. I was there another day during the fall when the area was completely fogged in—which means no views whatsoever of Humpback Gap—and the place was still packed. The Humpback Rocks Visitor Center and the Mountain Farm Outdoor Museum are a quarter mile up the road, and you can park and walk from there if you don’t want to park on the road.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on November 19, 2023