View from the Jumpinoff Rock parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View: ♦ ♦ ♦ / 5
Trails: Jumpinoff Rock Trail
Picnic Tables: 2 (no grills)

The Jumpinoff Rock Parking Area is a popular stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can get a narrow view of the surrounding mountains from the parking lot (what you see in the above photo is pretty much it), but to get to the true vista you must hike a 1-mile round-trip trail that starts at the right side of the parking area. On a nice day you are likely to find many people out for a walk to the overlook at the end.

The Mountains to Sea Trail passes through here as well—in fact, it and the Jumpinoff Rock Trail are the same until the overlook—so the parking area also serves those looking to set out on a hike along this 1,150-mile trail that runs from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the North Carolina Outer Banks. For information, visit the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail website.

Jumpinoff Rock Trail

Jumpinoff Rock trailhead on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Length: 1 mile round trip
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy

The hike along the Jumpinoff Rock Trail is an easy out-and-back trek that follows the Mountains to Sea Trail until the two trails split right before reaching the viewing platform, the destination for those hiking the Jumpinoff Rock Trail. While the terrain is on a slight incline, this is one of the few trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway where I did not bring my hiking poles with me and had no regrets. It is also a smooth-surface trail, relatively free of rocks and roots, except near the very end, and even then it’s not too bad.

Typical terrain of the Jumpinoff Rock Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway

When the two trails split, stay straight to continue on the Jumpinoff Rock Trail. The Mountains to Sea Trail turns right and is marked by two white blazes on a tree.

At the stone viewing platform you have an unobstructed view of the mountains. I personally find unending, rolling carpets of green to be both a bore to photograph and to look at, but technically the view is splendid. If the leaves had been changing color, I would definitely be singing unfettered praises. For a so-called “leg stretcher,” this is one of the better ones on the Blue Ridge Parkway if for no other reason than there is a view at the end as advertised.

Observation deck at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Jumpinoff Rock Trail

View from the observation deck at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Jumpinoff Rock Trail

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