The Lump Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View: ♦ ♦ ♦ / 5
Trails: The Lump Trail
Picnic Tables: 1 (no grill)

As with the view at Jumpinoff Rock just a few miles to the north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the view at The Lump Overlook is wide and largely unobstructed by trees, yet it is quite mundane, being nothing more than rolling mountains covered in trees. Unless it is fall when the leaves are changing color, there’s no reason to stop here for a view.

Panoramic view from The Lump Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway (click to enlarge)

There is an interesting wayside exhibit in the parking lot about Tom Dula. Dula became an infamous character when in 1868 he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend. The case, for whatever reason, struck a cord with the public and it became a national sensation. Dula was found guilty and was sentenced to hang. While waiting in jail for his date with death, he “supposedly” wrote the popular folk tune, “Tom Dooley,” though in truth the song was written after his death by Thomas Land. It was made popular in modern times by the Kingston Trio, which recorded the song in 1958. The wayside exhibit is at this pullout because the murder occurred in Wilkes County, which is where the stop is located.

Tom Dula wayside exhibit at The Lump Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Behind the Tom Dula sign is the trailhead for The Lump Trail, a .3-mile trail (round trip) to the top of a hill—which may be The Lump for all I know—where you can get a better view of the surrounding area. The top is supposedly a great place to watch the sun rise.

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