Humpback Rocks Visitor Center
If you begin your tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway at its start in Virginia, then the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center is your first opportunity to get information. It is typically open daily from May through October, 10 AM to 5 PM. However, be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the Parkway.
As with most of the smaller visitor centers, the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center serves mainly as a gift store and is not staffed with an official park Ranger, but the concessionaire manning the check-out counter can answer most of your questions about the Blue Ridge Parkway, so don’t hesitate to ask. However, most vital to your tour of the Parkway is the Blue Ridge Parkway Outdoor Guide, a free publication that you can get at all of the visitor centers, large or small. Inside you will find information on park policies, Ranger programs, trails, biking, fishing, and other activities and points of interest.
Information desk / check out counter at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Regardless of size, most visitor centers have a small museum inside that focuses on one aspect of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just outside the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center is the Mountain Farm Outdoor Museum, so it is fitting that the indoor exhibits tell about life in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Information panels, actual artifacts, and oral history audio recordings by people who once lived in the area educate visitors on home life, work, schools, entertainment, and self sufficiency. It takes about 15 minutes to read all of the information.
Exhibits at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Exhibits at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
When you exit the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center, the Mountain Farm Outdoor Museum is to your right. A visit takes about 20-30 minutes. The Humpback Rocks hiking trails are located just down the road at the Humpback Gap Overlook. While there is parking at the trails, you can walk there from the Visitor Center (about a half mile round trip), and on busy days you may have to because the parking lot often fills up by mid-morning.
Next Stop South | Next Stop North | Humpback Rocks Recreation Area | Visitor Centers
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Last updated on November 20, 2023
