Humpback Rocks is a very popular hike due to its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and
I-64 near Afton Mountain. Most people do it as a 1.0 mile up and back. We decided to add a few miles for the return trip by following the Appalachian Trail North and a couple of un-named blue-blazed trails.
The 1.0 miles to the Rocks is very tough, gaining about 800'. The views at the Rocks are great looking west onto the Shenandoah Valley and north to Shenandoah National Park.
We parked at the Humpback Rocks parking area (MP6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway). The blue-blazed trail begins to the right of the kiosk . The trail wastes no time ascending with park benches scattered every so often if you need to take a break. Don't be fooled by the 1.0 mile to the top, if you are not used to hiking you will find muscles sore that you forgot you had!!
There will be an intersection on your left in 0.5 miles, ignore it and stay straight on the blue blazed trail. For the next 0.4 miles the trail is very rocky but there are both wooden steps and rock steps for some of the more difficult parts. If it has rained be prepared that the trail can be a little muddy and in some places becomes a temporary stream. At the next intersection bear left on the spur trail to the Rocks and some incredible views. There are multiple places to take photos, just be careful especially if wet. We were a little disappointed in the amount of graffiti at the Rocks but try to ignore it and concentrate on the views.
Return to the intersection with the 'Rocks' sign, ignore references to the A.T. as those are old signs when it ran close to the Rocks before it was re-routed years ago. At the 'Rocks' intersection, go straight on the blue blazed trail towards Humpback Picnic Area and reach the A.T. in less than 0.10 miles.
Turn left onto the white-blazed A.T. North (*for additional views see A.T. South Out and Back directions below). This begins a 2.7 mile gradual descent for most of the trail back to the Parking area. We saw lots of wildlife: eastern newt, deer and tons of chipmunks - they are too fast to get a decent photo. The mountain laurel and rhododendrons were blooming all over this section of the trail. Returning this way made for a very pleasant stroll and we ran in to only a couple of hikers. The next intersection is in 2.7 miles. Bear to the left, onto a blue-blazed trail to return to the Humpback Rocks Parking area.
*A.T. South Out and Back for Additional Views
If you prefer seeing more great views without the crowds take the A.T. South instead of North at the Intersection mentioned in the previous paragraph. If you take in all 3 additional views in this out and back you will add about 4 miles to your trip. In 0.4 miles from the intersection you will come to an unmarked spur trail to take you out to the first view. These rocks are very similar to Humpback Rocks but not as massive. You will see these rocks on your left as you are on the trail and at the top of the hill you will come to the spur trail. Continue south on the A.T. for 0.7 miles to reach the second view on your left looking out to Rockfish Valley on the east and Shenandoah Valley on the west. The last view will be 0.9 miles beyond the second view. About 30 yards before the last view you will pass a great campsite with room for about 6 tents. We actually did this as a short overnight backpack and spent the night at this campsite taking in one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen in Virginia. You will have an almost 180 degree view of Rockfish Valley, Wintergreen Resort, and finally the Shenandoah Valley. This is your turn around point. Note: If you do camp here, bring plenty of water as there are no water sources on this section of the A.T.
Interactive Hike Map BelowPrintable
Topo Hike Map (PDF) Hike route in Drag the map with your mouse using the icon Zoom with the controls on the left Click the icons in the map below for location shots
Calculate roughly how many calories you could burn on the Humpback Rocks hike:
=
Hiker
Reviews For The Humpback Rocks Hike (5 Most Recent)
We hiked up to the rocks here, and then hiked to the Glass Hollow Overlook on Dobie Mountain - a great combination since this hike is pretty strenuous, and the hike to Glass Hollow Overlook is pretty easy. The rocks were crowded, so it was also nice that we were alone on the Dobie trail. We will definitely be doing this combo again.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, December 17, 2011
We parked at the Humpback Rocks parking area arriving at 9:20 AM. Not a single car in the parking lot was a good sign being we hiked this trail on a Saturday. The hike up was challenging a little with snow lightly covering the ground. We did read that the road will be closing for winter months going to the trail but was open when we went even with snow on the ground. The view at the top was awesome but the graffiti was all over the rocks. Also a few trees were down fallen over the path so you will need to hike around them. The Hike down from the rocks was a long hike downhill with no real views vistas or wildlife. We did run into a deer that stood still long enough to get a few good pictures. When we arrived back to the trail 2 hours later there was about 4 more cars in the lot.
By:
Jami and Nick
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 26, 2011
We really enjoyed this hike. We went the full loop. The hike up to the top was strenuous but the view was worth it. There were a lot of people there doing the hike up to the top and back but the AT was pretty secluded.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 30, 2011
My wife (58) and I (60) and daughter (26) drove from Richmond today to take a short hike and take in some fall color. We got to Afton Mt. and the Parkway was closed because of a recent 4 or so inches of snow. We took a side road toward Humpback Mt and parked at a gate about 2+ miles from the Visitor Center and Humpback Rock parking lot. The ground was covered with several inches of snow and ice, but after seeing a picture of one of the views from the Rocks, we decided to make the climb. Slipping and sliding we got to the rocks in about 90 minutes (with the help of some make-shift climbing sticks). The first third was relatively easy (except for the snow), the last third was very rocky and steep, and the snow made it treacherous. Thank God, no falls or accidents of any kind. WOW! It was definitely worth the climb. What a view in every direction?! We spent about 45 minutes taking pictures, talking and soaking in God's beautiful creation. We descended without incident in a pretty good clip (40 minutes) back to the Rocks parking lot. This was a great hike, and we really didn't even know where we were going there. It just happened. We plan to go again and make the climb with more of our family WITHOUT the snow. We recommend this climb for anybody who is in pretty good shape, sure footed, got a stick, AND want some unforgettable views!!! All total we hiked nearly 6 miles from where we parked. It was great!
By:
Rob H
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 11, 2011
This was our first family hike in 2011. We departed our Richmond area home early June 11th in order to avoid not only the heat, but also the crowds.
After a quick stop at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center (Mile Post (MP) 5.9 of the Blue Ridge Parkway) to use the rest room facilities and put on hiking boots, we headed over to the Humpback Gap parking lot at MP 6. The trail up to Humpback Rocks is located at the south side of parking lot. (There are other trails you can access from the north and east facing sides of parking lot.)
The trail up to Humpback Rocks is only about a mile long, but it's quite steep and will certainly challenge the average hiker.
The trail was easy to follow and there is a nice section of wooden steps along the way.
Once we reached the rocks we had some great views of the valley below as well as the Shenandoah National Park to the north. We spent about a half hour taking in the views and rock hopping.
As we descended back down the way we came up, we noticed quite a few more people on the trail coming up. We arrived back at the parking lot at about 10:00 am and noticed that it was just about full of cars. We then headed back to the Visitors Center to change shirts and socks. Even though it was relatively early in the day, we were all drenched in sweat.
Overall, this was a nice short hike. Even though the hike is short, it's a good workout due to the elevation gain. In two weeks my two kids and I will be in New Hampshire hiking the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail up Mt. Washington. This was a good hike for them to find out what hiking 1 mile uphill feels like. When I asked my daughter how far she thought we hiked, she guessed that it must have been 10 miles!
icon 
Share Hike:
