Humpback Rocks

Humpback Rocks was an all around nice hike. To get there you have to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway and pass some amazing overlooks. Although it was a very cloudy and foggy day, I couldn't help but to stop and look at some of them.

The entire mile long hike is very steep. The first half of a mile features a wide gravel road to walk along. Pace yourself and break as often as you need to. Only about a tenth of a mile into the hike my friends and I ran across an older couple coming down the mountain. The lady warned us that she saw a a little cub up the trail along the right. She said we should be fine and instructed us to make a lot of noise in case we came in contact with the bear. Thankfully we saw no bear. Probably because the only food we had on us were fiber granola bars, and I don't even know too many humans who enjoy fiber bars so the bear probably was uninterested in us. So for safety reasons, I recommend carrying pepper spray and fiber. In half a mile from the start of the trailhead you reach an intersection. Keep straight walking along the trail marked with blue blazed trees. If you are going the right way you should pass a series of wooden stairs as well as some rock stairs. (Even in nature you can't escape stairs, I recommend taking them two at a time for half the work.) It gets pretty steep towards the end where you are literally climbing up rocks along the trail. When you reach the top bear to the right of the rocks and enter from that side. Most people take pictures from the right set of rocks. The left side looks just as cool, but also more dangerous to climb and not as easy to walk along. Once you are there, enjoy taking multiple pictures. At the top there were only two other groups of people but there is plenty of room for everyone to spread out and check out the incredible view. I can only imagine what this looks like on a clear day. The views are about 270 degrees all the way around.

I would love to do this hike at sunset. I have seen multiple pictures of people that have done this as a sunset hike and they are incredible. I would recommend this to anyone looking for either a sunset hike or an easy day hike that is short with amazing views. On the way back down the hike it did start to rain but we didn't even notice because the trees provided nice coverage.

We tried to take a picture of us with humpbacks on Humpback Rock. Considering I look like a Ninja Turtle I would add this picture to my many reality fails. 

Directions: (As much as I hate to admit it I did get lost trying to find this one.)

Humpback Gap Overlook, Afton, VA 22920

Don't turn into the picnic area at Milepost 8 keep going down to Milepost 5. There will be no sign just a  a road that veers off on your right