Humpback Rocks, Blue Ridge Mts VA

• 4-star hikes
• 2 to 4 mile options
• Moderate | Gain 790 to 1,280 feet
• Blue Ridge Mountains | Virginia
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Hiker standing on top of a large, jagged outcropping of bare rock above the rolling green hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with a blue sky above.

Standing atop the jagged Humpback Rocks.

Humpback Rocks are a memorable destination for visitors to the Blue Ridge Mountains and is also close to Charlottesville and the popular Wintergreen Resort. A landmark visible from the Parkway, the hike to the top of this rocky outcrop begins on a wide gravel trail with a moderate gradient. This degree of incline continues all the way to the top, though half way up the terrain changes and you'll be stepping up an increasingly rocky trail.

Peakbaggers may like to continue south for a further mile to reach the summit of Humpback Mountain (3,606ft) where there are more great views, though not as dramatic as from the Rocks. This section of trail is also less steep than the initial route up Humpback Rocks Trail.
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4★ Humpback Rocks 1.8 mi out & back, moderate, gain 790 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

4★ Humpback Mountain 3.9 mi out & back, moderate, gain 1,280 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

There's also an option to turn this hike into loop by returning from Humpback Rocks along a section of the Appalachian Trail. From the Rocks, walk uphill in a southerly direction for 0.2 miles to the AT junction, then take the path coming from the east and follow switchbacks downward for around 2.5 miles until you find the connector path that will return you to the Humpback Gap trailhead and parking lot. This route is less steep than the Humpback Rocks Trail, but tackling the Rocks as a loop will add a couple of miles to your total distance. We've linked to an AllTrails map of this route at the bottom of the article.

Though the parking lot for this trail can accommodate many vehicles, this trailhead can fill quickly at weekends and holidays. Mountain Farm is located just a quarter of a mile away and has a trail that connects to the Humpback Gap parking lot.

In the summer and fall, Mountain Farm is also an attraction in its own right. Preserved as late nineteenth century farmhouse, NPS rangers and volunteers provide insights into the lives of a typical subsistence mountain family and how their home, farm and livestock provide can provide for them.

A rounded, craggy protrusion juts out from the treeline.

Humpback Rocks visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Photograph looking down on a hiker climbing uneven rocky steps.

Humpback Rocks Trail's rocky second half.

A panoramic viewpoint with the craggy Humpback Rocks in the foreground, with a notch in the middle separating them into two parts. Distant Blue Ridge Mountain views under a blue sky.

Panoramic views including Humpback Rocks.

Tangents:
• National Park Service: Humpback Rocks Trails
• Public Map at AllTrails: Humpback Rocks, Appalachian Trail Loop