Humpback Rocks Recreation Area is a 1.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Lyndhurst, Virginia that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from April until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Blue Ridge Parkway was closed. Parked on Howardsville Turnpike and walked about 1.2 miles on the Parkway to the trail. Great hike, though it snowed the day before and it was quite icy on the upper trail. The last half mile was pretty slick , especially on the way down. Wish we had brought the hiking sticks. Views at the top are spectacular. Will do this again in the spring or summer. 5.7 miles including the walk along the Parkway.
Went with our 3 kids. Very icy in spots, and crowded. Counted 61 people we passed on the way up (yea, I counted, I’m weird). We took the long route along the AT back, which was really great. We’ll always go that way in future hikes. Total distance was 4.4 miles. Fun hike and a great view at the top.
Great hike. Steep and q little muddy, but not bad. Not too crowded on a winter weekday.
The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed so the hike began a couple miles before the designated parking area. After walking along the closed Parkway, which in itself was cool, the hike to “the rocks” was indeed very steep and icy in spots but so worth it.
First, there is a part of the Blue Ridge Parkway that is closed off and it is the section that leads to the trailhead. We ending up going on a roundabout gravel road path to get to an area that was open and found cars parked near a closer closed off area. It was about 1.5 mile walk to the trailhead and then we started the ascent. It was fine until the stairs. After the stairs, there are some icy patches. We were able to off road a bit and find ways around it, but be careful of random ice patches and loose rocks. Once you get to the top, it is absolutely BREATHTAKING. We did it around 2 pm on a Friday afternoon, so there really wasn’t anyone there which was nice.
Sections of ice, but still manageable. Definitely windy and chilly. Only a handful of people late morning on a Wednesday.
Trail was nice and linear. The elevation gain isn’t exactly beginner level. Lots of people huffing and puffing. The view at the top is 9/10 and if you’re into gawking at folks in yoga clothes trying to get the best shot for Instagram the view is 10/10. The summit was very crowded, but it was prime weather on a Saturday morning. Lots of dogs on the trail being adorable as well.