Directions to Humpback Rocks: http://www.summitpost.org/humpback-rocks/154703
Humpback Rocks is a very popular hike because of it’s proximity to Charlottesville, VA. Just a few miles south of Swift Run Gap, where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends and Shenandoah National Park begins, Humpback is the first major destination heading south on the BRP. There is an interpretive farm trail and visitor’s center right along the Parkway, and the a few hundred yards further down the road is the trailhead and parking area. Humpback is a challenging but not particularly fun hike – it’s short, but one of the steepest in the area; and there’s not much to look at until you reach the summit. But when you DO reach the summit…wow. The massive outcropping seems to drop off into oblivion. Venture out onto the largest of the many boulders, and It feels like you’re standing on top of the world…looks that way too, if you photograph in that position. The AT passes not far from the outcropping, but this shot was taken along the right fork of the trail that leaves from the parking area (a shorter but steeper side trail breaks off to the left about halfway there).
This is my favorite place to watch a sunset in VA, because the angle is perfect, your view is completely unobstructed, and with the return trip being all downhill, the trail seems a heck of a lot shorter. So you can take your time at the summit, watch the entirety of the sunset, and still make it back to the parking area before dusk turns to darkness.
Blazed 