The Humpback Rocks Trail is quite a popular hiking spot for people, and I decided to go early on a Thursday which was a smart move as the parking lot will overflow at some point, so either get there super early or go on a non-holiday or weekday, by the time I came back to the car there was still room to park.
You can take the loop clockwise and hike the easy part first or you can go counter-clockwise and get the more difficult section out of the way.
The first mile to the Humpback Rocks is a strenuous uphill and I prefer to hike it up rather than hiking it downward. The picture is just one section and there are definitely quite more points that feel like you are rock climbing.
This will take 40 minutes for someone who is active on a regular basis and if you are like me, you appreciate the workout this provided and you also break out in a bit of a sweat of course.
Once you get to the summit you get a stunning panoramic view of the surrounding Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Once you are taking it all in, you head out onto the Humpback Rocks Trail Loop which is another nice trail to get in some quiet and alone hiking which I like. Came across a few people who did the trail clockwise and towards the end it wasn’t nice and even but more like a rocky path.
Just before I came across the doe I saw a small snake hanging out on the rocks catching some sun.
That is definitely something to be mindful of when you’re hiking and always watching where you are stepping because you just don’t know what animal you come across at any point.
All in all this hike was about 4.2 miles long and I can tell you, even though I hike a few times a month, I felt the result from the uphill climb.
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