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- Peaks of
Otter
- Milepost 84 -
87
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- Liberty House Inn, 602
Mountain Avenue Bedford, VA
24523
- (540) 587 0966 --
LibertyHouseInn@aol.com
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Peaks
of Otter wilderness area is only nine miles from
Liberty
House Inn Bed and
Breakfast,
Bedford, Virginia. The Peaks of Otter is formed by three
mountains positioned in a triangular pattern - Sharp Top
Mountain (3,875 feet), Flat Top Mountain (4,001 feet),
and Harkening Hill (3,372 feet). A beautiful mountain
lake rests at the triangle's center. The Blue Ridge
Parkway passes through mountain passes and intersects
with Virginia highway 43 at mile marker 85.9. The
Appalachian Trail passes only a few miles to the North
and can be easily accessed via the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Peaks of Otter wilderness area is truly one of the
Blue Ridge Mountain's best-kept secrets.
Peaks
of Otter Maps.
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View of Abbot Lake from the
Top of Sharp Top
Mountain,
Peaks of Otter,
Virginia
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The
Peaks of Otter mountains are covered almost entirely with
old growth hard wood forest except for a few mountain
meadows, which abound with wild flowers and migrating
butterflies. The Peaks of Otter area is protected and
maintained by the National Park Service and Blue Ridge
Parkway Foundation. All trails are kept in excellent
condition, and Abbott Lake well stocked with small mouth
bass and bluegill. Fishing is permitted and a special
short term Virginia state fishing license can be
purchased at the lake. Excellent camping and RV
facilities are available at the base of Sharp Top
Mountain. The Blue Ridge Park Service has created some of
the best and certainly most beautiful picnicking areas
close to Abbott Lake. A babbling mountain stream winds
its way through the entire area delighting children and
adults alike with its cold, crystal clear
water.
Wildlife
abounds throughout the Peaks of Otter area with the white
tailed deer leading the list. It is not unusual to see
groups of twelve or more deer grazing close by the Blue
Ridge Parkway in the early morning or evening. Bird
watchers are never disappointed with many rare species
residing or migrating along the Blue Ridge mountain
range. Even an occasional loon can be seen on Abbott Lake
and its haunting cry heard late into the Virginia
night.
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Aunt Polly's
Ordinary
Close to the Shore of Abbot
Lake
Peaks of
Otter,
Virginia
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A
mountain farmstead, Johnson's Farm, has been completely
preserved and exists today as it did in the mid 1800s.
Free guided tours are available in summer months. A log
cabin, Aunt Polly's Ordinary, has also been restored to
it's original condition and is located near the
northeastern shore of Abbott Lake.
A
Peaks of Otter camp store provides campers and hikers
with necessary provisions, and a truly fine restaurant on
the shore of Abbott Lake is famous throughout
southwestern Virginia for its outstanding country
cuisine. The restaurant is also a favorite and welcome
diversion for through hikers along the Appalachian Trail.
The Peaks of Otter restaurant main dining room offers a
striking panoramic view of the lake with Sharp Top
Mountain in the background.
The
following trail descriptions were taken from National
Park Service material available free of charge. You can
receive your own copy of this handout along with a map of
the area at the Peaks of Otter Visitors Center located
along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have added some
additional comments, which appear in
red
lettering. The
Peaks of Otter trail system truly offers everyone an
opportunity to enjoy the Virginia Blue Ridge at its very
best. Trail difficulty and length vary over a wide
range -- providing challenge to the experienced and
unparalleled opportunity for the beginner or physically
challenged.
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US Army Air
Force
B25D
Crashed on Sharp Top in
1943
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NOTE:
In 1943 a World War II B25 bomber crashed at the Peaks of
Otter on the side of Sharp Top Mountain. Most of
the wreckage remains where it came to rest over 57 years
ago. I have done extensive research on this incident and
have created a web site dedicated to the crew of this
unfortunate flight. For those of you who are interested
please go to www.wp21.com/b25crash.
You will also find many pictures of Sharp Top Mountain,
Blue Ridge Parkway and the area known as the Peaks of
Otter (Don Yeargin - Webmaster).
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Discover
Historic Bedford
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Tour
the New National D-day Memorial, or visit
Jefferson's Summer Home "Popular Forest" Enjoy
the beautiful Peaks of Otter wilderness
recreational area and take a leisurely drive
down the historic Blue Ridge
Parkway.
Hike
the famous Appalachian Trail,
or
Float
down Virginia's first highway -- the James
River. Visit the Booker T. Washington museum or
Holy Land religious theme park. Walk across
endless green acres of Civil War history or
visit the place where it all ended
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National
Park Service Trail Descriptions
Appalachian
Trail, can be easily accessed from the Blue
Ridge Parkway at mile marker 80.5. This is approximately
5.4 miles north of the Peaks of Otter area. A fire
service road intersects the Parkway at that point.
Proceed north up the fire road for several hundred feet
until you come to a spur trail to the right. Follow that
trail for about 0.1 mile and you will come to Appalachian
Trail shelter at Cornellus Creek. The Appalachian Trail
is only a few yards to the north.
Sharp
Top Mountain,1.6 miles to the summit, is the most
popular trail at the Peaks of Otter and originates at the
camp store across the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Visitor
Center. This is a steep and strenuous trail and should be
attempted only by those in good health. Drinking water
should be carried, as none is available at the mountain
top. The mountain summit offers an impressive 360-degree
view of the Peaks of Otter area, the Piedmont to the
east, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Shenandoah Valley
with the Allegheny Mountains to the west. Allow two hours
for hiking up and one hour for hiking down. Add an extra
half-hour for the spur trail to Buzzard's Roost, a
series of large rock formations offering different views
of the Blue Ridge and Peaks of Otter areas.
Concession-operated bus service (one-way and round trip)
to the top of the mountain is available seasonally.
Hiking along the bus road is prohibited.
Elk
Run Loop is 0.8 mile and begins behind the Peaks of
Otter Visitor Center located on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It is one of the least strenuous of the local trails and
is self-guiding with written displays describing the
forest community. For a leisurely walk, allow one
hour.
Harkening
Hill Loop Trail is 3.3 miles long.
Beginning
elevation is 2,550 feet with the summit at 3,372 feet.
It begins behind the
Peaks of Otter Visitor Center,
Blue
Ridge Parkway mile marker
85.9, across from the
amphitheater. This woodland mountain trail is steep and
strenuous in places and climbs to a ridge where several
long distance views are possible, including a panorama of
the Johnson Farm buildings, which can be reached from the
trail. Allow
2-3 hours for this loop. This trail is my favorite for
viewing wildlife, especially deer. Turkey, grouse, and
numerous varieties of gray and ground squirrels live
along the mountain trail. Several sections run through
abandoned fields, mountain meadows, and old apple
orchards with some of the ancient apple trees still
bearing fruit. A spur
near the summit leads to Balance Rock, an immense
boulder balanced on a small rock.
Johnson
Farm Trail is a loop, approximately two miles long,
which follows a section of the Harkening Hill Loop Trail.
Beginning at the north end of the Peaks of Otter Visitor
Center parking area the trail takes you 1.1 miles to the
Johnson Farm, which was started in 1852. Living history
demonstrations are presented on a seasonal basis. Allow
two to three hours for a leisurely visit.
Flat
Top Mountain was designated with Fallingwater
Cascades as a continuous National Recreation Trail in
April 1982. Flat Top Mountain rises to an elevation of
4,004 feet with many scattered rock outcrops. The
Pinnacle and Cross Rock are names given to such
formations. On this trail, hikers can experience the
changing forest ecology as they climb or descend 1,600
feet from the Blue Ridge Parkway trailheads.
Most
people hike this trail by beginning at the Blue Ridge
Parkway trailhead at mile marker 83.5, beginning
elevation of 2,500 feet, and proceed south across the
mountain trail to the picnicking area below Abbott Lake
dam. It is a 4.4 mile trek, steep and strenuous in
places, and at least 3-4 hours should be planned. A loop
can be made back to the Blue Ridge Parkway trailhead (and
your car) by hiking up the Parkway, another 3.0 miles. I
would recommend this trail only to those in good health
and physical condition. It is one of the lesser-traveled
Peaks of Otter trails, however well worth the
effort.
Fallingwater
Cascades Mountain Trail, the other segment of the
National Recreation Trail (see Flat Top Trail), is a loop
trail which takes hikers along cascades on Fallingwater
Creek with its huge rock outcrops clothed in rhododendron
and large hemlocks. This trail drops 260 feet below the
Fallingwater Parking Area, on the Blue Ridge Parkway;
hikers should be prepared to climb that elevation on
their return. Experiencing this mountain cascade is well
worth the effort.
The
loop trail is 1.5 mile in length and can be walked in
approximately 1 hour. The trail runs parallel to the
cascades for quite a distance and is often used for
picnicking (no facilities are provided).
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Abbot Lake Trail
December,
1999
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Abbott
Lake Trail, the least difficult of these trails, is a
one-mile loop around Abbott Lake. The trail takes hikers
through a woodland forest and open field, offering a
close-up view of this picturesque lake.
This
is basically a "flat" trail with only a few very minor
hills. Some really great fishing spots exist only a few
feet from the trail on the southern side of Abbott
Lake.
Telephone
Numbers for Peaks of Otter:
Visitor
Center & Ranger Station -- 540 586
4357
Camp
Store -------------------------------- 540 586
1614
Service
Station --------------------------- 540 586
1233
