Also, if you are afraid of heights or these make you uncomfortable, you might want to pass this one by. The Peaks and Sharp Top Are Easy to Find. The actual visitors center is rather small, and lacks the kinds of displays and/or films that other visitor centers frequently have. If it isn’t too crowded, you can climb up on one of the boulders for a must-needed rest. Several large boulders and a platform built into the rocks provide a 360 degree view of the Blue Ridge. Ask Nikzleez about Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, Ask 802jenniferp about Peaks of Otter Visitor Center. It is a large park featuring a nice lake with a mountain lodge, large camping and picnic areas, visitor's center and trails to hike. It was a painfully strenuous 1.5 mile hike up dirt paths, rock scrambles and steps. Flat Top Trail. We drove from Bedford on a spring Sunday morning for brunch at the lodge and to walk around the grounds at the visitor center to take pictures. But it's pleasant enough for a break in the drive. Campground almost completely empty. Sharp Top Trail A strenuous 1.5-mile hike to the summit of Sharp Top that rewards hikers with a spectacular 360-degree view of the Peaks of Otter area. Mild hike - but there are a lot of steps. The mountains of Peaks of Otter all have trails ranging from less than a mile to more than four miles, and there is nearby access to the Appalachian Trail. There are many photo opportunities on your drive to Sharp Top, so be sure to have your camera ready. If you have drinks and snacks you can have a picnic and enjoy the stunning views – Flat Top and Abbott Lake to the north, the farmlands of Bedford, VA to the southeast, and the Shenandoah Valley to the west. Gorgeous views of the Peaks of Otter and great hike to the top. Sharp Top, at an elevation of 3875 feet, is one of three mountain peaks towering over this region. When you reach the fork that leads to Buzzards Roost, you are 1900 feet from the top of Sharp Top. There are many on the hike and at the top. The top was astounding and well worth it. This image is available in both a square format (8 by 8, 12 by 12, 16 by 16) as Astronomy It took me 2 hours (posting states 1.5 hours) and hiking boots and poles were helpful. The well-established trail leads along a pretty trail with some decent views along the way. Behind the Peaks of Otter Lodge is Abbott Lake, named for Stanley William Abbott, the Parkway’s first resident landscape architect and planner. Thousands of people continue to make this hike every year. At Mile Post 86 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, you'll find the scenic Peaks of Otter: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. There is a lot to do here, especially for hikers; there are six trails of varying degrees of difficulty. A one-way ticket (up the mountain) is $10 for adults and $6 for children. Also, bring bug spray. Peaks of Otter is formed by three mountains with Abbott Lake in the center valley - Sharp Top Mountain (3,875 feet), Flat Top Mountain (4,001 feet), and Harkening Hill (3,372 feet). Review of Campground only. Sharp Top Trail, Peaks of Otter Recreation Area, Jefferson National Forest, July 2019 Viewed from the valley below, Sharp Top (3,862’) in central Virginia is an imposing peak, once thought by 19 th century Virginians to be the highest point in the state. Sharp Top Trail, Peaks of Otter Recreation Area, Jefferson National Forest, July 2019 Viewed from the valley below, Sharp Top (3,862’) in central Virginia is an imposing peak, once thought by 19 th century Virginians to be the highest point in the state. Finally, Scottish settlers may have named the Peaks after Ben Otter, a mountain in their homeland that resembles Sharp Top. Across the road from the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center is Route 43, a turn off of the Blue Ridge Parkway that leads to the Sharp Top Store, the Peaks of Otter Campground, and the Peaks of Otter Picnic Area.To get to the Store, take the first right after exiting the Parkway. We never made it to the visitor center as we really came for the view at the top of Sharp Top Mountain, but there is no page to review the hike/ride to Sharp Top. I spent a couple more years in the region in 2009-2011 and did some more hiking at Peaks of Otter, but I never found the time and stamina to tackle Sharp Top. It turns out that it isn’t but it’s still easily the tallest in the immediate area, and the highest point in what’s called the Peaks of Otter. Sharp Top Mountain used to be considered the highest point in Virginia. Sharp Top Hike: We parked and began the hike at the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center and crossed the BRP staying on the sidewalk for about 200 yards and then took a right across Route 43 heading to the Sharp Top parking area (you could also park here). The Peaks of Otter and Sharp Top aren’t hard to find – just follow these directions. Sharp Top via Sharp Top Trail *One of our Top Ten Hikes in the Southern Appalachians! In the spring, the thickets of mountain laurel make this an … Sharp Top Mountain is a popular hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and is one of the three "Peaks of Otter". Sharp Top Mountain belongs to the Peaks of Otter Area in the Southern Appalachian Range, near Bedford, Virginia. Note: Both hikes are out and back with the trails unblazed. Finally, on the last day of my May 2018 Virginia hiking trip, I gave my old nemesis one more shot, and I conquered it in spite of the weather. 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