The view from up there is spectacular and you look down on to the lake in front of the Peals of Otter Lodge. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of great places nearby for a picnic or you can dine at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Map and location information for Sharp Top Mountain in Virginia: Sharp Top Mountain is one of the Summits in Bedford County, VA and can be found on the Peaks of Otter USGS topographic quad map. I dont know why, but I always seem to block the steep and rocky parts out of my mind. Sometimes it sure seems like it. Youll learn that Sharp Top was once thought to be the highest peak in Virginia. Cant wait To hike it . Pass an old stone building then take the last few steps to the top for the full panorama. Located in the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, Sharp Top is by far the most popular of the three Peaks of Otter, standing proud at 3,875 feet tall. (14), Comments The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Round trip rates are $15 for adults and $7 for children 2-12. 2023 DNC Parks & Resorts at Peaks of Otter, Inc. A right turn leads to the shuttle bus shelter. All vehicles accessing Mt Seymour between Oct 1 - Mar 31 must be equipped with winter tires in good condition, showing either the peaked mountain/snowflake symbol or M+S. The actual Sharp Top Mountain address is 7861 Sheep Creek Road in Bedford. With the most scheduled shuttle times to and from DIA, Peak 1 Express services more flight times than any other shuttle service in the state. I had an inner ear virus a few years ago, and have suffered serious bouts of vertigo ever since. The Falling Water Cascades Trail is a 1.4-mile loop hike that leads to a series of cascades on Fallingwater Creek. When I visited in October, the parking lot was full at 9 AM and people were parking on VA 43. Almost immediately upon reaching the summit, youll pass the cabin. The lodge offers great food. On the way down, Adam and I took the side trail to visit the Buzzards Roost. A right turn leads to the shuttle bus shelter. Check out my favorite hikes near Roanoke, Virginia. The trail is almost all uphill, somewhat steep at times, with plenty of rocks, roots and stairs along the way. Visitors can buy one-way ($12/adult, $6/child) or round-trip ($15/adult, $7/child) tickets. The hostess had to pitch in to help serve us. (TRACK trail). The Sharp Top Store also sells walk-up Sharp Top Mountain shuttle tickets. This is a very popular area for birding, camping, and hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. I understand that people dont want this to be known to the public but if someone could e-mail this info to me at ml18tcs@yahoo.com I would appreciate it. As the trail proceeds, youll quickly catch on to a pattern. The name may come from the Cherokee Indian word, ottari, which means high places. The Peaks may have been named after the Otter River, which has its headwaters in the area. Sharp Top is located at milepost 85.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We decided to brave the Sharp Top based on the reviews. Youll still have to climb a short, moderately steep distance http://www.peaksofotter.com/Sharp-Top-Shuttle.aspx, No there is no way to drive .there is a seasonal bus that will take you up for five dollars round-trip ,but you still have to walk the other one fourth of a mile .it only takes like 20 minutes to walk up from the bus stop where It drops you as far up as it can go . There are numerous TRACK Trails in this area include five TRACK trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Beginning at the north end of the visitor center parking area, the trail leads 1.1 miles to the Johnson Farm, originally built in the 1850s. Whoever goes here next should find out where this wreckage is. You may also encounter deep, slippery pockets of mud several days after a rain or snowstorm. The remaining .3 miles to the summit starts off relatively flat, but there are more sections of rock stairs along the way. This is a steep and strenuous route and should be attempted only by those in good health. At the spur trail junction, turn left to continue to Sharp Tops bouldery peak. I dont see anything specifically about pack animals, so you may need to call/email to inquire specifically. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This 3.4-mile hike leads to gorgeous views from the summit of Sharp Top. You will get more great views from here and can actually get some nice views of the summit of Sharp Top. For a leisurely walk, allow one hour. Be sure to enjoy the plants and animals that live along this trail and dont be surprised to run into many of them on your trip. If youre short on time or just looking for a nice and easy way to reach the local trailheads, the Sharp Top Shuttle is just the ticket. At 1.2 miles, you reach a junction. Still, its stone from Sharp Top that has a place inside the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. I was hoping that someone could tell me if it is off to the left or right of buzzard roost trail and how far down the buzzard roost trail should I go. There are plenty of places to rest at the summit and if you pack a snack / wine/ tea / lunch you can enjoy it up in the clouds. My family used to regularly have picnic lunches at Peaks of Otter, so this is a place Ive been visiting all of my life. The view from the top on a clear day you can see mountains in all directions. Near the top we took a side trip to Rooster Rock - this is worth the extra effort. The views from the top really are oustanding, they have several areas with railings and stone walls so it's not too dangerous (though the kids were scared).Pros: Excellent views, good workout, fun trail to climb, and their is a bus/shuttle that will take you most of the way if you can't or don't want to make the climb.Cons: Plenty of nats/bugs in certain sections, and as I said, a pretty steep slog up to the top.Recommendations: The hike is moderately strenuous so take the bus up and/or down if you don't have the energy or time. Kids who hike any of these trails can register their hike at kidsinparks.com to win prizes to make their next outdoor adventure more fun. Every available space was taken, as was every patch of grass that could fit a vehicle. Its not rugged and jagged, with outcroppings to sit on for scenic views. Free Shuttle Schedule Hop Aboard. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The GPS coordinates are 37.4334709 (latitude), -79.6050358 (longitude) and the approximate elevation is 3,829 feet (1,167 meters) above sea level. (1 ), Bluff Mountain (and Alligator Back Cliffs). We rode the bus almost to the top of this mountain, but to get to the very top, you have to hike up a steep winding trail. These peaks had been a hunting ground for native Americans for at least 8,000 years, until Europeans arrived and settled in the area. The TRACK Trail program is a network of kid friendly self guided trails on or near the Parkway. Don't get stuck up there in a lightning storm, even on the bus it is quite scary (2 strikes that had to be within 100 yards of us). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. He was so friendly and personable! The shuttle runs from 8:30 am to 5 pm and departs from the Peaks of Otter Lodge, on the northeast side of Abbott Lake, within Peaks of Otter Recreation Area. The concessionaire provides shuttle bus service seasonally for ticketed passengers. Living history demonstrations are presented on a seasonal basis. The Sharp Top Trail is located on the south side, while the visitor center is on the north side. There is a plaque there that mentions that Sharp Top was once believed to be the tallest mountain in Virginia and that a stone from this mountain was used to build the Washington Monument. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Top Selling Tours & Activities in and around Virginia. Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. When you reach the junction .3 miles from the summit, I would highly recommend adding .2 miles (.4 miles round trip) to check out Buzzards Roost. We then drove a short ways the other direction from Peaks of Otter to the Cascades Trail Hike. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Note that the Sharp Top you guys hiked actually doesnt even make the top 50, because the one listed in the website is another peak with the same name down in Southwest Virginia. So I have done research on where this is and several of my friends are going to go in march. Each room has a beautiful lake view. Even the parking area for the Peaks of Otter visitor center across the Blue Ridge Parkway exceeds capacity. Sharp Top Shuttle Schedule Shuttle departs from the Peaks of Otter Lodge lobby at 8:30am, 10am, 12pm, 1:30pm, and 3pm. For an optional detour (and overlook), follow the signed spur trail for about 600 feet to Buzzards Roost. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. (another mountain, also named Sharp Top, is #42), For those that dont feelthe need to hike all the way to the summit, you can take a bus ride that brings you closer to the summit. I managed it with breaks every few hundred feet. Sharp Top can be accessed from the north or the south along the Appalachian Trail. We are glad we stopped in and very much enjoyed our visit. I was also thrilled that I seemed to arrive at just the right time, a few minutes before 8 am on a Saturday. As the summit draws near, youll find yourself hiking between and around gigantic boulders. It was a painfully strenuous 1.5 mile hike up dirt paths, rock scrambles and steps. Personally, after using trekking poles for a while now, I dont know how I ever hiked without them! I always thought Peaks of Otter was an odd name for a place, so I did a little research and found some information about the origin of the name on the nearby lodges website: There are three opinions on how the Peaks of Otter got their name. The stone was even inscribed to honor George Washington. In the spring, the thickets of mountain laurel make this an especially beautiful hike. 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