By Gail Lambert
On a clear day Sharp Top and Flat Top, better known as the
Peaks of Otter, can be seen from Roanoke – an hour’s drive away on the
Blue Ridge Parkway. Get on and go north atop the scenic spine of the
Blue Ridge Mountains until you come to the small visitor center at Milepost 86.
Behind the visitor center is an amphitheatre used by park rangers for nature talks, mountain music concerts and more. Programs are open to all and free of charge. Cross the road and take a walk around beautiful Abbott Lake, stocked for fishing.
Past the lake is my favorite picnic spot in all the world, called Little Stony Creek, where picnic tables and charcoal grills are situated beside the stream beneath the shade of hemlocks and hardwoods. Above the picnic area is a Parkway campground with campsites for $14 per night.
Hikers take note that the strenuous climb to the summit of Sharp Top at 3,875 feet takes an hour or more to achieve. Or you can take a concession-run bus (late spring to early fall) to within 1,500 feet of the summit and hike to the top from there. Either way, you’ll find the rockbound summit and spectacular views worth the exertion.
Call 540-586-4496 for information about programs at the amphitheatre including mountain music on Labor Day Weekend and a Civil War reenactment at Johnson Farm in October. The season ends with Scary Halloween Night Oct. 24 at Peaks of Otter Lodge.