Three rounded summits stand out of the Virginia Blue Ridge here, and the Parkway slides in beneath them beside a small lake that mirrors the lot. Sharp Top is the pointed one, at around 1,150 metres, with a bare rock crown that you can reach on foot or by a seasonal shuttle bus; Flat Top is slightly higher and, true to its name, flatter; Harkening Hill makes up the trio. The Peaks of Otter area is one of the most loved stops on the whole Blue Ridge Parkway, and it is easy to see why, because the setting is compact, green and calm in a way many bigger overlooks are not.
Getting here from Rockfish Gap is the real reward. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a ridge road designed for slow travel, with a 45 mph limit, no commercial traffic and no intersections to speak of, and it follows the crest of the mountains with long, rhythmic bends and constant views down into farmland and out toward the next ridge. The surface is generally good, though tree roots and frost can leave patches rough, and fog is common, sometimes thick enough that the dividing line disappears. In autumn the hardwoods go orange and red, and the parkway fills with leaf-watchers, so aim for a weekday. Deer step out without warning, especially at dusk.
The place has a human story too. There was a farm in the hollow in the nineteenth century, the Johnson Farm, which you can visit, and a small inn has stood near the lake for generations, serving meals to travellers. Bedford, down in the valley about fourteen kilometres away, is a gentle town best known for the National D-Day Memorial, built there because Bedford lost proportionally more young men on the Normandy beaches than almost any other American community. It is a quiet, moving place and worth an hour if you have the time.
There is a lodge and restaurant at Peaks of Otter and a campground nearby, and a visitor centre with maps and displays on the natural history. A short loop around the lake takes only ten minutes and gives a nice reflection of Sharp Top in the water. Pack a warm layer, because even in summer the mountain air is cool, and in spring and autumn a sudden drop in temperature can arrive at sunset.