Blue Ridge Parkway, Peaks of Otter: Johnson Farm Trail (Blog Hike #274)

Trail: Johnson Farm Trail

Hike Location: Blue Ridge Parkway, Peaks of Otter

Geographic Location: northwest of Bedford, VA (37.44565, -79.60919)

Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 2009, May 2014

Overview: A mountain hike to the restored Johnson farm site.

Trail Information: https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/peaks-otter-trails.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940886
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The trailhead is at the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, located at milepost 85.9 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This milepost is located northwest of Bedford about half way between US 460 and US 501.

The hike: For my general comments on Peaks of Otter, see the Fallingwater Cascade Trail description.  Though it does not lead to one of the three major peaks, the Johnson Farm Trail leads to another point of interest, the restored Johnson farm.  The farm is located about half way up Harkening Hill, so you will get a small taste of mountain hiking on this trail without completely busting your feet.

Trailhead near Visitor Center

            The trail starts from the right (north) side of the Visitor Center parking area, not from behind the Visitor Center like some of the other trails at Peaks of Otter.  After crossing a wide wooden bridge, the first 0.3 miles parallel the Blue Ridge Parkway, which lies only a few yards to the right.  At 0.3 miles, you will reach a major signed trail intersection.  The trail going right heads under the Parkway and quickly leads to Peaks of Otter Lodge.  The two trails going left form the loop of the Johnson Farm Trail.  The climbing is easier if you hike clockwise, so you should take the first trail heading left and use the second one as the return route.

The wide dirt trail climbs gradually beside a small stream, which it soon turns right to cross.  The grade intensifies somewhat now as the meat of the climb begins.  On the bright side, this trail leads through a gorgeous hardwood forest, making this hike a dream in the fall.

Climbing toward Johnson Farm

            At 0.8 miles, the bulk of the climbing ends as the Harkening Hill Trail exits to the left, heading for its namesake hill.  Continue straight to head for the farm.  Past this intersection, the trail narrows as it clings to the hillside which rises steeply to the left and falls sharply to the right.  Careful stepping will get you through this section with no problem.

1 mile into the hike, the trail comes out at the top end of the Johnson farm site.  Restored to its 1930’s appearance, this site recreates a typical Appalachian subsistence farm at the beginning of the Great Depression.  The site contains a white log cabin home, a small barn, an animal pen, a garden, and a spring house.  Some interpretive signs give more information about the Johnson family and what life was like living on a mountain farm.

Entering the Johnson Farm site

Barn at Johnson Farm site

            After passing around the log cabin home, the trail exits the farm site on the two-track gravel path that would have served as the Johnson’s driveway.  After descending about 250 feet along the steep driveway, the trail turns right to leave the gravel path.  This turn is marked with a sign.  You are now back in the hardwood forest after passing through the clearing at the farm site.

After another brief steep descent, you will come out into a mowed grass area where the trail is indistinguishable.  If this area does not look natural, that’s because it isn’t: this is the site of the historic Hotel Mons, a predecessor to the present-day Peaks of Otter Lodge.  First built in 1857, Hotel Mons brought guests from around the world to this high corner of Virginia.  The hotel succumbed to the depression in 1936 and served as a CCC camp for a few more years until it was dismantled in the 1940’s. 

Sharp Top mountain

            Today, all that remains of the hotel are the sunny, grassy clearings you are now walking through.  While these clearings are not natural, there is at least one advantage: one point along the trail yields a fantastic view of Sharp Top Mountain located directly ahead over the trees. On the other side of the large grassy clearing, the trail briefly enters the forest and then quickly closes the loop.  Turn left and retrace your steps 0.3 miles to the Visitor Center parking lot to complete the hike.