Peaks of Otter - Johnson Farm and Harkening Hill Trail

A fall view of Sharp Top at the Peaks of Otter

UPDATED: 2/4/2023

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First things first. What on earth are peaks of otter? The “peaks” are a series of three mountains called Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill, all of which are hike-able. There are several theories on the origin of the inclusion of “otter” - one is that it originates from a Cherokee word ‘otari', which means a ‘high place’. There is another theory that early Scottish settlers brought the place name from their homeland.

At the base of the peaks is Abbott Lake and a lodge that has been owned by different groups over the years and typically offers lodging and a restaurant. The view during peak leaf season in the fall is simply stunning. In our time living in the area, we’ve done several trips out to take in the colors.

peaks of otter - harkening hill trail and balance rock

In August 2014, my mother-in-law and I hit the area trails and, upon arriving, decided upon a route that combined the Harkening Hill and Johnson Farm Trails. You can check out the other trails and a rough map here. Our route in total was about 4.5 miles. The Harkening Hill portion of the trail winded its way up the hill fairly gradually, though clearly up-hill. We passed through a number of spiderwebs across the trail, suggesting to me that it is perhaps one of the less popular trails in the area. To me, this is a positive!

At the summit is aptly named ‘balance rock’ which is definitely what it sounds like: a large boulder balanced on other rocks. It is a strange geological feature to come across in the middle of Virginia! From there, it was mostly downhill, and we veered off to the Johnson Farm trail.

peaks of otter - johnson farm trail

Johnson Farm trail includes the living history museum of the 1930s Johnson family farm. The house and surrounding structures and elements were interesting to visit and, like most living history museums, only staffed seasonally. There was a lot of beneficial historical information at the site to learn more about the life and times of the Johnson family.

I feel like most of my time there was spent imagining what living in the fairly remote spot in the 1930s must have been like. While urban areas had developed more technologies to make daily life a little easier, an isolated farm like this would have required a more difficult life for its inhabitants.

While I know that some of the more impressive scenery of other Peaks of Otter hikes are more well-known, Johnson Farm is absolutely worth the trip, whether you combine it with Harkening Hill, like we did for a longer trail, or not.