Sharp Top Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway
View: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ / 5
Trails: Appalachian Trail
Picnic Tables: None
Although Sharp Top Overlook is very close to the previous two overlooks to the north, Mills Gap and Purgatory Mountain View, it comes after a bend in the Blue Ridge Parkway and thus offers a different view. Here you can see Sharp Top Mountain, one of the three mountains that make up the Peaks of Otter (the others are Flat Top Mountain and Harkening Hill). The parking lot is very small, and vegetation is thick at either end, so what you get is a fantastic but narrow view of Sharp Top Mountain and the surrounding valley. What you see in the panoramic photo below is pretty much the entire view.
Sharp Top Overlook faces east, so it is best to take photos in the late afternoon (unless you want to see the sun rise). My photos were taken around 5 PM in mid-October.
View of Sharp Top Mountain from the Sharp Top Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Panoramic view from the Sharp Top Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway (click to enlarge)
In addition to the view, Sharp Top Overlook serves as parking for the Appalachian Trail, which runs directly in front of the overlook.
Map of the three mountains that make up the Peaks of Otter (click to enlarge)
Next Stop South | Next Stop North | Scenic Overlooks
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on December 12, 2023
