The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are the perfect backdrop for family hiking adventures. Hiking is a great way to spend family time outdoors enjoying nature in any season. With plenty of hiking trails just steps from the your car, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers East Coast families a perfect getaway destination and an easy way to stay active in any season.
There are multiple hikes at the Peaks of Otter near Bedford. One of our family's favorite hikes at the Peaks of Otter is the Johnson Farm Loop Trail, which begins at MP 85.9 at the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center. You'll pass a sign with photos and information about the former Hotel Mons, which opened on the site in 1857. Follow the signs through the woods to the restored Johnson Farm, which offers seasonal living history demonstrations.
Johnson Farm is the one remaining property that existed at the Peaks of Otter resort before the building of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The farmhouse was built in several sections, each at a different time. John T. Johnson bought the land, which included a four-room log cabin on the property, in the 1850s.
Over the next 70 years, the Johnson family added porches, a kitchen, dining room, clapboard siding, and a tin roof. In 1974, the farmhouse was restored and is currently operated and furnished as it appeared in the 1920s. The rustic look of the barn and other outbuildings and fences makes Johnson Farm a favorite family photo shoot.
If you visit during summer and early fall, you'll learn more about the history of the farm from the rangers on site. Plan to spend some time exploring the various buildings and the gardens on the property too.
The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway stretches between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park. You'll find our favorite family-friendly Parkway hikes in our Hiking Off the Blue Ridge Parkway Guide. There are multiple easy access points to the Blue Ridge Parkway within an hour's drive of Lynchburg, including off Route 43 near the Peaks of Otter in Bedford, off Route 501 near Big Island, off Route 60 near Buena Vista, and off Route 130 past Elon.
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