Panoramic mountain views and creekside walks in the beautiful Shenanodah Valley

Situated at @1700 feet and surrounded by 105 acres, Hilltop House offers panoramic views up and down the Blue Ridge Mountains plus several miles of private walking trails through pasture, woods and along Ott’s Creek to enjoy. This beautiful, secluded property, just a 30-minute drive to Lexington or Staunton, is only 15 minutes off Interstate 81 but the peaceful, private hilltop haven feels a world away.

Wake up with sunrise over the Blue Ridge, enjoy the view from the 180-degree sunroom windows throughout the day and finish the evening with the sunset over the Alleghenies. Take a woodland walk along the creek on the 275-year-old road that carried wagon traffic between Ott’s Mill and Wade’s Mill and count the cascading wateralls along the way. Stay connected with high-speed fiber optic Wifi and use the office for a remote work session. Pick out a book from the well-stocked library, relax with a jigsaw puzzle or board game, or get competitive with a game on the ping pong table in the basement. Pack a picnic to enjoy by the creek or craft a gourmet meal in the large, fully equipped kitchen. If the weather is a bit unsettled, there is no better place to watch it move through than from the sunroom sofa. After dark, the fireflies are magical in the summer and away from city lights, you’ll enjoy a big, brilliant sky full of stars perfect for star gazing year-round.

We purchased Hilltop House in 2022, refurnished it and refreshed the interior, including new paint, lighting, flooring upstairs, bathoom sinks and toilets, a heat pump system and mini splits in the upstairs bedrooms. The house has just been made available for short-term holiday rental in June of 2024.

The floor plan is a perfect combination of interconnected living--the kitchen, dining area, sumroom, library and living room--with a few private spaces--the office at the end of the hall and downstairs bedroom, plus the two upstairs bedrooms at either end of the hall. With the incredible views, miles of trails and acres of peace and quiet, you might be content to stay the entire time “hilltop”. But there is a lot to see in the neighborhood that you won't want to miss.

Wade’s Mill (c. 1750), Virginia’s oldest continuously operating commercial grist mill, is just around the corner and Rockbridge Vineyard and Brewery is just 5 minutes up the road. Within a 10-minute drive you will find Mountain View Farm’s freshly made cheeses, ice cream and yoghurt, the lavender fields at Tantivy Farm, McCormack’s Farm where Cyrus McCormack invented the reaper, Seasons’ Yield Farm’s wood-fired bakeryand coffee shop, 3 Seasons Antiques, historic Brownsburg and the award-winning Brownsburg Museum, to name just a few local treasures.

Lexington, home to Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute and the Virginia Horse Center, is 30 minutes south. Staunton, with the American Shakespeare Center, the Frontier Culture Museum, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum and the departure station for the Virginia Scenic Railway, is 30 minutes north. Both towns are known for their vibrant arts, dining and boutique shopping scenes. There are local craft breweries, cideries and wineries along the way in both directions.

Blue Ridge Parkway access is 25 minutes east, with the popular Crab Tree Falls (with both an easy and a more challenging hike to the falls) just beyond. Virginia's newest state park, Natural Bridge, once owned by Thomas Jefferson and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is 35 minutes south. Once there, don't miss the Virginia Safari Park which is a fun outing for all ages. The Homestead Resort and Warm Spring Pools (which we can highly recommend) are a scenic hour’s drive west. Charlottesville, with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, UVA and Monticello, plus plenty of wineries, restaurants and shopping, makes an easy day trip, just an hour up and over the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

You are spoiled for choice of recreational opportunities. Road biking enthusiasts have a choice of many circuit trips through beautiful countryside right from the property. Rockbridge County offers a range of hiking trails of various distances and for all abilities. The Appalachian Trail, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are within easy reach. The nearby Maury River has Virginia’s most challenging whitewater run for kayaking, as well as several good swimming spots. On a gentler note, the James River offers swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Massanutten and Wintergreen resorts, with skiing in the winter and water activities in the summer, are approximately an hour away.

And at the end of a busy day, you'll look forward to returning to the peace, quiet and privacy of Hilltop House, where you can put your feet up on the patio or in the sunroom and relax while enjoying the panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in your own little slice of hilltop heaven.