Granite rock domes and cascading waterfalls are just a few of the spectacular features that make Panthertown Valley worth visiting. Opportunities for backcountry adventure abound here! In my opinion, this little corner of Nantahala is a hidden gem in the truest sense.
For more info about backpacking in Panthertown Valley, check out the list of resources I put together at the end of this trail journal! While it isn’t a substitute for doing your own research and preparation, hopefully it will take some of the guess work out of planning your own visit.
Music featured in this video: “Arcadian” by Arbour Season, “Singing In The Rain” by David Mumford, “Sunday Morning” by Jahzzar, “The Summit” by Sky Toes, “River Fire” by Kevin MacLeod, “Little Rascal” by Jonny Easton, “Open Window” by Northwestern, and “Spirit Rising” by David Bullard.
Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
Panthertown Valley - 8 Mile Overnight Loop
Hike Overview
Type of hike: Loop
Trails hiked: Panthertown Valley trail, Wilderness Falls trail, Granny Burrell Falls trail, Great Wall trail, Big Green trail, Macs Gap trail, and Greenland Creek trail. (Order heading counter clockwise.)
Time span: 2 days 1 night
Total Est. Mileage: 8 miles
Trail Journal
Panthertown Valley is beautiful year-round, but there’s something really special about late May through early June. A lush green canopy stretches over everything, and bright blooms like mountain laurel and flame azalea line the trails. When Spring brings abundant rainfall, the many creeks and waterfall pools across the backcountry are perfect for wading. Meanwhile, the sweltering heat and swarms of bugs that accompany Summer have yet to arrive. It’s a truly wonderful time to visit.
Having only backpacked once during the Spring, I wanted very badly to get another adventure in before it got too hot. Remembering our trip to Panthertown around the same time the year before, I decided that’s where I should go. Unfortunately, it would only be me and Barrett on this outing. Nora just had surgery (cyst removal), so getting the whole family out on the trail again wasn’t possible.
We saw several noteworthy spots on the Eastern side of Panthertown during our last visit: Schoolhouse Falls, Sandbar Pool, and Tranquility Point to name a few. While I wouldn’t mind revisiting a few of those places on future trips, what interested me this time was finding out what’s on the other side. Most of all, I wanted to see the Great Wall of Panthertown.
Day One
For some reason, it always surprises me to find trailheads so packed on a weekday evening. Backing my vehicle into one of only two spots still available at Cold Mountain Gap, I was a little worried our campsite options would be limited as well. As Barrett and I made our way along Panthertown Valley trail, we passed one group after another heading back for the trailhead. Seems most of those cars crammed into the lot belonged to day hikers. Perhaps we wouldn’t have trouble finding a site after all.
We were greeted immediately by mountain laurel and green ferns growing tall along the sides of the trail. It felt much warmer than I expected for early June. The temperature barely rose above 75° on our trip the year before. Thankfully, the shade offered some nice relief. I brought along a wide brim Gold Coast hat figuring it would be perfect for a trip like this. I stopped to put it on while passing through a sunny patch. It took only a few seconds for me to realize it wasn’t going to work out. At least not while wearing a backpack. The brim and brain compartment came to the exact same height. Every time I took a step, the pack bumped against the hat knocking it off my head. I stopped again to clip it to the outside of my pack. Looks like I’ll have to go back to a baseball cap… or find a sunhat with a smaller brim.
We came to the large site near the bear box at Powerline Road. To my disappointment, it was already occupied by three tents and a hammock. So, we continued on to Sandbar Pool. Walking across the bright white bank, I debated setting up right there in the sand. "We have easy access to water and the bear box isn't too far off. Why not? We would just have to forgo a fire, but in this season that isn’t much of a loss." The more I looked around the more reasons I found for why not. Camping on the bank would leave us with no coverage from the sun. On top of that, the water surrounding the sandbar was low and slow flowing. I could see a thick layer of scum settled on the bottom.
While I thought it over, Barrett started wading out in the pool. He was already up to his knees when I called him back. Working his way back to dry land he started lapping up the stirred-up sediment. “No! Don’t drink it!” I scolded him. Ordinarily, I let him drink directly from the water sources we come across, but this looked a little too risky. So, I took out his bowl and filled it with clean water from my bottle. I caught sight of something swimming up the creek across the way. I took out the camera and zoomed in. It was a copperhead with the back end of a frog hanging out of its mouth. With that, I decided it was best we move on.
Panthertown trail took us through a dark tunnel of rhododendron. My shoes squelched under mud while swarms of flies buzzed around both our heads. Barrett’s ear flapped and twitched trying to ward them off. The trail dried out as we came to a narrow side path lined with ferns. We followed it to an open area completely shaded by trees. We were surrounded on all sides by deep green forest. It was perfect… almost. I had a difficult time finding a spot to set up the tent that wasn’t crawling with poison ivy.
After everything was set up, it was time to find water. I went down three side paths around the site, each ending abruptly with overgrowth. One had a tangled mess of rhododendron limbs blocking the way. So, Barrett and I ventured further along Panthertown trail. About a quarter mile away, we came to a small rock feature with water running down it. Barrett took a long drink from the pool below. I took off my shoes and stepped in. The cold water felt great on my feet. I collected a few liters from the flow in a CNOC bladder and hung it on a nearby limb to filter before heading back to camp.
I packed exclusively no-cook meals for this trip. I figured it would make breakfast and dinner less of a hassle if I didn’t need a stove. I also thought it would be a lighter weight option. While it did make meal prep somewhat easier, my total pack weight came out exactly the same. I mostly brought snack bars, flat bread, and packaged chicken, so it makes sense. As I sat down to fix dinner, I heard a odd sound. I thought it was some kind of bird at first. But after the third time hearing it, I realized it wasn’t an animal. It was a person. She wasn’t so much singing as making random vocalizations. Every few minutes a long high pitch note carried across the woods.
After about an hour, curiosity got the best of me. I had to know where it was coming from. I put Barrett on a leash and we headed down one of the spur paths in the direction of the sound. When we came to the tangled wall of branches, I ducked low and pushed through them. I came out the other side covered in spider webs and leaves. We continued on the faint path all the way to a steep creek bed. We hit a dead end. I never found out who or where the "singing" was coming from, but I did find a much closer water source. Looking at a map later, it was most likely coming from a campsite along Macs Gap trail.
Barrett decided to retire to the tent right after dinner. I sat by the fire until a little after 9, occasionally going over to check on him. I found him fast asleep on his mat each time. I put out the last of the coals, wedged the bear canister under a log at the edge of the site, and began tidying up a few other things around camp. and Stepping away from the ring, I realized how cool the temperature was. Minutes after settling into my sleeping bag, I had this nagging feeling. I knew a freeze wasn’t possible, but paranoia over the events of our most recent backpacking trip had me convinced I needed to go back out and get my water filter. I returned to find Barrett making himself comfortable on top of my sleeping bag and pad. After shooing him back to his mat, I could now rest peacefully.
Day Two
The downside to having a tent with a solid white rainfly is you have no choice but to wake up with the slightest sign of light. Now matter how little, the material just has a way of magnifying it. I’ve been fooled several times on nights with a full moon into thinking there was someone standing outside the tent with a flashlight. The time on my phone said 6:30. With a 5.5 mile day ahead of us, I saw no reason to get up yet. So, I pulled the sleeping bag over my head and rolled over. Two hours later, I crawled out of the tent ready to begin my morning routine. Barrett took a quick potty break and stretched his legs before curling back up in the tent. I got straight to work on fixing breakfast, filtering water, and breaking down literally every piece of gear around him. I've said it many times before, but that dog loves staying in the tent until the very last minute.
By 10:00 a.m. I had everything packed up and ready to go. I was hoping we would get a little rain in the afternoon, but the chance of that decreased each time I checked the weather that morning. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze and plenty of shade to combat the bright sun. We continued along Panthertown trail toward our first stop of the day: Salt Rock Overlook. The trail widened into an old logging road at a four-way junction with North Road and Macs Gap trail. We made our gradual ascent toward the overlook, finally arriving at an outstanding vista of the surrounding granite domes. Barrett led the way across the outcrop. Seeing the rolling green peaks in the distance, I thought "What a great way to start the day."
After a few moments of taking in the scenery, it was time to move on to our next stop. Our route took us left at the next junction onto Wilderness Falls trail. We took a sharp dive through dense forest. The narrow path wove around tree trunks and over roots. I had to use the "stay" command several times with Barrett to avoid losing my footing on the way down. This part of the route certainly posed a challenge, but it was a nice change of pace. In my opinion, a good trip includes a little bit of both mild and wild terrain.
I could hear the waterfall long before we reached it. The GPS said we were close. I thought we had accidentally passed it at first. Not knowing what to expect, I assumed it was one of those far off falls you can only see when there’s little to no overgrowth. That was not the case though. The trail made another steep descent and followed by a sharp switchback. The sound of the falls amplified as we approached the turn. Right at the edge of the switchback was a nice flat place to sit and a perfect view of the falls. The water cascaded down a series of large smooth rockfaces to the creek below. We took advantage of the picturesque spot and stopped for a long snack break.
Rested and rehydrated, Barrett and I continued along the twisting downhill turns of Wilderness Falls trail to a three way junction with Granny Burrell trail. Our route continued to the left, but I decided to go right making a quick detour to Frolictown Falls. It was a miniature waterfall compared to the last one, but still worth seeing. We caught a side view through the trees approaching the falls and a view from the top of it where the trail continued across the creek. We backtracked to the junction and continued on toward the Great Wall.
The terrain flattened out again, and the hike seemed to fly by. We passed through two more junctions, a creek, and the backcountry shelter on the way. I got distracted exploring the shelter area and lost track of the trail for temporarily. It was sad to see the terrible shape the surrounding campsites were left in. Beer bottles and greasy fast-food bags littered the firepits. I saw a well-worn path on the other side of the structure and assumed that's where the trail picked up. Instead, it branched off in series of smaller paths ending in either another campsite or a garden of toilet paper flowers. Clearly, we weren’t going anywhere in particular and needed to turn around. From the front face of the shelter, I found the real trail on the left. Sitting there in plain sight. We passed by a second bear box and more signs for the Great Wall. My excitement grew. This stop is the one I was looking forward to most of all.
And I almost missed it entirely. We made it halfway past the wall before I realized we were there. The overgrowth was so dense that it was nearly impossible to tell where the feature began… also I was looking in the opposite direction. The further we went along the trail the more I started to wonder why there wasn’t much to see. Somewhat disappointed I thought “Is that it!?” I finally caught sight of a huge boulder through the trees on my other side, and then it hit me. So, we turned around and headed back about half a mile for a do-over. This time looking the correct way.
While there was just as much greener to block the view on the other side, I could still make out details of the wall through it. Occasional breaks in the trees offered a clear window to the massive cliff faces towering above. It was exactly what I had been looking forward to! I can only imagine how impressive this part of Panthertown must be in the Wintertime.
Water was scarce following this section of the trail. I should have filled up at the creek crossing just before the shelter, but I didn’t. Now I was kicking myself for it. I had just a few sips left in my water bottle and the next reliable source was some distance away. The GPS showed the trail running parallel to a creek, but I found no access points to it. Soon after realizing how low our water supply was, we came to a shallow trickle running into a murky puddle. It was our best option for now, so I dropped my pack at a small campsite nearby. I did my best to avoid scooping up a bunch of sediment along with the water. I only managed to collect and filter one liter. It was just enough though to get us over the obstacles ahead and to the creek crossing on Macs Gap trail.
What followed was the most challenging part of our route. Stairs, stairs, and more stairs. I lost track of how many we climbed. Toward the end of this uphill battle was a tall set of stone stairs. They were covered in wet leaves and green algae. I took each step at a snail’s pace; afraid I might slip and ruin the otherwise great trip. On fresh legs this part probably wouldn’t have been as tough. But I was starting to feel some fatigue kick in. I also overpacked majorly, and the unnecessary weight was starting to wear on my hips and shoulders. I found some relief as the trail lead us through a fern lined forest. The four-way junction with Macs Gap trail was an other welcome relief. It meant we were close to the end and even closer to water.
At the next junction we hopped off Macs Gap and on to Greenland Creek trail. We were just 0.5 mile from the end! A steep hill through rhododendron tunnel waited up ahead, but I desperately needed a break. So, I led Barrett a short distance off trail to a small campsite beside the creek. I plopped down on the damp sandy dirt and pulled a snack out of my pack. Barrett sat down beside me begging for a bite. I took a jerky stick out of his saddlebag and broke it into pieces for him. After about 20 minutes and half a liter of water, my legs had regained a little energy.
We made the remaining half mile climb through more rich green scenery. At the top of the last hill, the trees peeled back revealing a ridgeline. The trail wove back and forth between the high brush offering partly obscured views of rolling hills on either side before ducking beneath a massive power pylon. The views from the ridge continued a short distance on the other side before disappearing behind more tree cover. At the end of the tunnel, I could see the metal gate to the parking lot.
Halfway through the day, I started to consider staying a second night. I could drop a few things off at the car and head back out to Schoolhouse Falls. But when we made it to the parking lot, I felt like the adventure was complete. We had a great time hiking through Panthertown, and there was no need to add anything else to it. I could go home feeling like I accomplished everything I wanted to on this trip.
Know Before You Go
“It’s easy to get lost there.” This is probably the number one phrase you've heard or read in reference to Panthertown Valley. The visitor’s guide describes the area as rugged, unforgiving, and even dangerous. Going off that alone can make planning a trip to Panthertown feel really intimidating. If you’re someone who wants to get out and experience this destination, but is hesitant to do so because of what you’ve heard or read; then I want to offer you some encouragement. While those descriptions are not false, they are mostly meant to deter unprepared visitors with no outdoor experience from venturing into an unfamiliar area and ending up hurt, lost, or worse. You’re far more likely to have a fun safe time if you go out there with a plan and the right gear for your activity. Be it day hiking or camping. I’ve backpacked a lot of places across the Southeast, and Panthertown Valley is by no means the most challenging. That being said, I still take those words as a reminder of the potential risks the trail poses. In short, when going into any backcountry area heed warnings, exercise caution, but don’t let it scare you out of a good time.
For the most part, the loop I followed is of moderate difficulty. There are a few tough inclines and declines along the way, but majority of the route follows flat easy to navigate trails. Blazes aren’t prevalent, but carsonite markers / signs are. With attention to detail and a dependable GPS device / app (I used Gaia) staying on track at each junction shouldn’t pose much of a problem.
Resources
Thinking about planning your own backcountry adventure in Panthertown? Hopefully you find some of these resources helpful!
Visitors Guide: This page from Friends of Panthertown includes safety tips, an overview of LNT practices, parking directions, and an overview of the dispersed camping regulations for the area. A printable PDF version of this info can also be found on the page.
Burt Kornegay's A Guide's Guide: This guide provides general information as well as a map of Panthertown Valley, Bonas Defeat, and Big Pisgah. It costs just under $15 and shipping is free.
Nantahala National Forest website: On this page you will find a general overview the recreation opportunities in Panthertown Valley. You can also find announcement and alerts for the area here.
Forest Order: This page details the recently enacted bear canister requirement for Panthertown. You can read the actual order here.
Panthertown Backcountry Loop: This is the route I followed on my trip. Pictures and waypoints on the on AllTrails map are a great way to gather intel on possible campsite and water source locations.
Help Friends of Panthertown maintain and protect this beautiful backcountry area. Whether it’s by donating to the stewardship fund or participating in a day of trail maintenance. You can find more info on how to contribute on their website: https://panthertown.org/give/