Panthertown Valley

"Yosemite of the East"

Background: 

Tall pines growing from the high-elevation valley floor giving way to high granite topped mountains make this place very special. I have heard of the Panthertown Valley of the Nantahala National Forest for a long time due to it's remoteness and beauty, and this past Labor Day I had the time and privilege to explore it with friends. 

The granite cliffs and seemingly endless supply of waterfalls in the valley certainly give credit to the name "Yosemite of the East," as I was not disappointed with the day's hike. Trails in the valley were easy to follow, well blazed and manicured (for the most part). From what I understand it wasn't always this way in the valley, as only a few years ago the National Forest started putting significant resources towards making Panthertown easier to navigate. The result is a fantastic hiking destination. 

Hike Report: 

Distance: ~10 miles
Time: 4.5 hours 
Difficulty: Moderate

We parked at the east trailhead that is easily accessible via Cold Mountain Rd near Lake Toxaway. The winding mountain road goes around the lake and eventually becomes much more remote as you get closer to the valley. 

We were looking to do around 8 miles (but ended up adding a couple miles from getting turned around), as we got to the trailhead at about 2pm and knew we would only have until around 7-8 until dark. Keeping a steady pace, this was a doable goal. The thing is, when you drive 3 hours to get to these fantastic places, you want to get your time's worth in miles and see the most you can because you never know when, if ever, you will be back. 

So we started out on the main Panthertown Valley trail, a trail that is relatively new to the valley and circulates through a good amount of the forest's attractions. 

Schoolhouse Falls

The first attraction along the trail was Schoolhouse Falls, Panthertown Valley's most popular waterfall. When we hiked in here there were a few people swimming. There's no way any pictures I throw up here will do a remote amount of justice to the beauty of this waterfall. It's not loud, big, or anything like that but for what it perhaps lacks in size and force it makes up for in it's grandeur. The water here is the cleanest you'll find in Appalachia, and a sandy-soily beach gives way to a swimming hole with small pebbles and soft stone that ease the feet into the water.

The next attraction of the hike wasn't a waterfall, but a beautiful swimming hole that featured a beautifully pristine sandy beach. We had already gone swimming at beautiful Paradise Falls earlier in the morning, so we skipped that part but of course our canine friend, Clif, couldn't help but getting refreshed in the mountain water. 

Panthertown Valley, while having strenuous sections of climbing, overall was a relatively easy/moderate hiking experience, especially on the valley floor. The flatness of the trail at times made you almost think you were hiking in the Piedmont, not the mountains.

Every hike is a different experience, and while I enjoy a rugged hike, my lasting impression of this day is the beauty of this place. The trails are wonderfully cut and manicured making Panthertown Valley fairly accessible to a wide range of experienced and not so experienced hikers. The streams and creeks that flow into the valley have such fine soils in their beds, this is a place that should be on every hiker's bucket list. 

See what I mean?

Granny Burrell Falls, on the back end of our loop

Wilderness Falls, near the West trailhead of the valley 

A lot of people associate going into a National Forest, especially in a place like Panthertown Valley, to be a almost completely remote and "off the grid" experience. I'll say, this is sometimes the case, but more often than not I find myself running into fellow hikers/backpackers, even in the most remote wilderness areas like the Linville Gorge. I always enjoy connecting with new people and I've found that the people you meet out on the trail are mostly all very interesting to say the least. 

On this hike in particular, we ran into a few different groups of hikers, and the picture below is of an encounter we had with a young couple and their child. They had a dog, as well, and asked if Clif was friendly. Of course Clif would never hurt a fly (then again he eats them all the time like its some type of game). They wanted to have their dog have social interaction with Clif because their dog needed the training. 

Of course, this was fine by me and Clif did his usual play routine: start out really curious and eventually get to the point where he freaks out of excitement. In the picture below, you can see the excitement led to Clif knocking over the small child (don't worry she was okay and laughed it off). 

Way to go Clif!

And last but certainly not least, the highlight of the day for me and the group, Little Green Mountain. Funny thing is, by the time we got to the point where we would turn onto this trail, we were pretty set on just heading back. I noticed the "Little Green Mountain Trail," referenced the trail map on my phone, and found that taking this trail would lead us back to the trailhead with virtually no distance added. Staying on the trail we were on (Mac's Gap) would surely get us back, but we made the (wise) decision to climb the mountain.

And it was a long uphill climb. And it took some effort. But in the end, as it always is, it was absolutely worth it to climb this mountain. Little Green Mountain is covered with exposed granite, giving you unobstructed panoramic views of the valley.

Little Green from a distance 

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I had owned Clif for about a year on the day of this hike. I had wanted a dog for a long time and in late August I found myself in a good position in life to jump into actually getting a dog. I remember the night before the day I went to the shelter I had a dream of a black dog protecting me. I went to the shelter down in South Charlotte the next day and the rest is History. 

Taking care of another living, breathing thing is serious business but it quickly turned into something very special for me in my life. I encourage anyone who is seriously thinking about getting a dog to just do it (as long as you're in good position to do it, of course). It will be more than worth it and you will grow a lot along the way. 

Clif & I have climbed many, many mountains in Appalachia, and we plan on continuing the trend for as long as I live reasonably close to these beautiful hills. The picture at the bottom was taken at South Mountains State Park and is the first hike we ever set out to do. The top is on top of Little Green Mountain in Panthertown. 

Many, many more mountains to climb. Eventually we'll head west and climb some bigger ones (stay tuned). In the meantime, we'll be making the most of beautiful hills of Carolina.