Details & Planning
- Where: Panthertown Valley | Nantahala National Forest
- When: June 2020
- Nearest town: Cashiers, North Carolina
- Activity: Backpacking
- Nights: 2 planned, reduced to 1
- Total distance: 8.7 miles
- Route style: Loop
Preparation and Weather Outlook
I began to seriously research Panthertown Valley in March of 2020. My opinion is that the best resource for Panthertown navigation is a fantastic map. That map, without question, is Burt Kornegay’s A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown. During my research of the area, I did not find many detailed reports and had to rely on this map and a few YouTube videos from other hikers. My plan was to determine a route that would not be too demanding on our first day after being on the road for nearly eight hours. Heavy rain is forecasted for the afternoon of our second day, but otherwise the skies should be clear and temperatures mild.
The Plan
- Day 1: Begin at Cold Mountain Trailhead. Hike a couple miles to what the map labels the “sandbar pool” and set up camp. Enjoy the rest of the early evening while relaxing.
- Day 2: After breakfast, explore via some of the “faint” footpaths and see some waterfalls along the Tuckasegee River. Then return to camp, tear down, and hike a couple miles to the pine forest where we will set up camp for night 2. After camp is set up, ascend Big Green Mountain and have dinner while viewing the sunset. Night-hike back to camp.
- Day 3: Wake early, retrieve bear can, and climb to an overlook on Blackrock Mountain for breakfast and the sunrise. Tear down camp and return via the Mac’s Gap Trail, Little Green Trail, and a unnamed footpath along Greenland Creek where we rejoin Mac’s Gap Trail and return to the parking lot. This route would take us past Schoolhouse Falls for a final photo op.
Reality
| Day 1 (orange) – Cold Mountain Trailhead | Panthertown Valley Trail | 1.6 miles |
| Day 2 (yellow & blue) – Sandbar Pool | Powerline Road Trail, out and back | 2 miles |
| Panthertown Valley Trail | 1 mile | |
| Mac’s Gap Trail | 0.2 mile | |
| Granny Burrell’s Trail | 0.3 mile | |
| Great Wall Trail | 2 miles | |
| Mac’s Gap Trail | 1 mile | |
| Greenland Falls Trail | 0.6 mile |
Day 1 / 1.6 miles hiked
We began our adventure, in the early afternoon, from the Cold Mountain trailhead as planned. The trails are well-marked and well-worn. This was a very enjoyable hike and we quickly reached the sandbar pool. My trusty Lunar Solo from Six Moon Designs will be my shelter. My friend Aaron has brought a light, but bulky, and roomy four-person palace. The remainder of the evening is spent relaxing, cooking, and looking at the night sky as a fire crackles.
Day 2 / 7.1 miles hiked
So many waterfalls! After breakfast, we retrace some steps from yesterday until we meet the Powerline Road Trail. This leads us north for awhile. The faint footpath, that will take you through the forest to a series of water falls, can be easy to miss. Fortunately we noticed this quickly and turned around. The waterfalls were spectacular. At one point, we crossed the Tuckasegee River. Thunder boomed in the distance. Wasting no time, we hustled back to camp.
On our way to the pine forest, where we would set up camp for night two, it was beginning to look as if we would not be only seeing heavy rain fall, but likely a storm. I did not like the idea of setting up camp in the trees, so we continued on Granny Burrell’s Trail towards a shelter that is marked on the map. I did not, however, realize that the shelter had a tin roof. Lightning was beginning to strike nearby and I made the decision to continue in search of a flat campsite. We did not find one. Lightning struck near us several times, reverberating off of the Great Wall of Panthertown as we hiked the Great Wall Trail at its base. After hiking nearly three miles in a severe storm, we decided to cancel our second night and returned to the trailhead. We would ultimately stay at a hotel in Brevard, NC, for the evening.
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Gear Notes
- Pack: Gossamer Gear Gorilla 40L
- Shelter: Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
- Bag: Marmot Never Winter 30
- Pad: Thermarest Neoair X-lite R
- Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket