Panthertown Valley

Panthertown Valley, a/k/a Yosemite of the East, is a beautiful area with plenty of waterfalls. In addition, there are hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, mosses, lichens and large mushrooms. Panthers no longer roam the valley, but you may see deer, fox, raccoon, skunk, barred owl, grouse and snakes. The streams are full of brook trout. And the views from the top of the cliffs are absolutely spectacular!

We will camp near Jawbone Falls, if we're lucky, and spend plenty of time in the water, at the falls. We're going to beat this heat one way or another, and these falls are one of my favorites in the valley.

On Sunday we can take a short hike to School House Falls and the top of Little Green Mtn for another beautiful view of the valley below. After the Sunday hike, we will break camp and backpack out the way we came in, about 1.5 miles, but since it goes back up and out of the valley, you need to be in good shape. So come join us on our adventure to this valley nestled along the eastern continental divide. This is a nature's lover hike, and we won't be rushing from one place to another, or rushing to get back to the city. But you'll still need to be in good shape, so pay more attention to the mileage and elevation gain rather than the rating, which is more generalized. These mountains are high, and the terrain can be rugged for those unprepared.

We'll be driving up to the Cold Mountain trail head. I'll provide detailed instructions to any drivers at the car pool site.