I went to Panthertown Valley for the first time back on 4/14/2014 (Panthertown trip 4/14/14 – 4/16/14) and it was nothing short of awesome so I knew I’d be returning sooner or later and the time had finally come. Well the time finally came when a friend put together a trip and invited me along so I jumped at the chance to join him and three other friends for another adventure.
Some friends and I decided to park at the Salt Rock Trailhead and then basecamp at and around the shelter located next to the Great Wall. Only two of us in the group had been to Panthertown and we only saw a very small part of the area but we figured this would be a great place to basecamp. We stayed there for a several reasons: One being that this is a big area and we knew there would be a lot of flat campsites for us here. Another reason is because we spent a lot of time at the other end the last time we were there so we wanted to explore another area. And lastly, because it was right next to the Great Wall which is the main place we wanted to hike to the next morning.
We arrived at the Salt Rock Trailhead at around 3:00pm Eastern Time and began our hike from there. I put on my Salomon XA Pro Low hiking shoes with my Superfeet Green insoles installed in them and we headed down the trail. This was to be my initial voyage with these hikers but learned by Saturday evening that I should have left the stock Salomon insoles in them because the Superfeet Green insoles raised the platform up too high and I ended up with heel blisters. Boo, you live and learn I guess. Back to the stock insoles!
It’s a relatively short hike down to the shelter from this trailhead and there are a few different trails you can take to get there. We took Panthertown Valley Trail TR474 to Wilderness Falls Trail TR490 to Wilderness Falls and Frolictown Falls. Then we hopped on the Granny Burrells Falls Trail TR486 at the big junction and took it to the shelter. Both of these waterfalls are small and somewhat hidden but I especially like the Frolictown Falls because it has a small pool of water in front of it that just beckons to be played in on a warm summer day. I guess in that respect the falls lives up to its namesake. But either way I vow to come back in warmer weather so I can enjoy this waterfall to its full potential.
The shelter worked great as a home base just in case of foul weather but I prefer to sleep in my tent. Some of my companions opted to stay in the shelter for the weekend though. In either case we had the entire shelter and immediate area to ourselves all weekend.
Not a bad site for our basecamp with the Great Wall in our front yard and Panthertown Creek in our back yard. It is truly magnificent to stand and look at the Great Wall because it’s so vertical and almost looks like it was made my men. It looks like it belongs in a land of giants!
On sunny days I’ve observed the mineral veins that run vertically down the side of the wall sparkle in the sun and almost look as if there are streams or seeps creeping down the side of the wall.
The rest of us set our tents up in back of the shelter not too far from the fire pit. Panthertown Creek runs on the back side of the shelter and aside from being absolutely beautiful, makes the perfect water source while staying at any of these campsites.
The area around the shelter is incredibly flat and capable of holding a large number of tents.
We got up the on Saturday morning, ate our breakfasts and set out on the Great Wall Trail TR489 for 1.65 miles which took us up to the saddle on Big Green Mountain where we stopped for a quick breather. The climb up to the saddle isn’t exactly a long or steep climb but it’s enough to get your heart pumping early in the morning. After our little breather we hiked a little over a half mile up the Big Green Trail TR487 to the top of the Great Wall. As you can see it’s pretty magnificent to stand atop Great Wall and survey the surroundings.
As much as we wanted to hang around on top of Great Wall we had things to see so we finally pulled ourselves away and headed back down Big Green Trail TR487 for 1.35 miles until it intersected with Macs Gap Trail TR482 and hiked on it for about a mile where we intersected with Greenland Creek Trail TR488 and hiked about 1/8 mile to Greenland Creek Falls. The trail to this waterfall is very tight and weaves in and out and crosses a small creek where you climb on large rocks. There is a nice but small campsite on this trail that by itself would suit about 2 or 3 tents but there is an adjacent area where you could squeeze in another tent or two. I think this would be a great place to camp when I head back there in the near future.
Greenland Creek Falls is awesome and is the most spectacular waterfall in the Panthertown Valley in my opinion. It’s tall, wide and consists of a sort of second tier to the waterfall. There is also a beautiful lagoon at the base of the second tier and bonus – you can walk behind the waterfall. We sat around on the large rocks in front of Greenland Creek falls while we ate our lunch and soaked up the sun.
When we finished our lunches we hiked back to the trail junction where we continued on Greenland Creek Trail TR488 for a while but we took a side trail at a junction where Greenland Creek Trail TR488 headed back up to Cold Mountain Gap Trailhead. This side trail ended up being very gnarly and by far the toughest trail I’ve hiked in Panthertown. I’m not even sure of it’s name but it’s not a main trail but seems more like a trail carved out by fisherman along the Greenland Creek.
Although the trail was gnarly it passed several cool little waterfalls and tow that I was able to get pictures of each time. They aren’t what I would call magnificent but they were still cool in their own right. I believe the one was called Macs Falls and the other goes by the name of Pothole Falls. If it was warmer I would wade the creek and play in the falls.
Note: I do not recommend hiking this trail with a pack on because it’s tight and rough. We hiked it with daypacks and passed a large group wearing full packs and they were not having much fun.
We followed this same trail for what seemed like forever but was probably actually about 1.5 to 2 miles until we arrived just upstream of Schoolhouse Falls. We took a side trail off the trail we were on and it brought us down the East side of Schoolhouse Falls where we stopped to enjoy the falls while we fueled up on some snacks. At this point we were running behind because we weren’t expecting the trail to be as rough and tight as it was for its entire length. Not to mention that it was just as tough as bushwhacking because a lot of it was on a steep hillside. But it was an experience all in all and I wouldn’t trade it for a smoother trail. I just won’t be hiking that trail in the near future.
Schoolhouse Falls is a great place to camp but in the daytime it sees a little too much action from people because it’s so close to the Cold Mountain Gap Trailhead. We camped here the first night on our previous trip and figured it would be taken on this trip but it was wide open. We were very surprised.
Schoolhouse Falls is cool because you can walk behind it easily and because there is a nice large lagoon at its base.
After our visit at the awesome Schoolhouse Falls we decided to head over toward the Northeast end and see what Devils Elbow was all about so we hiked about 1/10th mile down Little Green TR485 until it intersected with Panthertown Valley Trail TR474 and took that about 1/4 mile until it crossed Greenland Creek bridge where we headed East on the Powerline Road TR451 for about a mile until we found the Wardens Falls Trail which we took for about 1/10th mile and takes you to either the base or top of Wardens Falls.
You can cross at the base if you want but we went back up a little ways and crossed just above Wardens Falls. This is a decent sized waterfall with a pretty good drop that creates some fast flowing water. It’s tucked away back in the woods and really feels secluded when you reach it. We crossed just above the falls and intersected the Devils Elbow Trail TR448 and hiked on it about 1/2 mile to Elbow Falls. At this point we were running out of time so we began our journey back to our temporary home at the shelter.
We headed back up the Devils Elbow Trail TR448 about a mile until it intersected with the Panthertown Trail TR474 and hiked about 3/4 mile until it intersected with the Macs Gap Trail TR482 to the Great Wall Trail TR489 that would take us past Granny Burell Falls. But along the way we stopped off at the Sandbar – this is a giant white sand beach that looks like it belongs on the shores of an ocean somewhere. It’s pretty amazing..I really liked this whole area the first time I came here last year and it’s still one of my favorite areas. It’s a very tight trail with a secretive feel to it.
The Great Wall Trail TR489 took us right past the Sand Bar and on to Granny Burrell Falls en route to our shelter. It was pushing dark so we built our fire and settled in for the night. This night was much warmer than the previous night which ended up being in the high 40’s so it was very comfortable.
In the morning we broke camp and headed back to the trailhead by way of the Deep Gap Trail TR449 to Panthertown Valley Trail TR474. This section is predominantly wide service road with a few really good overlooks.
Once again Panthertown Valley has impressed us all and left us wanting more. We found some great secluded campsites that I think we will head to the next time. One of these campsites is just off of the Devils Elbow Trail not too far from Elbow Falls. We haven’t explored this side of Panthertown so it’s at the top of our list because we want to see Dismal Falls, Wolf Creek Gorge and Bonas Defeat. This is a magnificent place with an endless supply of streams, waterfalls and beauty.
This trip was the maiden voyage for my Salomon XA Pro shoes to be broken in and I was very impressed with how they felt overall but I learned that they weren’t quite ready for my Superfeet Green because I ended up with some nice heel blisters. Either it raised my foot up too much or they just need to be broken in a little on the cuff. The shoes really don’t need much breaking in and are nearly good to go. They offer great support in a very light weight package and it’s possible that I may be able to keep the Salomon stock insoles in them. I’ll find out the next time I take them out.
MAPS:
GREAT RESOURCES FOR PLANNING THIS TRIP:
| FOOTWEAR/BACKPACKS/CONTENTS | WEIGHT OUNCES |
| SHOES/BOOTS | |
| SALOMON XA PRO GORETEX HIKING SHOES (NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT) WITH SUPERFEET GREEN INSOLES INSTALLED | 25.20 |
| BACKPACKS | |
Mountainsmith Falcon 55 Recycled All Terrain Backpack, Largeotus Blue |
76.00 |
| PACK COVER | |
| KELTY PACK COVER | 6.10 |
| TENTS | |
MSR HUBBA 1 TENT WITH FOOTPRINT & MUDMAT IN Outdoor Research Lightweight 5 Liter Dry Sack |
66.00 |
| TARPS | |
| SMALL HOMEMADE SILNYLON TARP | 5.00 |
| QUILTS | |
| ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT REVELATION PRO 40 DEGREE QUILT W/SEA TO SUMMIT SILNYLON COMPRESSION SACK | 29.00 |
| SLEEPING PADS | |
| THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER LARGE SLEEPING PAD | 26.00 |
| THERMAREST RIDGEREST SOLITE REGULAR PAD CUT DOWN TO 20X60 | 12.00 |
| TREKKING POLES | |
| BLACK DIAMOND ULTRA DISTANCE FL ZPOLES | 20.00 |
| FOOD | |
| 2 NIGHT FOOD – LOKSAK ODORPROOF BAG/ZPACKS BLAST FOOD BAG | 87.00 |
| BASICS | |
| CORD BAG KIT – TARP CORDAGE – BEAR BAG HANG CORDAGE & CARABINER | 7.00 |
| MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE | 0.70 |
| ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER ZIP WALLET | 2.00 |
| SAWYER FILTER MINI(2OZ), TWO SQUEEZE POUCHES(3.0OZ), SCOOP BAG, MESH BAG | 5.50 |
SAFETY LANYARD – BG Compact Scout Knife /ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE HOWLER/NITE IZE MICROLIGHT |
2.80 |
| TOILETRY KIT – MEDICINE/TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE ETC IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH SMALL DRY DITTY SACK | 10.40 |
| FIRE KIT: DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL | 2.80 |
| POTTY KIT – DEUCE OF SPADES, TOILET PAPER, HAND CLEANER BOTTLE/HOLDER IN NYLON SACK | 4.30 |
| CLOTHING | |
| MARMOT CALEN PULLOVER | 12.00 |
| MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR ORKO GLOVES | 5.00 |
| FALL-SPRING CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT QUILT: WOOL SOCKS/MIDWEIGHT WOOL THERMAL BOTTOMS/TSHIRT/NORTH FACE THERMAL SHIRT/MISCELLANEOUS/SEA TO SUMMIT 2.5 LITER SILNYLON STUFF SACK | 30.80 |
VIVOBAREFOOT ULTRA MENS |
6.00 |
| NIKE RAIN PANTS | 12.40 |
| RAB LATOK GAITERS LOW | 5.50 |
| EDDIE BAUER RIPPAC RAIN COAT | 12.70 |
| COOKING | |
Solo Stove W/Backup Solo Alcohol Burner /ALCOHOL/SNOW PEAK TREK 900 TITANIUM COOKSET/Optimus Titanium long spoon  /Light My Fire BPA-Free Tritan Serving Spork with Larger-Sized Spoon, Fork and Serrated Knife Edge, Red /GSI Infinity Backpacker Mug |
31.50 |
| WATER BOTTLES | |
| CAMELBAK PODIUM BOTTLE 24 OZ WITH EDDY SIP LID FULL | 29.00 |
| SMARTWATER 33.8 OZ LARGE BOTTLE FULL | 37.40 |
| LIGHTING | |
| PRINCETON TECH REMIX HEADLAMP IN HMG NANO CF8 CUBEN STUFF SACK | 3.50 |
| TOOLS | |
| LEATHERMAN TOOL | 5.30 |
| ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE MIRROR / SUUNTO A-10 PARTNER 2 COMPASS / MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS CUBEN FIBER BAG | 1.50 |
| EXTRAS | |
| SUNGLASSES | 1.40 |
| MP3 PLAYER; EARPHONES; BATTERY IN HMG NANO CF11 CUBEN STUFF SACK | 5.30 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | 12.00 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES | 573.90 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS | 35.87 |
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