Panthertown Valley Loop-East

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
10/5/2022	7.4 miles	4 hours 50 minutes	899'	1.9	786.4

Parking: 

• Smokemont Campground

Maps:

• Gaia GPS app 
• 100 Favorite Trails of the Blue Ridge and the Smokies (for directions)
• Burt Kornegay's A Guide's Guide to Panthertown (for navigation)

Directions:

• See 100 Favorite Trail Map.

Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:

• 100 Favorite Trails hike #14
• Waterfall Challenge, Greenland Creek Falls (Holly Falls) Lake Toxaway
• Waterfall Challenge, Schoolhouse Falls, Lake Toxaway 

Today we joined the Carolina Mountain Club for a 100 Favorite Trails hike. This is the second time I've been to Panthertown. What a perfect time to go - fall foliage! Although I now have a map of Panthertown, it's not my favorite map. There are many trails, and when looking at the map, it's hard to tell where one trail begins and another ends. Looking at the trails on Gaia is less confusing. The highlight of the hike for me was visiting Tranquility Point - a pluton. A pluton is a rock that forms when magma cool and solidifies underground. El Capitan in Yosemite is an example of a pluton. We stopped at Tranquility Point for lunch - a great place to see fall foliage. We didn't come across many hikers, but we did see a couple of ladies on horseback. Visiting the waterfalls was a bonus - Greenland Creek Falls, Schoolhouse Falls, and Warden Falls.

Eye candy!

Nodding Ladies Tresses orchid