PANTHERTOWN VALLEY BEST WATERFALLS BACKPACK TWO NIGHT LOOP 4/4/14 THRU 4/6/14

This trip started out on a gloomy and drizzly morning at our usual carpool location at Walmart. There were only three of us that were still up for it because nearly everyone else had to cancel for one reason or another so it questionable whether the trip would actually materialize at all. But we hung in there and were rewarded justly because it turned out to be way better than any of us could have imagined. Panthertown Valley was/is a place that none of us had ever really heard of before so we weren’t sure what to expect.

MSR Hubba in action at Schoolhouse Falls in Panthertown Valley

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Panthertown Valley is a hidden gem that is one of my favorite places up to this point. Between the many waterfalls and groomed trails one feels like they are in an actual city park with endless resources.

We drove in on SR1301 then on to FS4674A that terminated at Panthertown Valley TR474 Trailhead parking lot and began our hike here. TR474 is a shared trail so it isn’t exactly smooth but isn’t that bad for being shared by hikers, bikers and horseman. We hung a left on Little Green TR485 until we came to our first nights campsite at Schoolhouse Falls. This is the coolest campsite I’ve ever seen and comes complete with rock furniture that makes you feel like you’re one of the Flintstones! With a fire pit and front row seat to Schoolhouse Falls like a big screen television, this campsite won the vote. The main campsite here has enough room for about three or four tents and the adjacent area is made up of small trails containing small satellite campsites.

We woke up the next day and hiked back out to Panthertown Valley Trail and then onto the Wilderness Falls Trail to see Wilderness Falls and then at the end of that trail we visited Frolictown Falls. Near the Frolictown Falls Junction we came across a large open area with a very large shelter that would be a great winter camp location but in the warm weather I’d prefer to pitch my tent on the ground because this area is incredibly flat and just beckons you to pitch camp here. We rested and ate lunch here before heading on to the Great Wall Trail.

The section of Great Wall Trail located in the valley is very pleasant as it meanders through the woods crossing small creeks as it winds along. It’s surrounded on one side by Panthertown Creek and Great Wall on the other. Great Wall is astounding to see from this trail with the leaves still not fully on the trees. It’s like this giant monolith that just doesn’t seem to belong in this location. Then the trail makes an abrupt left turn to the East and starts climbing up Big Green Mountain. This is a fairly long and steep uphill that will get your heart pumping. When we arrived at the top of that on Great Wall Trail we turned left and headed up Big Green Trail to the crest of a less steep hill where we began our descent down yet another hill toward our objective. After fighting a tight jungle like maze of Rhododendrons that grabbed at us, we emerged at a clearing on top of the Great Wall. We rested and soaked up the sun while enjoying the view atop this small clearing at the North end the Great Wall.

We finished our rest and headed back down Great Wall Trail and then on over to the connector trail toward Granny Burrell Falls. As we merged right onto the connector trail we passed a vacant campsite on the right side of the trail. We paused and thought we should go ahead and set up our tents but figured it would be there on the way back from Granny Burrell Falls but it was taken. Granny Burrell’s Falls was awesome but we ended up being beaten to the campsite we had passed earlier. Needless to say, losing this campsite threw a wrench in our plans more than we realized at the time because we ended up on a wild goose chase in our quest for a campsite. We ended up taking Mac’s Gap Trail to Greenland Creek trail looking for a campsite but there were none to be found. So we kept going and found ourselves back at our vehicle at the Panthertown Valley Trailhead.

PTOWN 2

By this time it was getting close to dusk so we were getting a little desperate as we made our way back down the Panthertown Valley main trail. It seemed like this place came alive because of the weekend and every open campsite from the day before was taken….every possible site near Schoolhouse Falls, taken! We kept going and ended up finding a cozy but very acceptable campsite on a small sandy beach at the edge of Greenland Creek. This was our home for the night!

We were sad to leave this place the next morning but vowed to return. This is a beautiful place that is cared for by a lot of people and it shows.