 North
Carolina - Panthertown Valley
 Location
Panthertown Valley is located in the Nantahala National Forest
nearest to the town of Cashiers, North Carolina.
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 Description
Panthertown Valley is a 6295 acre tract of land located Jackson,
Macon, and Transylvania Counties in the high country of the Nantahala
National Forest northeast of the town of Cashiers, NC. The valley
is unusual topographically as it lies at roughly 4000 feet of elevation,
is broad and relatively flat. The sandy bottom is interrupted by
large granite plutons both within it and on it's borders. These
rise 200 - 300 feet and host several climbable cliff faces. The
most notable of these is Big Green Mountain
at the south end of the valley.
See larger photo
of Bryan
The valley contains the pristine headwaters of the Tuckasegee River
which begins where Greenland and Panthertown Creeks join. The river
exits via the Devil's Elbow Gorge. An atypically large bog is located
along Panthertown Creek between Big and Little
Green Mountains adjacent to a forested area known as Greenland.
In early days, this area was comprised of open meadows, but is now
overgrown with white pine.
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bigger photo of Black Rock Slabs
The ridge on the valley's southern boundary is part of the eastern
continental divide. There are several waterfalls in the valley and
the high altitude bogs hold a large number of rare and endangered
plants, lichens, and mosses. Schoolhouse Falls on Greenland Creek
is exceptional. Trails lead to the tops of both Big and Little Green
Mountains. There is a nice cascade on Panthertown Creek just northeast
of the bog, and another fall higher up to the northwest of Big Green
Mountain. The entire valley is a bear sanctuary. Camping and mountain
biking are allowed, but the primary activity for visitors is hiking
the maze of forest roads and trails which weave through the area.
The area sees seasonally heavy use due to it's close proximity to
the wealthy vacation town of Cashiers.
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History
 Early
settlers referred to the valley as "Paintertown", the
term "painter" referring to the large cats we now call
panthers. It was sparsely settled, becoming private land around
the turn of the century. The property was purchased by a lumber
company which began harvesting the timber in the 1920's. No old
growth forest remains. The Southern Railway ran a spur to the three
lumber camps, traces of which remain in the higher portions of the
valley along Panthertown Creek. Logging was completed by the end
of the 1930's. Fires then swept through the valley leading to severe
erosion. Deciduous forests of poplar, oak and magnolia have regrown.
The land sat idle until it's purchase in the 1960's by an investment
corporation. A few tracts were sold on the periphery and at one
time there was discussion of filing the valley with a lake, but
little actual development ensued. Duke Power Company purchased the
land in 1988 to run power transmission lines, then sold it to the
North Carolina Nature Conservancy retaining 800 acres for the right-of-
way in 1987. The Nature Conservancy promptly deeded the land to
the National Forest Service. It is currently administered by the
Highlands Ranger District.
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image of Wayne
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Directions
Directions from Cashiers:
There are 2 main entrances to the valley, climbers will want to
use the west entrance.
 Take
US 64 east from Cashiers, towards Brevard, for 1.8 miles until you
reach Cedar Creek Road (SR1120) on the left. Take Cedar Creek Road
for 2.3 miles until you reach Breedlove Rd on your right. Breedlove
Road winds back towards the valley for 3.3 miles where the pavement
ends. The dirt road to the parking area starts here. This last section
is short, but very rough. If you don't have a vehicle with good
ground clearance you may want to park here and walk in. You will
reach the Forest Service Gate in about 0.2 miles. There is a sign
with a map and notices. Walk past the Forest Service gate following
the dirt road down towards the valley. There is a registration box
on a tree on your left a short way beyond the gate. A few minutes
walking will bring you to the Salt Rock overlook on your left.
See larger image
of trailhead
Topographical maps: Big Ridge and Lake Toxaway Topographical maps
are available by contacting: NC Geographical Survey. 1612 Mail Service
Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1612. (919) 715-9718 www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/.
Trail maps are also available at Black Rock Outing Company in Sylva
828-631-HIKE..
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 Cliff
Access
From the small parking area, walk past the Forest Service gate
down the old access road. There is a registration box on a tree
on the right a short distance from the trailhead. Sign in, and continue
down the road a few moments. You will come to the Salt Rock overlook
on the left. From here a good view of the valley will help familiarize
you with the layout. The long mountain with the cliff faces you
see straight ahead is Little Green Mountain. The large dome to the
right is Big Green Mountain. The cliff faces on the left are on
Black Rock Mountain. Behind Little Green Mountain, cliff faces can
be seen on Boardcamp Ridge, as well as those outside the valley
on Cold Mountain and the Devil's Elbow.
View bigger
photo of trail
To Big Green Mountain - 30 minutes - Continue down the road
from the Salt Rock Overlook about 5 minutes until you see a prominent
trail leading off to the right. Follow this trail as it makes a
gentle descent. Pass the first trail you see on the left, just after
an area that appears as if it was once cleared and is now growing
back with small trees and large bushes. Look for the second trail
leading off to the left and follow it down. You will come to a stream
that can be crossed by rock hopping. A short distance beyond will
bring you to the Camp Merrywood shelter on your right. Continue
past the shelter on the trail another 5 - 10 minutes looking for
a trail on the left. It leads you to the base of the cliffs on Big
Green Mountain in the neighborhood of Camp Big Green 5.11a.
 To
Black Rock Mountain - 30 minutes - From the Salt Rock Overlook,
continue down the road. Pass the large trail leading off to Big
Green on your right. Watch for a trail a few minutes below leading
off to the left. The trail starts as a water drainage, then continues
through some low underbrush. It crosses a couple of small creeks,
usually dry and winds through a fern field. You will emerge at the
middle of the lower slab wall in the neighborhood of Welcome to
Panthertown 5.10 and Bearded Lady 5.10.
See larger photo
of Big Green cliff face
To Little Green Mountain - Little green mountain is more
remote towards the eastern end of the valley. I've yet to make the
hike back there, so I can't give an accurate time estimate or directions
to it.
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 Big
Green Mountain
From the Salt Rock overlook, Big Green Mountain is the large rise
on your right. The main cliff faces west and is not easily seen
from this angle. Big Green Mountain is the most developed climbing
area in the valley. Rising 300 feet, routes here are notoriously
difficult and challenging. The expanse of the west face is home
to a large number of sparsely bolted climbs. The easier the rating,
the more sparse the protection. To really enjoy the climbing here,
a leader should be comfortable on 5.11 and ready to accept some
heinous runouts as part of the deal. Many of the routes follow shallow
water grooves, cross bulging blank faces, and require great commitment
from the climber. I've climbed one of the easier routes here (Ground
Control 5.9), and been spit off others.
See larger photo
of Big Green Mountain
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 Black
Rock Mountain (A.K.A. Woody Wall)
From the Salt Rock overlook, Black Rock Mountain holds the nearby
south facing cliff faces on your left that stretch towards the back
of the valley. The trail will bring you to the lowest of these faces.
It's steep smooth friction slabs are hidden by the trees. The vegetated
rounded tops of the cliffs are visible displaying the easy climbing
leading to the ledges above.
See larger view
of Black Rock Mountain
The smooth granite faces of the lower are known as the Woody
Wall. The first routes were put up here in 1986 or 87 by Sean
Cobourn and Dean Gansline. The cliff saw further development in
the early '90s, primarily by Tom Woodruff, Steve Ritchie, Burt Perry,
and John Fain. The cliff holds more than a dozen lines, most of
which sport 4 - 5 bolts. Occasionally, a long section between distant
bolts may take a small traditional gear placement. Lengths of climbs
range from 100 to 170 feet. There are usually solid anchors at or
near the tops of these routes. This section of cliff holds some
of the best steep friction climbing south of Stone
Mountain. As at Stone, bolts appear to have been drilled on
lead, occurring at ledges and stances. I've climbed more than half
a dozen of these routes and estimate they range from 5.8 to 5.10
in difficulty. The route we've named Fun City is reported to be
solid 5.11, route E is a difficult 5.12.  Keeping
in character with other granite domes of North Carolina, the climbs
start with the steepest section, then start to roll towards the
top on easier ground at about 100 feet of height. The most difficult
moves usually occur in the first 30 - 40 feet, though some sustain
the challenge much higher or present crux moves just below the break
to the easier ground.
View bigger image
of Wayne
The lower portions of the cliff are shaded by the trees making
them cool when the sun beats down, but also keeping them wet and
slippery if it has rained. They dry quickly once the sun gets on
them making the impossible a bit more forgiving as the day wears
on. Once out into the sun, the rock is a little more sticky and
forgiving. The cliffs face south increasing their potential for
winter climbing.
 I
do not have the original names for the routes on the Woody Wall
. For identification purposes we've named the routes we've climbed
as well as some of the cliff features. I've made a topo map of the
main section of the cliff which will be revised and improved with
future visits and ascents. Click the link to go to the Black
Rock Mountain topo.
Enlarge photo
of Bryan
At the extreme left end of the cliff is a low angled slab section.
You must climb the steep portion of trail to reach it. There are
anchors at the top of this section, but no bolts on the face. It
can be easily soloed in the 5.4 - 5.5 range. Climbing to the top
here and proceeding up brings you to a second cliff we've just started
to explore. The climbing here looks much easier with lots of knobs
and water grooves. So far, it appears to be undeveloped.
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 Little
Green Mountain
From the Salt Rock overlook, Little Green Mountain is the long
stretch of faces on the large rock directly in front of you towards
the back of the valley. It's a long hike back to the cliffs. The
only hint I have that some climbing exists there are entries on
the sign-in log. Typically those going here to climb also spend
a night camping. The faces appear to be quite vegetated and dirty,
though a few promising areas can e seen on the tallest portion of
the rock towards the left end. Further exploration is needed to
confirm the quality of climbing here.
View larger
image of Little Green Mountain
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Guidebooks
   Guidebooks
The Climbers Guide to
North Carolina by Thomas Kelley.
Selected Climbs in North
Carolina - Yon Lambert and Harrison Shull.
The guidebooks list climbs on Big Green Mountain. I've yet to find
any information about Black Rock Mountain or Little Green Mountain.
I've created a Black Rock Mountain
topo which documents our current explorations of this area.
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 Routes
See larger photo
of Black Rock slab
The only route on Big Green I can recommend from experience is
Ground Control 5.8. I've retreated from others. I've yet to find
anyone who knows the history of Black Rock Mountain - see our topo
for recommended slab routes. I have not climbed any routes on Little
Green Mountain nor found any information about it.
Black Rock Mountain topo
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 Land
Manager:
US Forest Service
Nantahala National Forest
Highlands District Ranger Office
2010 Flat Mountain Road
Highlands, NC 28741
828 - 526- 3765
National Forests in North
Carolina http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/
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 Emergency
Information:
Highlands Ranger District 828-526-3765
Sheriff:
Sylva 828-586-2459
Franklin 828-369-9116
Highlands 828-526-4131
Ambulance:
Jackson County 828-586-2458, 828-586-2459
Franklin 828-369-9116
Macon County Rescue Squad 828-369-5266
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 Gear:
Standard rack. Gear placements can be sparse on Big Green with
long runouts common. There are bolts present on some climbs, but
distances between them can be substantial. At Black Rock Mountain,
the bolts are sparse to adequate (3 to 5 on 100 - 170 ft. climbs)
with the occasional opportunity to place small to medium gear on
runout sections. Quickdraws as well as longer slings should be available.
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 Facilities:
Campsites: Nearby commercial camping is available in Cashiers.
The Camp Merrywood Shelter is located near the base of Big Green
Mountain. It's a large covered platform used by the camp during
the summer months that can accommodate large groups. The remainder
of the valley floor is open for primitive overnight camping.
Enlarge view
of shelter
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Seasons:
As long as the weather has been dry, there is something to climb
in Panthertown Valley throughout the year. Because of the large
degree of friction climbing characteristic to the rock here, it's
not recommended when wet. Summers bring camp groups into the area,
fall brings the leaf-peepers, and winter brings out the hunters.
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 Access
Notes
Panthertown Valley hosts at least 11 different natural communities,
including the rare southern Appalachian bog and the swamp forest-bog
community. These communities harbor numerous rare plants, such as
Cuthbert's turtlehead, Canada burnet, marsh bellflower, climbing
fern, and spinulose wood fern. A network of hiking trails lead to
waterfalls and spectacular overlooks, cliff faces, and bogs. The
waterfalls support sensitive microclimates with the highest concentrations
of rare plants in the valley. The rare ferns, mosses, and liverworts
near the waterfalls are easily scraped off the rocks when visitors
walk near the falls. For this reason, the U.S. Forest Service encourages
visitors to view the falls from below.
View larger
image of creek
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Miscellaneous
The "official" name of Panthertown Valley has recently
been changed to the James and Elspeth Clarke Forest though it will
probably always be referred to as Panthertown by those who know
it. Representative Clarke led the 1987-88 effort to obtain funding
transferring Panthertown Valley to the US Forest Service.
There are about 20 miles of native brook trout streams in Panthertown
Valley offering excellent catch-and-release wild trout fishing.
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Links
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