Panthertown Valley National Park

Don't Cross The River If You Can't Swim The Tide

No one ever plans out a backpacking trip with anything less than the best of intentions. Personally I go into every trip studying trail and topographical maps, plotting the best possible route that maximizes my equation of equalizing effort input versus scenic reward and payoff. It was with this careful balance in mind that I plotted a trip for my wife and I along with another couple to Panthertown Valley. My initial research lead me to numerous reviews of the area each sharing the common theme that a map is a requirement because of unblazed trails and the absence of any substantial markings.

I plotted a loop hike that would consist of zero backtracking and allow us to check out 6 waterfalls and bag 2 peaks both over 4000'. I studied this map until the path was burned into my brain and by the time our departure weekend finally arrived I was confident in my route and my ability to lead our group through this wilderness adventure.

Google Maps told me that the forest was 3 hours from Charlotte so we were on the road by quarter after 6 in the morning. It rained the entire drive up, which certainly dampened (bad pun) our spirits but as we broke through the clouds just outside of Cashiers, NC we were greeted by blue skies and incredible views. The drive up Cold Mountain Rd is amazing consisting of massive houses that back up to a pristine mountain lake. I made a note to myself that this would be a great place to go for a romantic weekend with the wife at a future date. Finding Pathertown Valley is unique... because you just keep on driving around this twisting car sick inducing road until it dead ends at the park and the nonexistent parking lot (there is an open area where you leave your car).

We departed our car and after throwing our packs on our backs we jumped the gate (there are two trails at the gate, one to the north west and one to the west, we took the western route) and headed off towards the power towers (Duke Energy has power towers that cut through Panthertown Valley). Our original plan was to follow this trail down to see two seperate unnamed waterfalls before we headed north to meet up with the other trail and checking out the often photographed School House Falls.

I had read before we came out that the trails were not well marked, and we found this out very quickly as we descended towards the river and while following the trail found ourselves back under other power lines... we had done a loop. After going back to the map we finished our loop which brought us directly back to the parking lot, a mile after we had departed. This time we decided to head straight for School House Falls by taking that North Western trailhead.

The hike to School House Falls was beautiful. There is a lot of water that runs through Panthertown Valley and the short hike to this fall stretches over a very moderately downward trail that meets with a more intense downhill trail after three switchbacks. We scouted for several minutes searching for the best place to cross the river to reach the beach location and although two people in our group ended up with wet feet, Mary and I found ourselves very dry due to Gore-Tex footwear.

School House Falls is worth the three hour drive alone. This is a beautiful, wide, and loud fall that really captures everything that the waterfall witness hopes to view. There is a nice pool area below the fall and I am sure this is an ideal swimming location during the summer months. We took a ton of pictures at the fall and ran into a large group of day hikers also made up of Yankee and Red Sux fans.

From here we headed towards the north eastern area of the park so that we could check out three additional waterfalls capping off with the Warden Falls. Our trek took us up a mountain ridge, passing once again underneath those Duke Energy power lines. There were some nice side trails that lead down to the river but each spot was too deep to cross, completely shattering my initial plans for our trip. We continued to the second fall and had lunch in front of a waterfall on a large rock in the middle of the river.

We searched the area for a place to cross the river but it was either too deep because of the rain or there just was no convenient crossing location and we were stranded on the eastern side of the river. We decided it was best to backtrack and erase our 1.5 mile climb north.

At this point our initial route needed to be completely scrapped. We still wanted to check out Little Green Mountain and have that be our day 2 accomplishment so we started to hike towards the base. Around 4pm we came to a nice clearing where we set up camp and enjoying some dehydrated food, a nice roaring fire, and calling it a night...

A quick note on sleeping bags here... 20 degree bags don't always work all the way down to 20 degrees. Heck, sometimes they don't work down to 36 degrees which is what we were in. We all froze that night and if it wasn't for the Nyquil induced forced sleep coma I was in, it would rank easily as one of the more miserable experiences I have had.

The next morning we were awake at sunrise, around 730AM and while struggling to regain some sense of feeling in our fingers we quickly broke camp and started to hike towards Little Green Mountain and it's famous granite dome.

Little Green Mountain is a weird location. From a technical hiking point of view, it is significantly easier to hike it from the west as we did versus leaving School House Falls and summiting from the east. It is a marvel of geological evolution in that it is a massive granite capped 4000' peak. The view is spectacular and has incredible diversity of plant life that changes throughout the trek. I really cannot say enough about the view from the top of this mountain but we did walk up on a group of packers who had a campsite at the summit. I highly recommend grabbing this site for any future visitors but make sure that you bring your water with you because it is a long walk down to get something to drink if you run out.

After descending from Little Green Mountain we were back at School House Falls and about 20 minutes away from the car. We found our car undisturbed and without any broken windows... always a great end to an incredible trip.

Overall I would say that Panthertown Valley is one of the more beautiful locations that I have backpacked in North Carolina. It doesn't compare with high country Colorado but there is something so unique and special about hiking through the valley that it seems like a hidden secret wildness jewel. While it is physically and difficulty wise one of the easier western North Carolina locations to hike, it is extremely rewarding visually and certainly a place that we would return to again and again. It is bear and coyote country but we didn't see any animals although their presence is felt and smelled throughout. I highly recommend Panthertown Valley and can't wait to get back.

Difficulty: 4/10
Beauty: 8/10
Location Convenience: 4/10
Return Factor: 9/10

Physical Address of Parking Lot/Trail Head: I don't have an exact address of the trailhead but if you put these GPS coordinates into Google Maps it will take you right there... 35.16898, -83.04012

Link to Trail Map:
There are two maps, the first is the proposed trail map which I would not recommend because I do not know how accurate it is. It is located here: http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/nepa/highlands/panthertown_map.pdf
The second map is extremely accurate and available for $6 at http://www.slickrockexpeditions.com/map_request.htm It is a requirement to have this map to really enjoy everything possible in this park.

Happy Trails!

Jeremy

Lake Norman State Park

Public Park in a Private Place

An overnight hike that rewards a visitors hours of effort with a beautiful vista isn't always what we are looking for when it comes down to it. Sometimes, as was the cast this weekend, you just want to load the dogs up in the car and get out into the woods to work your dogs out and help ensure that your boots are properly broken in. A couple of years ago before we were married, my wife surprised me by taking me on a picnic to Lake Norman State Park. Her intention was to take me up there, have us rent a canoe, and just spend the day relaxing on the water. We found out that canoe rentals only go from Memorial Day to Labor Day but spent a good amount of time walking along the trails. A couple of years later we decided to return.

Lake Norman State Park is about 30 to 40 minutes from Charlotte (depending on where in Charlotte you are originating from). As a facility it offers mountain biking trails, hiking trails, a beach set up for family style beach activities, equestrian riding trails, and boat launches. There's a ton of stuff to do here.

So down to the basics...

Parking is extremely ample and there are numerous signs in throughout the park directing you specifically to the Lake Shore Trail. I felt very secure leaving my vehicle and experienced no problems with my car (random acts of vandalism). The trail head is located at the east end of the parking area and is pretty easy to find.

Lake Shore Trail seems to be the main trail in this park (or at least the featured trail) and is nice because it can be hiked either in its entirety at 5 miles or by using a cut through trail which makes it either 3.2 miles (south bound) or 2.6 miles (north bound). This offers not only a variety of lengths but provides a lot of diversity for the hiker. The trail is very well maintained and seemed to be a high use are although there is a lot of tree root stomping. There are white blazes throughout the trail and spacing is frequent enough that it would be almost impossible to get lost. As far as the scenery goes, the Lake Shore Trail is comparable to most hiking trails in that it is a walk in the woods over some rolling hills, with one notable exception... The lake is constantly on your right (if you travel southward). This makes this average view almost magical. Looking across the lake you are greeted by seeing expensive mansions which boggle the mind, yet here you find yourself walking through this waterfront beauty that is not privately owned. The trail map lists the difficulty as moderate yet the rolling hills were very easy with no elevation changes greater than 40' within a short amount of time. We ran into several groups including dog walkers, fishing families, other hikers, and a group of either boy/cub scouts or some other type of camping troop. If you are looking for isolation, this most likely isn't the ideal place to find it.

For the people travelling with dogs, especially dogs who enjoy the water, there are countless dirt beaches with easy access from the trail to provide excellent swimming opportunities for your pets. I would be a little nervous during peak season on the lake with the motorized vehicles but during our quiet Sunday we didn't even see a paddle boat in our vicinity.

Our planned 5 mile hike was cut short due to a tired puppy but this is certainly a location where we would consider returning and coming back with the dogs. It's a great place to spend a couple of hours, enjoy some beautiful scenery, and have a good long walk with the dogs.

Difficulty: 2/10
Beauty: 6/10
Location Convenience: 8/10
Return Factor: 7/10

Physical Address of Parking Lot/Trail Head: 159 Inland Sea Lane, Troutman, NC 28166

Link to Trail Map: http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/lano/pics/parkmap.pdf

Happy Trails!

Jeremy

Uwharrie National Forest

Pronounced You-Har-E which means Spider Web in the Mouth

In my opinion a national forests can go one of three ways:
1. National Forests can be a secluded jewel where privacy and solitude engulf you like a blanket
2. National Forests can be tourist traps where nature is overrun by every Tom, Dick, and Harry
3. They can fall between these two extremes.

I searched the internet looking for a follow up trip to our South Mountain State Park trip and wanted something that would provide the distance we lacked on our previous trip but maybe without some of the intensity. Uwharrie is where I was directed. I was attracted to the length of the trails as well as the favorable reviews. I knew going into this trip that it was a high use area, but somehow or another that tidbit of information slipped my mind... that's really a shame.

Uwharrie is pretty conveniently located under 90 minutes from Charlotte. Most of the websites I had seen pointed me towards Troy, NC and mentioned Asheboro, so I thought it was near the zoo. In actuality it is a lot closer than that (depending on how you get there). We drove towards Albemarle, past Reid Gold Mine, and just kept on going... It wasn't a bad drive at all.

Parking is located directly off the highway and there seems to be more than ample parking at the main trail head for the Uwharrie Trail as well as Dutchman's Trail for at least 15 vehicles, although there is a field where several people were also parking... I would guess that you could easily fit 75 cars if this whole area were to be used.

Our original plan was to hike the Dutchman's trail to the designated campsite but once we inspected a more legible map than the one available on the website (http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/uwharrie/index.htm) we decided to change our plans significantly. Something about camping around a bunch of cars and campers didn't sit right with me or work with my idea of escaping any sounds other than those of the woods. Furthermore, in the parking lot a group of Boy Scouts (or just early teenagers) was loading up and we wanted to ensure that we were as far away from them as possible. Our revised plan of action was to hike the Dutchman's Trail until we intersected the Uwharrie Trail. We planned on taking the Uwharrie Trail then until we hit the published campsite about 1.5 miles from the parking lot. My rough finger measured calculations gave us a 8+ mile first day and shorter second day. We were pretty satisfied with this plan. With fully loaded water bladders we set out on the trail.

I don't know what your backyard looks like, but if you have a bunch of trees that you walk through over a narrow 10" path, then you have already experienced the Dutchman's Trail. This trail is forged along an old hunting/gaming path. The beginning of the trail extremely easy. Within an hour of very easy hiking you come to the first primitive campsite on the Dutchman's Trail. There are numerous of these coming up. We stopped at this first campsite and relaxed for a bit, snapping a couple of photos and took in a quick snack.

From this point we started to go uphill... I don't believe it was a tough climb but it just sort of came out of nowhere from the slight rolling hills we had been experiencing. The remainder of the Dutchman's Trail remained this way, I would rate the first mile or so as a 2-10 whereas the rest is easily a 6 or 7/10 as far as difficulty. Maybe the early part is why so many people list it overall as a 5/10. The Dutchman's Trail continues to cross a gravel road numerous times... completely destroying the illusion of being in the wilderness. At other points it runs parallel to the road where bikers can be seen and heard. For me this is the same as seeing a boom microphone in a shot when watching a movie. It destroys the illusion. Regardless, we continued hiking until we intersected the Uwharrie Trail and made a left. The Uwharrie trail had numerous primitive campsites throughout but it just continued the same view of a walk through the woods. We ended up camping not far from the road that the bikers travelled through (by not far I mean about 40'). The next morning we made our way out.

I am sort of split in my opinion of Uwharrie National Forest. Maybe there is a lot more diversity in some of the other areas we didn't reach, but it seemed like the most redundant views I have ever seen. We all commented about how boring the hike was, just not enough diversity (or any at all).

Water was rather sparse as we were warned prior to arriving. The several times we crossed streams they were extremely shallow or had borderline still water (I'm sure that filtered it would have been adequate). Wildlife was nonexistent with the exception of the bikers we saw as well as the numerous hikers on the paths. Certainly not a place where you feel alone or out of reach from civilization. At night a group set off numerous fireworks and disrupted the peace that should have been found. We did see what we assume to be a copperhead sunning himself on the trail and avoided disturbing him successfully. To say that seeing a sleeping snake on the trail was the highpoint of hours on trail is sort of a disappointment.

One special note regarding this trail... and I guess this sort of could be a good thing but the early sites (1/8th of a mile to 1/2 mile from the parking lot) all seemed to have a lot of people at them. The further campsites were barren (although sound really travels here). As the lead hiker in our group I walked face first into 74 spider webs on the trail... and yes, I did count. This does show that we laid first footprints of the day on a good amount of the trails we hiked but there comes a certain point where it just becomes a little much. I think that was around spider web number 11 when my wife asked me to stop counting... Good thing for me she is a patient woman who accepts my quirks.

Once again, most likely way more detail than anyone needs. I try to do my best to direct people in the right direction. I would personally say that I was not crazy about this trail and my wife downright didn't enjoy it (she enjoyed the being outdoors but not the trail, monotony, or the lacking views at all). I would say that we would most likely not return here simply for the lack of diversity, although I might consider it for a day hike depending on what I was in the mood for. There are numerous trail blazes and with few exceptions, it is an easy trail to follow (I would imagine it being much tougher in autumn). I really like the proximity of this location but not the actual experience of being there, it is almost the cereal box that you buy because of the toy inside.

Difficulty: 6/10
Beauty: 3/10
Location Convenience: 7/10
Return Factor: 2/10

Physical Address of Parking Lot/Trail Head: I don't have an exact address (because it is right off of 24/27). The best thing I can say is that if you follow 24/27 West from Troy, NC in 9 miles you cannot miss the trailhead on your left hand side.

Link to Trail Map: http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/uwharrie/index.htm

Happy Trails!

Jeremy

South Mountain State Park

Not your average state park…

When I normally think about state parks the first thing that comes to mind is normally the image of people pulling campers and experiencing the outdoors from a portable apartment. I don't think there is anything wrong with this but personally I really want to be surrounded by nature and get back to some sense of minimalism and be devoid of such modern comforts such as DirecTV (which has excellent baseball coverage). South Mountain State Park is absolutely an exception to the image I have regarding state parks.

Since everything is relative, South Mountain State Park is very conveniently located under 90 minutes from Charlotte, NC just north of Lincolnton. We arrived at the park entrance at 730AM on Saturday morning to be met by a locked gate and notification that the park does not open until 8AM. Once we entered the physical grounds of the park we found ample parking at the uppermost parking lot and back country camping site registry. This is a location, unlike most national forests, where you are required to camp at a designated location.

Since I always have that sense of fear when I leave a car in any parking location unattended overnight I felt that this was one of the better possible locations to park, especially with the closed front gate to the park. I don't know if this matters to anyone else but it is important to me.

After triple reviewing our planned trek for the day, Mary and I settled on the second most distant primitive camping location.

South Mountain State Park has numerous possible routes to reach any location in the park. The diversity possible here is simply incredible and allows the visitor the option of creating interesting loop hikes rather than the déjà vu inducing out-and-back trips that so many of us experience.

For our hike we settled on the Fox Trail Campsite which meant that our trek would take us over the following trails:
High Shoals Trail
Upper Falls Trail
HQ Trail
(Jacob Branch Campsite for an early lunch around 10AM)
Lower CCC Trail
Fox Trail
Fox Trail Campsite

The hike itself was beautiful overall. The High Shoals Trail begins as a mellow hike along the river. It is a very well maintained trail with many wooden bridges and a well beaten path. As you approach the lower fall area there are some really nice small waterfalls to take in. This is a great opporuntity to just view the falls for a moment because everything is getting ready to change.

From the lower falls area the steps begin and then it becomes very strenuous as you hike up hundreds of steps to the incredible views of the waterfall. The moment you see the view with a great observation deck the effort is all worthwhile.

At the top of the High Shoals trail there is a fork in the woods taking you either down to a campsite which would be ideal for family trips or a trail that takes you further into the wilderness. We elected to go into the wilderness. The name South Mountain State Park really does involved Mountains so expect some moderate climbing from this point forward, nothing crippling but expect to breath pretty hard. The trails are well marked and there are ample views to the valleys below and peaks in the distance. I can only imagine how incredible the foliage would be in this area. When we stopped for an early lunch at Jacob Branch Campsite we ran into a solo hiker packing up for the morning. This was the only person we saw our first day there (we heard other people, keep reading). This was a great campsite with close and easy to locate water, a picnic table (such a strange comfort that makes for a nice convenience) and primitive horse stalls. There was ample room for numerous tents here as well as metal fire pits. We snacked on some salami sandwiches and reviewed our upcoming hike. After a digestion break we threw our packs back on and continued onward and in the case of our location, upward. The trail was hardly memorable for the next mile, it was well maintained, and enjoyable. We reached camp around noon. Fox Trail campsite is about the size of a football field squared with fire pits and is a beautiful little clearing in the woods.

We could hear water in the distance but finding it was another matter. By walking to the far end of the site and back to the right we located the stream and were able to filter water. The site had numerous logs that were arranged around fire pits but many of these logs seemed to be either ant or termite infested... There was an outhouse which we discovered when we heard some horseback riders come through like an earthquake to use. We walked over to see the structure but neither of us had any interest in using it (easily one of the scariest structures I could imagine in the woods).

The following morning we awoke early and had broken camp before 10AM. We had decided on the following trail combination to reach the parking lot:
Fox Trail South East
Jacob Branch Trail North East
Upper Falls Trail East
High Shoals Falls Loop North (towards parking lot, not the stairs)

One note of particulars regarding this part of our hike would be the Jacob Branch Trail. This starts rolling down hill pretty slowly and by the mid section where it hits the water is easily the steepest of all the trails we experienced in the park albeit, downhill. This trail reminded me of the mudslide in Romancing the Stone and if we would have slipped we could have easily been just like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. When we crossed the stream we were dreading the hike up... completely unfounded. The hike up was under 10 minutes and barely considered as moderate.

We cleared out from campsite to parking lot in under 2 hours, which shocked both of us.

So that is a lot more detail than anyone most likely needs regarding our 24 hours at South Mountain State Park. Overall I would say that it is one of the more beautiful locations imaginable with a wide range of trails. Depending on your conditioning and interests you could spend an entire day on the trails or do as we did and hike in the morning and relax in the afternoon. I highly recommend backpacking and hiking here and while the route we did could easily be done as a day hike, making a night out of the adventure does not disappoint in the least. This area is approachable enough to be a great introduction to backpacking but more importantly it is challenging enough for you to feel it in your legs two days after you leave. I highly recommend hiking here.

Difficulty: 6/10
Beauty: 6/10
Location Convenience: 8/10
Return Factor: 7/10

Physical Address of Parking Lot/Trail Head: 3001 South Mountain Park Avenue, Connelly Springs, NC 28612

Link to Trail Map: http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/somo/pics/parkmap.pdf

Happy Trails!

Jeremy