The USDA Forest Service has an older topographical map of the Nantahala National Forest (1997) available which may be ordered here.
A .PDF document of the official Panthertown Trail System (2009) is also available to download for free. Note: This map does not include any of the footpaths, or unofficial trails, as found on Burt Kornegay’s map, “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown”.
FREE DOWNLOADS
Download a higher-resolution Panthertown Trail System map (with waterfalls indicated) in .PDF format.
Download Adobe® Acrobat Reader to view .PDF documents.
The free map is…well it’s pitiful. to elaborate: callout boxes are poor substututes for labels, they obscure detail and clutter the map. The usgs topo quad map in the background is such poor quality, and poor resolution (probably a .jpg, instead of a .tiff) that it also is virtually useless. I’ve used many trail maps, this one ranks very, very low. suggetion: color code each trail with a unique color…one color per trai, not base on usage, but based on the trail itself…one color for the entire trail. I travel afoot…don’t care about trail usage limitations (bike/horseback)…why was this chosen as the foundational layer of the map? It’s unconventional at best, confusing and poor map construction at worst. That information should be included in the legend. Actually symbology is probably a better choice for trails than colors, avoids problems for folks who are color blind (dots, dashes, solid lines, etc). S’pose these are the reasons the map is free.