Panthertown Valley EXPO & Picnic
Friends of Panthertown to Celebrate National Trails Day
On National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2, local non-profit Friends of Panthertown will host a Panthertown Valley EXPO to celebrate National Trails Day at Sapphire Valley Community Center from 2pm to 4pm and an informal National Trails Day Picnic in Panthertown kick-off gathering at the Salt Rock Gap overlook in Panthertown Valley from 11am to 1pm. Both events are free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome.
For the Picnic in Panthertown, bring your own chairs or a blanket, gather your friends, and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at the Salt Rock Gap overlook. There will be an opportunity to go hiking and explore Panthertown both before and after the picnic. Maps will be available.
After the picnic, head over to the Sapphire Valley Community Center anytime between 2pm and 4pm for the EXPO. Experts will be on hand to provide information and answer your questions about exploring Panthertown, including hiking, mountain biking, riding horses, fishing, birding, and rock climbing. There will be door prizes and giveaways, including maps and t-shirts, live music by Geoff McBride plus an opportunity to sign up for summertime guided hikes into Panthertown.
Thanks to our sponsors and exhibitors at the EXPO: Bald Rock, Highland Hiker, Oskar Blues Brewery North Carolina, D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors, Brookings’ Anglers, Nantahala Area SORBA, Bear Tracks Travel Center, Panthertown Map Association, Jackson County, North Carolina, Recreation and Parks and Jackson County Outdoor Recreation.
Friends of Panthertown Valley is the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that protects and maintains more than 30 miles of public trails in Panthertown Valley, a 6,300 acre backcountry recreational area in the Nantahala National Forest, in partnership with U.S. Forest Service – National Forests in North Carolina. Panthertown offers some of the most scenic public trails in the area.
Sapphire Valley Community Center is located at 127 Cherokee Trail in Sapphire, NC.
Salt Rock Gap in Panthertown is located at the end of Breedlove Road off Cedar Creek Road in Cashiers. Parking is limited along the bumpy 1/4 mile USFS gravel road leading to the trailhead. Signs will be posted at the trailhead directing hikers to the nearby picnic site located about a 5-10 minute walk from the parking area. In case of rain, the picnic will instead be located at Sapphire Valley Community Center where the Expo will also be held.
Contact friends@panthertown.org or visit www.panthertown.org for more info on these and other events, including An evening with Jennifer Pharr Davis on August 18 by Jennifer Pharr Davis, hiker, author, speaker, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year who has covered over 12,000 miles of long distance trails on six different continents and holds the overall record for fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail.
I only wish I was going to be there for the National Geo presentation in Aug. I hope something that big will repeat in mid Oct when we are back for our semi annual valley trip.