Would you like to go hiking in Panthertown and learn about the conservation work that we do to keep the trails maintained and the valley protected?
Friends of Panthertown hosts public trail work days in Panthertown Valley on the 3rd Saturday of each month, plus additional days throughout the season. Everyone is welcome! No previous trail work experience is necessary, just a desire to help out.
You’ll get a guided tour of the valley, and meet others who also love Panthertown. It’s a fun way to give back to this special place. To sign-up, or for more info about volunteering in Panthertown, visit our Volunteer page.
Panthertown Valley is a 6,311-acre backcountry recreation area featuring more than 30 miles of public trails on Nantahala National Forest in western North Carolina.
Friends of Panthertown volunteers maintain and improve the trail system in Panthertown for all to enjoy.
Join today to help!
- Saturday, October 17 ✅
- Wednesday, October 28 (Pruning) ✅
- Thursday, October 29 ✅
- Wednesday, November 4 (Pruning) ✅
- Thursday, November 12 ✅
- Saturday November 21 ✅
- Saturday, November 28 ✅
- Wednesday, December 2 (Pruning) ✅
- Friday, December 11 ✅
- Saturday December 19 ✅
On Oct 9, We back packed and camped at Panthertown Valley despite the warnings we saw on the internet regarding bear activity. We saw several signs of bears on our trip. I have no doubt we would have had a bear encounter if we had not adhered to basic bear safety rules: we put all smellables in the bear box, we did not camp where we ate, we had nothing in our tents when we slept and we made enough noise to not surprise wildlife. It was a great hike. I also thought the trails were adequately marked and maintained. We even had the chance to thank a trail volunteer on our trip.