We finally did a hike I've been wanting to do for several years. We actually live relatively close to Panther Creek now. It only took about 1 hour, 10 mins to get there (with a stop at a super sketchy gas station). The weather was really nice, so there were quite a few people along the trail, but not nearly as many as in summer time, I would think. It's a cool 7 miles roundtrip and we definitely felt it afterward. It's a pretty moderate, meandering hike for the most part but there are definitely a few steep spots and the trail is very rooty. I would recommend shoes with good ankle support. At the bottom of the falls there is a nice beachy area with plenty of space to sit and relax or have a picnic. The dogs swam a little and enjoyed running around on the beach. There are lots of other resting spots along the trail as well. The rock formations are quite impressive with boulders as large as the ones along the Chattahoochee. The forest was beginning to show some blooms and the rhododendrons were about to pop open. I can't wait until later in spring when all the flowers will be blooming. The only damper on this hike was unfortunately several bad examples of
NOT leaving a trace. There was a smoldering fire pit near the waterfall (hello, we are still under Level 2 drought conditions) and waste I would prefer not to write about. I fail to understand why people who enjoy nature enough to go on a 7 mile hike literally think their sh*t doesn't stink. We also saw an abandoned armchair. Again, whyyy??? I don't go into nature so I can be reminded how much I hate humanity.
We finally did a hike I've been wanting to do for several years. We actually live relatively close to Panther Creek now. It only took about 1 hour, 10 mins to get there (with a stop at a super sketchy gas station). The weather was really nice, so there were quite a few people along the trail, but not nearly as many as in summer time, I would think. It's a cool 7 miles roundtrip and we definitely felt it afterward. It's a pretty moderate, meandering hike for the most part but there are definitely a few steep spots and the trail is very rooty. I would recommend shoes with good ankle support. At the bottom of the falls there is a nice beachy area with plenty of space to sit and relax or have a picnic. The dogs swam a little and enjoyed running around on the beach. There are lots of other resting spots along the trail as well. The rock formations are quite impressive with boulders as large as the ones along the Chattahoochee. The forest was beginning to show some blooms and the rhododendrons were about to pop open. I can't wait until later in spring when all the flowers will be blooming. The only damper on this hike was unfortunately several bad examples of NOT leaving a trace. There was a smoldering fire pit near the waterfall (hello, we are still under Level 2 drought conditions) and waste I would prefer not to write about. I fail to understand why people who enjoy nature enough to go on a 7 mile hike literally think their sh*t doesn't stink. We also saw an abandoned armchair. Again, whyyy??? I don't go into nature so I can be reminded how much I hate humanity.
