Big Green Mountain
North Carolina, United States, North America

Big Green Mountain

Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 35.15900°N / 83.028°W
Additional Information Elevation: 4200 ft / 1280 m
Sign the Climber's Log
Sign the Climber's Log!

Overview

Big Green Mountain is the larger of the two plutons at the center of Panthertown Valley. Separated by a high elevation bog from its sister peak, Little Green Mountain, Big Green has some truly impressive rock faces and stands in stark contrast above the level floor of the valley. Surrounded by wetlands, girdled by streams, home to a number of falls, and clothed in forests of hardwoods and pines, it's a gem in western North Carolina.
Greenland Creek Falls.Greenland Creek Falls.

While slightly higher than its sister peak, Little Green, Big Green does not have quite so many large and impressive rock walls. Most of the mountain is clothed in second growth hardwoods, and there are only a few good spots around the summit for unobstructed views.

Granny Burrell Falls.Granny Burrel Falls.


Getting There

There are two trailheads for access to Panthertown Valley. I used the Cold Mountain Gap Trailhead, since the Salt Rock Gap Trailhead had been washed out due to flooding from Hurricanes Ivan and Frances.

From Brevard: Take 64 W to 281 North. Follow 281 for about .8 mile (8/10) to Cold Mountain Road (SR 1301). Go 5.8 miles to a sharp left turn and drive down about one tenth mile to the trailhead.

THERE IS NO "OFFICIAL" TRAIL SYSTEM IN PANTHERTOWN VALLEY. THE VALLEY IS LITERALLY CRISSCROSSED WITH DOZENS, IF NOT HUNDREDS, OF TRAILS. TO KEEP FROM GETTING YOUR ASS LOST, BUY THE KORNEGAY MAP HERE

Red Tape

Panthertown Valley has no fees whatsoever and, as far as I know, is completely unregulated. Pack it in, pack it out. Hoist your food (prime bear habitat). Just be courteous. Lots of free fun to be had exploring the wilds of Panthertown.

When To Climb

More good granite. I m...Good granite.
For hiking, all year. For rock climbing, just use common sense. It does get warm in the depth of summer. And this place does ice up severely, at times.

Camping

This is the shelter at the...This A-frame shelter makes a good base camp.
Camping is allowed, and is unregulated. Please be aware that Panthertown Valley is a high elevation, U-shaped valley and is home to dozens of rare and sensitive plant communities. Don't build new fire rings. Don't put your tent on rare plants, and don't tread over mosses and grasses on the dry granite domes.

I would not recommend camping in low areas near creeks or bogs. I do see campsites in such areas, but flash floods are a real danger.

Mountain Conditions

Check the weather for Cashiers or Highlands. Highlands might actually be more accurate for Panthertown, as they are roughly the same elevation and only a few miles distant (even though Cashiers is closer).

External Links



Images

View Big Green Mountain Image Gallery - 22 Images

Table of Contents
Geography
Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.

Album1 Routes