Panther Creek Falls Hike and Swim

Come join us for a 7 mile hike and swim in the GA Mountains at The Panther Creek Recreation Area. We will be going on The Panther Creek Trail which follows Panther Creek through stands of white pine and hemlock along the steep, rocky bluffs of the creek.  

The majority of the trail is flat and shaded but there are some rocky and potentially slippery areas and a few steep inclines near the waterfall. We will hike at a leisurely to moderate pace and will stop at some of the more scenic locations. 

The 3.5 mile trail from the parking lot reaches the beautiful, multi- cascading waterfalls of Upper Panther Creek Falls. The creek’s small cascades flow over the wide, tiered rock outcrop, pooling before dropping toward the immense lower falls downstream. We will stop about one and half hours to have lunch and swim and enjoy the water fall, then backktrack down to the parking lot to complete the loop.

The car pool in the morning will leave Windward Park and Ride PROMPTLY at 9:30 am. There are no restrooms at the Windward Park and Ride or at the Panther Creek parking lot.  We will have a restroom stop as we get closer to Panther Creek Park. The hike will begin at 11:15 am.

There is a $3.00 parking fee at Panther. 

Please note: This is a no rush hike to enjoy the scenary and water fall, however you must be able to keep up with group and hike on average 2.5 miles per hour.

From the Windward Park and Ride in Alpharetta, GA:
- Get on GA-400 N/US-19 N from Windward Pkwy (1.0 mi / 3 min)
- Follow GA-400 N/US-19 N to GA-306 E. Take Exit #17 from GA-400 N/US-19 N (15.0 mi / 14 min)
- Get on GA-365 N/US-23 N in Hall County (20.4 mi / 30 min)
- Follow US-23 N to Travis Smith Rd in Habersham County (35.6 mi / 32 min)
- Drive to Old Historic U.S.441 N (1.0 mi / 2 min)
- Turn left onto Travis Smith Rd (0.2 mi / 1 min)
- Turn right onto Old Historic U.S.441 N. Destination will be on the left (0.8 mi / 2 min)

Money for car pool and parking.