Panther Top

Panther Top Road is an easy hike, and so worth it for the view. The entire hike is along a forestry road and leads up to the very top of Pather Top (a.k.a. Panther Knob). At the top one will find the historic Panther Top Lookout Tower, built in 1940, which is listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. Though access to the top of the tower is restricted, impressive views to the north can be seen from the stairs up to the tower. The road connects to a couple of other trails in the area, including the Panther Gap trail which leads from Panther Top down through Panther Gap and on to the confluence of the Nottely River and Hiwassee River at Ramsey Bend, though that trail is grown over and is much more difficult than this one.