51 - Panther Rock

Oliver Springs, Tennessee (Anderson County)

Last Updated: 11/06/2019
5 / 5 ( 2 reviews )
Information
Nearby Trails
Status: Open
Typically Open: Year Round
Permit Information: Permit Required - Click Here
Length: 2.51 miles
Highest Elevation: 2171 feet
Duration: About 1 hour, 30 minutes
Shape of Trail: Straight Through
Best Direction to Travel: North
Nearest Town: Oliver Springs
Nearest Town w/ Services: Oliver Springs
Official Road Name: 51 - Panther Rock
Management Agency: Windrock Park
District: Windrock Park
Showing 0 trails within 2 miles

Highlights

Highlight: 51 - Panther Rock
This trail, located on the edge of Windrock Park, affords the opportunity to visit the scenic overlook at Panther Rock. With an amazing view of the surrounding mountains, as well as down into the valley, prepare to have your breath taken away. This is the perfect spot for a lunch picnic, or a romantic dinner at sunset. Or, if you're an early riser, we don't see why you couldn't have a romantic breakfast at sunrise either. Due to the amazing view it provides, as well as the challenging aspect of the trail, the general consensus is that this is a "you need to do it at least once" kind of trail. If you're visiting Windrock Park during the fall when the leaves are changing, this a no-brainer "must hit it" trail.

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Weather

7 day forecast for 51 - Panther Rock

Route Information

Technical Rating:
(MODERATE - DIFFICULT)

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Waypoints

1. Trailhead (0 mi)
This easily spotted trailhead has room for a smaller group to air down at.

Directions to Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates: 36.165077, -84.234600

Starting Point: Windrock Park Campground, Tennessee

Starting from the campground office, travel south down Windrock Park Ln. Turn left onto Windrock Rd. Turn right on to E Tri County Blvd. and then prepare to make an immediate left after 498 feet at the traffic light. Turn left at the light onto Winter Gap Rd. and travel .1 miles to the stop sign. Turn left onto Railroad Ave. and travel .3 miles where Railroad Ave. makes a slight right and turns into Knox St. Travel 374 feet to the stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign onto TN-330 N/E Spring St. Travel 1.5 miles and turn left on to Frost Bottom Rd. to continue down TN-330. Travel 7.2 miles to the stop sign and turn left onto TN-116 S. Travel 2.8 miles and then turn right onto Braden Flats Rd. Travel 1.4 miles, at which point the hardtop turns to dirt. Continue another .3 miles down Braden Flats Rd to the marked trailhead on the left.

Camping

Not allowed

Trail Reviews (2)

Author:
Brandon McCullough
Official Crew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
This trail is great! Just technical enough to make it fun / challenging and the view is amazing!
Author:
Brian
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
This is a great Jeep Badge of Honor trail with awesome views. Unfortunately we had heavy rain our entire trip which made all trails much more difficult than they would have been dry. The clay turned to ice and made wheeling a little challenging, we were not able to drive down to Panther Rock due to wash out and slickness but we did walk down to enjoy the view. The normal run up the side of the trail once leaving Panther Rock was washed out heavy so we had to hill climb up the clay center section. If you are in a JL Rubicon once at the top there are 2 trees that are extremely narrow you have to fit through. Super fun trail regardless of the weather and would have been fairly easy if dry, we will be going back to complete Trail 16 this year (had to skip due to weather and trail conditions)

Questions & Answers (1)

Q: Thanks for such a detailed writeup. I’m trying to determine trails my Jeep can handle. My wife is inexperienced but bright if that helps lol and I have a little experience only on some mild off camber easy trails. I’d like to get back into trail riding and have concerns here. Any ledges to climb or drop off of? It’s still newer and we don’t want to rip panels and bumpers off. I don’t have a hitch/stinger to take the hit either. Tires will be 33.2 to 34. No lockers. Patagonia MT or Ridge Grapplers. I’ve got a good head on my shoulders and I’m careful. Lastly, is that a big crevice I see that needs to be crossed to park on Panther Rock overlook? Thanks. I guess I’m just looking for extra assurance. It would be great to have another trail driver along so I’ll reach out on O.B, FB, etc prior. Thanks for your service too btw. I was and F-16 Crew Chief.
–Daniel Kilfoile (01/20/2020)
–Brandon McCullough (01/21/2020)

Writer Information

Brandon McCullough

Mapping Crew - Arkansas
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Brandon is an avid camper, and thorough follower of the motto "pack light; freeze at night". Spending 6 years in the Marine Corps Infantry, he learned to sleep on the ground under the stars. No tent required. After purchasing his Nissan Xterra and joining the off road community, he has learned to get a little more comfortable since his rig is carrying the gear now; instead of himself. Brandon spends most of his time with his dog Yams, or doing one of the following: working in the garage on his Nissan Xterra, Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, or Volkswagen TDI Golf, spending time at the rifle range, out on the water kayaking and Trout fishing, at a NASCAR race, or on the trails in his Xterra.
For individual use only, not to be shared.

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