Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN · NC
Ten stream crossings on a steep backcountry connector
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this area
Middle Prong and Lynn Camp Prong Cascades“Middle Prong trailhead is coming up, a good choice for a short walk beside tumbling water.”
Plays on the road 2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Panther Creek Trail is a 2.2-mile one-way connector from the Middle Prong Trail junction to Jake’s Gap. Its mapped tread measures 2.19 miles; other published figures round it up to about 2.3–2.4. From Middle Prong it climbs roughly 1,430 feet to Jake’s Gap, and it feels steep in either direction. Allow about 2½ hours for this segment itself. Both ends are inside the trail network, so this is not a short walk from a car.
The trail crosses Panther Creek repeatedly—ten times in the route description, with most crossings made by stepping or hopping over rocks. The crossing at the Middle Prong end is unbridged and can be calf-deep. The streambed is rocky, so footing and water level matter; do not attempt the ford when recent rain has raised the water.
The Middle Prong end is about 2.3 trail miles beyond the Middle Prong Trailhead at the end of Tremont Road. Jake’s Gap is reached from the surrounding backcountry trails, including Jakes Creek and Miry Ridge. Plan a longer loop or a through-hike with a return arrangement; the 2.2-mile figure covers Panther Creek Trail only. Vehicles parked in the park for more than 15 minutes need a physical parking tag. Pets are prohibited on this trail; service animals are permitted.
Wildlife
1,566 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
899 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateLynn Camp Prong Trail3.7 mi · 3 hr · 1.2 mi awayAn old logging grade gives way to a rocky ridge climb.
ModerateGreenbrier Ridge Trail4.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA wildflower ridge route for hikers already deep in the backcountry.
ModerateMiddle Prong Trail8.2 mi · 5 hr · 2 mi awayA long railroad grade follows cascades into a rougher upper trail.
EasyThunderhead Prong Quiet Walkway1.4 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayA shaded creek walk with an old footbridge from Tremont’s logging days.EasyLynn Camp Prong Cascades Trail1.4 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayAn old railroad bed follows a mountain stream to stepped cascades.
ModerateMiry Ridge Trail4.9 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA remote ridge connector with views worth the extra planning.
ModerateSpruce Flats Falls Trail1.8 mi · 2 hr · 3.7 mi awayA short Smokies waterfall hike with a steep, rocky finish
ModerateLumber Ridge Trail8.3 mi · 5 hr · 3.7 mi awayA steady forest climb to a backcountry junction and back.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayLynn Camp Prong CascadesEasy cascades on an old railroad grade through rhododendron.Sight · 3.1 mi awaySpruce Flats FallsFour tiers of falls make this steep Tremont walk worth the effort.
Visitor center · 3.8 mi awayTremont Visitor CenterA practical hike-planning stop with Smokies books and field guides.
Sight · 4.4 mi awayDaisy TownA preserved summer settlement, with cabins you can explore inside.
Sight · 4.4 mi awayAppalachian ClubhouseA restored clubhouse from Elkmont’s cabin-era summer community.
Sight · 4.5 mi awayThe SinksA logging blast opened the bend behind this rushing cascade.
Campground · 4.5 mi awayElkmont CampgroundWooded camping, creekside sites, and a road on an old rail bed
Sight · 4.6 mi awaySpence CabinA restored 1928 cabin from Elkmont’s resort summers.Parkwolf’s Great Smoky Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
