1816 feet of elevation gain
6.5 miles round trip
This was a fun trip, though it didn’t start out as well as anticipated. I got to the trailhead before 8:00 am, which is necessary, as this trail can be zoo-like. It reminded me of Mt. Tammany in New Jersey, or Indian Head in the Adirondacks. Certainly, on a warm day in the summer, parking is definitely a premium. Only a few people were coming down as I headed up; there were too many headed up when I was coming down. Panther mountain is part of the Catskill 35, as it is one of the peaks above 3500 feet.
The trail is flat in many sections. The steeper sections are full of rocks and roots. It gets steep upon getting up to Giants Ledge and the sections leading up Panther Mountain. The col between Giants Ledge and Panther mountain is rather exposed to the wind, and I found this section to be the coldest of the day. Going up Panther mountain you head back into the trees and you will be sheltered from the wind. In everything I had read, there was supposed to be a sign at the summit of Panther mountain; though I never found it. I suspect it may have fallen at one point and been “lifted”. I specifically looked for it. At least I didn’t have to look for a canister.
As for views, I didn’t have any on the way up. I reached the overlooks on Giants Ledge around 9:00 in the morning, and there was nothing to see. Looking off the rocks there was nothing but clouds. At the overlook after the summit of Panther, the scenery was just starting to open up. As I was still in a cloud, I was getting wet and cold. On the way back (like the way up) I couldn’t see any of Sebastian Slide. By the time I returned to Giants Ledge from the top of Panther mountain the sun was just starting to peek out and clear off.
Overall the trip was not bad. I highly recommend it; and I’ll be doing it again – as I have to summit Panther during the winter for the Catskill 35 challenge. There were no obvious really hard sections, nothing overly steep. Upon reaching the car, it felt like a long day. I certainly earned the slice of pizza at Brios.