Panther Creek State Park

The  beautiful 18-hole, championship course with wooded and open fairways, and concrete tees. Varied elevations keep it interesting. The course was designed by HB Clark and opened in 2017 with the Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships. Discs are available for purchase at the gift shop located in the park visitor center. There is no fee to use the course. Par 71.

Cherokee Lake is a beautiful lake for boating. The park provides a boat ramp for visitors to launch from mid-April to late September. Nearby commercial marinas provide boat launching and rental boats and motors, as well as a bait shop that supplies fishing and picnicking needs.

The pool opens for the 2018 season on Saturday, May 26 and closes for the season on Sunday, Aug. 5. 

Norris Blackburn Trail — 0.5 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Road To Recycling Trail (Self-Guided Nature Trail) — 1.2 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Ore Mine Trail — 1.3 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Lost Road Trail — 2.1 Miles — Natural Surface — Difficult
Seven Sinkholes Trail — 0.6 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Ridge Crest Trail — 0.7 Miles — Natural Surface — Difficult
Point Lookout Trail — 1.9 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Trout Lily Trail — 2.0 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate to Difficult
Old Wagon Trail — 1.0 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Panther Path Trail — 0.9 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Pioneer Trail — 2.4 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Piney Cove Trail — 0.6 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Deer Run Trail — 0.8 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate
Old Farm Trail (Outer Loop) — 1.5 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Old Farm Trail (Inner Loop) — 1.0 Miles — Natural Surface — Easy
Hunt Knob Trail — 3.8 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate to Difficult
Maple Arch Trail — 3.2 Miles — Natural Surface — Moderate

Old Farm Trails are easy 1.0 or 1.5 mile loops.
Trout Lily Trail is a 2.0 mile loop developed by the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. It’s for experienced bicyclists.
Deer Run Trail winds back and forth for 0.8 miles
Piney Cove Trail after 0.6 mile, connects with either Old Wagon Trail or Panther Path.
Panther Path starts near the park entrance. It connects with the Old Wagon Road Trail to make almost a 2 mile bike ride or hike. 
Old Wagon Trail is great for youngsters. It’s flat for 0.8 mile and bicyclists and hikers can connect to Piney Cove and Deer Run trails for an extended ride or walk.

Trail Length: 8 miles
Trail Rating: Intermediate

Cherokee Lake is a 30,000 acre impoundment on the Holston River and provides great fishing, boating, skiing and other water recreation activities.  Bass, crappie, Walleye, and Sauger are abundant. Bass and crappie fishing are best in the spring. Rock Bass fishing is particularly good and it is not uncommon to catch them in the 20-30 lb. range. The Lake is stocked annually with Hybrid Striped Bass which commonly reach 7 lbs. or more.

The shores and islands of Cherokee Lake at Panther Creek State Park offer great opportunities for seeing wintering waterfowl, osprey, and eagles. The forest has a good resident population of songbirds as well.

Panther Creek offers seven miles of horseback riding trails including Hunt Knob and Maple Arch trails. Horse riders can access both of these trails from the parking area located past the boat ramp. The trails offer a variety from easy, straight, gently sloping sections to strenuous, hilly sections along Cherokee Lake with captivating views. You must bring your own horse. There are no camping facilities on the trails. Please stay on the trail and remember to bring current Coggins papers on each horse.

Horse trailers must use the parking area off Panther Creek Road, just to the west of Boat Ramp Road.