Panther Falls is a 65-foot cascading waterfall on Joe Creek in Rabun County, Georgia, in the Chattahoochee National Forest above Lake Rabun. It is the first of two waterfalls on the Angel Falls Trail, which climbs from Lake Rabun Beach Campground.
The falls
The falls form a two-tier stairstep cascade, the lower of the two cascades on Joe Creek. Lidar data from the World Waterfall Database shows a drop of about 65 feet. Older surveys put the height at 50 feet.
Getting there
The Angel Falls Trail starts at the back of Lake Rabun Beach Campground (Camping Area #2), a national forest recreation area at 4726 Lake Rabun Road in Lakemont run by FIND Outdoors. Panther Falls is about half a mile up the trail, with distance estimates ranging from 0.5 to 0.6 mile; Wikipedia calls the climb moderately strenuous. The full trail to both waterfalls covers 1.7 miles. The recreation area charges a $5 per vehicle day-use fee, and season passes are sold.
When to go
Lake Rabun Beach Recreation Area operates seasonally from April through October.
On site
The trail continues past Panther Falls for another half mile to Angel Falls. Cell service is limited in the area, and downloading maps before arriving is recommended.
Nearby
Angel Falls, at the end of the same trail, is about 0.2 mile away, and Middle Falls is also on Joe Creek. Minnehaha Falls on Falls Branch is about 1.5 miles away and Bad Branch Falls about 2.4 miles. Clayton is the nearest town.
Distances are straight-line.