Panther Top lookout tower opens temporarily, offering unique fire tower views of foliage

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read

ASHEVILLE - Looking for a weekend trip with unique leafing views and a bit of history? You might want to take a drive to Nantahala National Forest.

Panther Top Tower will be open Oct. 28-29 and again on Nov. 4-5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release. The tower is limited to being open for just a few days a year.

The 30-foot tower sits in the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, where visitors can view the Unicoi, Snowbird, Valley River, Tusquitee and Georgia Blue Ridge Mountain ranges.

Panther Top Tower against a golden sunset.
Panther Top Tower against a golden sunset.

“Panther Top Tower is a very significant historical structure and is my favorite place on the Tusquitee Ranger District,” Chad Cook, district fire management officer, said in the release. “We recently completed renovations — painting and installing new windows and flooring — on Panther Top Tower a few months ago.”

The tower was built in 1940 and was operated until the blizzard of 1993, which destroyed all phone and power lines servicing the tower, according to the news release. After the blizzard, the utility company refused to replace the services, after which the tower was no longer operated on a regular basis.

Visitors can expect to park at the tower's parking lots and can receive answers to questions from onsite U.S. Forest Service volunteers.

More: Historic Hot Springs fire lookout tower, piece of WNC history restored

More: Crews fight a 52-acre wildfire sparked by lightning in WNC's Nantahala National Forest

Morgan Sommerville, the southern regional director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Peter Barr, coordinator of the North Carolina chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, take in the view atop the newly restored Rich Mountain lookout tower near Hot Springs Nov. 19, 2018.
Morgan Sommerville, the southern regional director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Peter Barr, coordinator of the North Carolina chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, take in the view atop the newly restored Rich Mountain lookout tower near Hot Springs Nov. 19, 2018.

Lookout towers of WNC

Though not open year-round, Panther Top is one of eight towers publicly available to visit in the Nantahala National Forest. North Carolina lookout towers are no longer used for fire detection, except in the case of high fire danger, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

At one point, 98 fire lookout towers had been built for the region. Now, only 40 still stand, and only 28 have a form of public access.

For Peter Barr, trails and outreach coordinator for Conserving Carolina and author of "Exploring North Carolina's Lookout Towers: A Guide to Hikes and Vistas," the towers represent more than just a beautiful view.

"These towers represent that scenic opportunity," Barr said. "But also there's history in these towers and there are stories in these towers."

Barr's passion for these towers led to the rehabilitation of the Rich Mountain fire lookout in 2018, after it had faced the possibility of removal.

"That was a tower that the U.S. Forest Service was weighing their options, and they removed public access to it and their next step was potentially to remove the structure itself entirely," Barr said. "And of course, I think that would have been a tragedy, having lost the historical value and the scenic values."

These towers were once manned but were entirely decommissioned by the early 2000's as fire detection services — and cellphones — became more powerful. Barr believes they still have good reason to continue to stand.

"While they're no longer used for fire protection, I see them as imperative to preserve that history and heritage of our region and then also incorporate into outdoor recreation to allow for scenic opportunities," Barr said.

Another local tower — Fryingpan Mountain lookout — might need rehabilitation due to vandalization, Barr said.

If it doesn't see some extra love, he speculates that the U.S. Forest Service could look at the same options as Hot Springs tower.

"It is horribly vandalized right now and its condition is worsening," Barr said. "It is one where I am fearful that the Forest Service could restrict access or explore its removal in the future."

Other lookout towers to visit

Coordinating with the Carolina Mountain Club, Barr helped create a challenge for those spirited enough to climb 22 active towers in the Western North Carolina region.

"It seemed to be kind of a neat incentive to get people to hike to these destinations that they may otherwise not have visited," Barr said. "And with the reward of getting a certificate of completion, and a patch to put in a frame or sew on to their backpack — kind of as a badge of honor."

The closest tower to Asheville is Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower, which is a breezy hour drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

While not all are open year-round, here are a few extra lookout towers if you find Panther Top to be interesting:

  • Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower, open year round.

  • Wayah Bald in Nantahala, open year round.

  • Clingmans Dome at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, closed seasonally from early December to March.

  • Flat Top at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, open year round.

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Panther Top lookout tower opens temporarily for fall leaf peeping