Panthertown Valley, NC	Meherrin River Exploratory Bonas Defeat Exploratory Hike Learn To Canoe Riding the Grande Ronde River Hiking in the Yosemite of the East Fall Colored Dayhikes Big Bend Upper Canyons Surf 'n Turf Paddling the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande

Cost: $475 (deposit: $225) Group size: 12
Dates: April 8-11

Bonas Defeat Exploratory Hike (NC).
Joining the well-known Panthertown Valley to the north is a beautiful “knot” of mountains, creeks, and gorges known as the Bonas Defeat Tract, a seldom hiked wilderness. One of the highest waterfalls in the state is there, Flat Creek Falls, and one of the most beautiful cliffs, Bonas Defeat. On this 3-day spring combo of backpacking, camping, and day hiking, we’ll explore this wild area, following its trails through deep forests to waterfalls and overlooks, and we’ll “come home” each night to supper cooked over a fire.


Cost: $375 (deposit: $175). Group size: 12.
Dates: May 21-23

Snapshots on the Trail

Learn To Canoe (NC)
Western North Carolina offers some of the best canoeing in the country. And this 3-day adventure on the region’s waterways, with nights spent at secluded Balsam Lake Lodge, is for those who want a complete introduction to wilderness canoeing, from lakes to whitewater rivers. The first day will be spent on Balsam Lake itself, where we’ll learn and practice flatwater canoeing strokes and maneuvers. Then we'll go to the Tuckaseegee River and begin to learn how to “read” and paddle such river features as chutes, eddys, pillows, and wave trains. The second day we’ll canoe a class I stretch of the upper Tuckaseegee and practice such important river maneuvers as eddy turns and peelouts, river ferries and side-slips. On the third day we’ll put it all together by canoeing through the Tuckaseegee’s Dillsboro Gorge, where we’ll sharpen the skills we’ve learned, while paddling through Class II rapids. We will also learn techniques of safe whitewater canoeing, including the proper outfitting of canoes for wilderness tripping and the use rescue “throw ropes.” If the weather is warm, we will even have the chance to “swim” a couple of rapids and throw rescue ropes to each other.
    We’ll spend both nights of each clinic at Balsam Lake Lodge, in the Nantahala National Forest, where in the evenings we’ll watch canoeing videos. The goal of the clinic will be to give you the know-how you need to become a competent and confident wilderness boater and to teach you the skills needed for remote river canoeing trips. All canoeing techniques will be taught in accordance with the guidelines established by the American Canoe Association, and participants will receive an ACA course participation card.


Cost: $550 (deposit: $250) Group size: 12.
Dates: June 4-6

Snapshots on the Trail

Riding The Grande Ronde River (OR/WA/ID)
Fed by the melting snows of the Elkhorn and Wallowa Mountains (“the Oregon Alps”), the Grande Ronde River and its swift tributary, the Wallowa, flow north through the canyons of the Blue Mountains of Oregon and Washington to join the Snake River, on the Idaho border, at Hellers Bar. Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the Grande Ronde is described in Western Whitewater as “one of the most scenic river trips in the Pacific Northwest.”
   Meeting on July 3 in Boise, Idaho, we’ll get organized for the trip, then drive to the “head of the canyon,” on the Wallowa River, in nearby Oregon. There, we’ll launch our canoes and spend 5 days paddling 100 miles down the Wallowa and Grande Ronde through Class I-III rapids. The river moves at about the same fast pace as North Carolina’s well-known Nantahala River, but without the crowds, and through stunning canyons up to 3000' deep. We’ll stop to look at abandoned pioneer homesteads, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see some of the many kinds of animals that live along the river. On past trips we have seen black bear, mule and whitetail deer, elk, big horn sheep, moose, river otter, bald and golden eagles. We’ll also “canoe in” to enjoy homemade milkshakes and lunches at two river outposts: Shiloh Café and Boggan’s Oasis. Taking off the river at Heller Bar, where the Grande Ronde joins the Snake River, we’ll spend a night in comfort at the Reflections Inn, in Idaho, where the food and hospitality don’t come any finer.
    As icing on the cake, on the last day we’ll paddle some of the roller coaster waves of the Salmon, “the River of No Return,” and finish up with a drive along the Class V Payette River to Boise. Trip cost includes food and gear for the canoeing and camping, shuttling and permit fees, all local transportation, and lodging and breakfast at the Reflections Inn. The trip starts and ends in Boise. Canoeing experience required; inquire.



Cost: $1600 (deposit: $750). Group size: 12.
Dates: July 3-10.

Snapshots on the Trail

Hiking in The Yosemite of the East (NC)   
Panthertown Valley lies in the Nantahala National Forest of N.C.’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Described as a “miniature national park” and as “the Yosemite of the East,” this wild area has deep gorges, granitic rock domes and cliffs, tranquil creeks, and spectacular waterfalls, all within short hikes of one another. The area is composed of rock a billion years old, pushed up into Himalayan-high mountains 300 million years ago, subsequently worn down by the forces of nature to form part of the Southern Appalachians, one of the oldest, most complex mountain ranges in the world.
   On this 3-day adventure, we’ll set up camp for two nights in a beautiful white-pine forest on Panthertown Valley’s floor, and, hiking out from there with daypacks only, explore the valley and places in it that are rarely seen by others, including Fat Man’s Misery, Skinny Man’s Delight, Red Butt Falls, Devil’s Den, and Protector’s Pool. In addition to the hiking, we’ll learn about the natural and human history of the valley, from the Cherokee to the present day. In the evening we’ll return to camp to enjoy a meal cooked over an open fire–and perhaps hear the howlings of Panthertown’s resident pack of coyotes.

Cost: $375 (deposit: $175). Group size: 12.
Dates: Oct. 1-3

Snapshots on the Trail

To order "A Guide's Guide to Panthertown Valley" trail map, click here.

Fall Color Dayhikes (NC)
Taking advantage of the third weekend in October, which usually marks the “peak” of the fall color season in the Southern Appalachians, we’ll hike 3 different trails in the high country and spend two nights at Balsam Lake Lodge. On Friday we’ll explore Section 2 of the Bartram National Recreation Trail, in the Fishhawk Mountains. Our destination will be the overlook on Whiterock Mountain–providing one of the most stupendous views in the southern mountains, of the Little Tennessee River Valley and the Nantahala range. On Saturday, following a winding loop route, we’ll search out some of the guide’s favorite places in Panthertown Valley, including Fat Man’s Misery, Blackrock Overlook, the Great Wall of Panthertown, Granny Burrell Falls, Foamy Falls, and the Elevator Shaft. And then on Sunday we’ll cap it off with a “world-class” dayhike through Bonas Defeat Gorge, one of the wildest places in the East. These will not be backpacking hikes, though participants will carry their lunches, water bottles, and whatever they may want to have for the day. In the evenings we’ll relax at secluded Balsam Lake Lodge, nestled in the “Little Canada” area of the Nantahala National Forest.

Cost: $525 (deposit, $250). Group size: 12.
Dates: Oct. 15-17.

Snapshots on the Trail

Big Bend Upper Canyons Surf 'N Turf (TX)
The ancient Indians said it was the place where the Great Spirit dumped all of his leftover rocks after making the world.Spanish conquistadors called it "the Uninhabitated Land and "the Great Unknown." Nineteenth-century explorers described it as "unparalleled for ruggedness and wildness of scenery." And today the rugged topography of Big Bend National Park, Texas, is recognized by everyone who goes there as some of the most spectacular in the Southwest. It is a monumental region of rocky volcanic peaks, uplifted limestone fault blocks, and "stone box" canyons in the Chihuahuan Desert, with strange forests of giant dagger yuccas and dozens of species of cacti. Giving shape to the "Big Bend" itself is the Rio Grande, one of the most remote rivers in the lower 48. Designated a National Wild and Scenic River and managed by the National Park Service, the Rio Grande flows in canyons up to 2000 feet deep and forms what the Park Service calls a green "linear oasis" between Texas and Mexico.
     Go on one of the most adventurous Slickrock Expeditions of the year by joining this week-long exploration of Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande. We’ll start out canoeing and camping through Mariscal and San Vincente Canyons, in the “Great Unknown” part of the park. From there, we’ll go to the Chisos Mountains and spend 2 nights at mile- high Chisos Mountain Lodge, day hiking in that tremendous landscape. Then we’ll descend once again to paddle through the single-most impressive canyon in Big Bend, Santa Elena, with its vertical limestone walls 1500’ high. We’ll stay our final night at the historic cowboy hotel, The Gage, in nearby Marathon. Trip starts and ends in Midland, TX. Trip cost includes all camping and canoeing equipment, all food when camping, hiking, canoeing, local transportation and shuttling, park entrance fees, and the nights at Chisos Lodge and at the Gage. Trip starts and ends in Midland, TX.

Cost: $1600 (deposit: $800.) Group Size: 12.
Dates: Nov. 13-20.

Snapshots on the Trail

Paddling the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande (TX)
For the first time, Slickrock Expeditions and the American Canoe Association, the nation’s oldest and largest paddling organization, will “go tandem”
and offer a custom-tailored wilderness trip! Open to ACA members only (join at www.americancanoe.org ), this will be a week-long exploration of the Rio Grande’s monumental Lower Canyons, one of the most beautiful and isolated stretches of wilderness river in the U.S. In addition to the paddling and camping, there will be hikes to slot canyons, bluffs, and cave shelters. Contact Slickrock Expeditions to find out more.

Cost: $1600 (deposit: $800). Group size: 12.
Dates: November 21-28.

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