Panther Mountain is a 2 point summit in the Rogue/Siskiyou National Forest, east of Port Orford, OR. The summit is accessed from a short, disused and deteriorating road, followed by a VERY thick bushwhack up a steep slope. This summit could be combined with Father Mountain (which is en route) or Barklow Mountain, or possibly Chismore Butte. The mainline roads in this area are in decent shape, servicable in a passenger car. Nearly all the spur roads are in bad condition and require high clearance or are impassible.
Here is the route we took:
- Begin on Elk River Road at Hwy 101 (42.79020, -124.49308), heading east for 10.5 miles to (42.71300, -124.37585).
- Note that Elk River Road becomes FR 5325 along the way.
- Turn right up FR 5502 for 1 mile.
- Turn left at the top (42.70580, -124.38129) and proceed for 7.2 miles on FR 5502 to the junction of FR 5502 and Euchre Creek. STAY LEFT to stay ON on FR 5502.
- Continue another 3.4 miles until (42.66871, -124.24768).
Park here and walk up the spur for 0.8 miles to the FAR end of the summit ridge. Begin bushwhacking to the right and head up slope to the AZ. Yes, it is thick. And pokey.
NOTE that black bears are very active in this region. We saw a very large black bear and multiple fresh scat during our trip, so use proper precautions.