Improvements to the crowded trailhead parking on the east side of Panthertown Valley, a recreation area in the Nantahala National Forest outside Cashiers, are underway.

The main trailhead on the Transylvania side of Panthertown is limited to make-shift parking along the side of a gravel road. The new parking area will create up to 12 designated spaces.

“On super peak days people are parked all along the shoulder of the road. This should relieve some of that pressure. It may not park everybody on peak times, but on normal days, it should provide adequate parking that doesn’t encumber the roadway like it does now,” said Matt McCombs, spokesperson for the national forests in Western North Carolina.

Parking on the road shoulder will still be a necessity on summer weekends given the volume of waterfall-seeking hikers.

The access road to the trailhead will be closed weekdays through Aug. 14.

The project is a cooperative effort between Friends of Panthertown and the U.S. Forest Service and uses a grant from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Parks and Recreation. 828.524.6441.