We found a reservation available at the Panther Group Camp and got a party of five (plus one dog) assembled to do one-way car shuttle trip. The plan was to head up to Fourth of July Pass via Thunder Creek, then come down Panther Creek. Total distance was something like 7.7 miles from the starting point at Colonial Creek Campground to the campsite, then 3.6 miles from the camp to the finish line at the Panther Creek trailhead.
We dropped off one car at the Panther trailhead, then carpooled back to the Thunder Creek trailhead at the south end of Colonial Creek campground. All roads in question are paved. There is some parking right at the Thunder Creek trailhead, but it was full, so we ended up parking at the "main" campground lot closer to the highway. A ranger confirmed either place is OK for overnighters. The Panther trailhead has a parking area right off Highway 20, just east of the East Bank trailhead. This lot was pretty small but we didn't see other cars on either day; as noted below the Panther Creek Trail is not very busy.
This trail happens in a couple distinct segments. The first follows Thunder Arm (an extension of Diablo Lake), and then free-flowing Thunder Creek, for a couple of miles. This part is pretty level, in good shape, and fairly busy with day hikers. Main attractions here are the lush forest and the creek, which is (like Diablo Lake) is a lovely turquoise color thanks to its glacial origin.
Next, after crossing Thunder Creek on a sturdy bridge, the trail departs from the creek and begins the ascent up towards Fourth of July Pass, gaining maybe 2,000 feet in around 3 miles. It's a long, sustained climb, but never gets extremely steep, and the tread is generally pretty good. Fortunately the trail remained well-shaded by trees, so it didn't get too hot even on a sunny day. Views begin to develop across the Thunder Creek valley towards the uncreatively-named Snowfield Peak. Starting maybe halfway up, we crossed a couple small streams that were handy for refilling on water. The crowds thinned out substantially at this point, and we only passed by a couple hikers who were headed downhill.
Around 5 miles in, we reached Fourth of July Pass, boasting more mountain views. The trail levels out for a bit and begins a more gradual descent down to Panther Creek. Did not see a single person after reaching the pass.
The Panther side is probably less scenic, but still a pleasant forest with a lovely, crystal-clear creek at the bottom. Fortunately, almost all of the blowdowns described in prior trip reports have been cleared - I believe there was only one left, located after the Panther Camp. The main obstacles here were the avalanche chutes, which were quite overgrown. At places, the "trail" was a faint gap in the bushes, and we had to pay attention to make sure we were on the right path. There was some uneven footing that was also hard to see thanks to the brush. Some of the foliage was pricky and there may have been a few nettles, but I did OK even in shorts.
Around 7.7 miles in, we finally reached Panther Camp and settled down for the evening. It's an expansive site, somewhat divided into two main lobes, each with a fire ring and several tent pads. The lower one had more level sites, so we took that, though nobody else showed up in any event. Although we did not have a fire due to the park-wide burn ban, the cut log segments made nice seating for those who did not bring chairs. Also plenty of trees for setting up hammocks.
The camp is located just across the trail from the creek; access was quite convenient for filtering water. No bear pole, but there were a number of good branches for a bear hang. The toilet is located along the trail a bit north of the camp, just before the next avalanche chute. It was a basic wooden pit model, but in pretty good shape.
After breaking camp the next morning, we set out on the final stretch of the trail. This follows the creek gradually downhill for the first mile-and-a-half or so, traversing a couple more brushy avalanche chutes. One surprisingly even still had a bit of snow at the bottom, but it was only about one footstep's worth and will probably be gone soon.
After crossing Panther Creek on a log bridge, the trail climbs around 800 feet or so in about a mile, passing by some sheer cliffs and up a series of tight switchbacks. I was surprised at how far the trail climbed over the creek, but apparently this was necessary to route the trail around a narrow canyon. Finally, the trail turns back downhill, losing around 1,000 feet in the last mile before intersecting Highway 20. The trail is in good shape here apart from one remaining blowdown, and was never terribly steep, so we made pretty good progress. Not much in the way of water sources after we left Panther Creek, so you may want to refill there before making the final push.
Bugs were not generally bad - the usual mosquitoes and flies, but not too numerous. However, there is apparently a yellowjacket nest a couple miles north of Panther Creek Camp, and one member of our group got stung several times.
Did not see any major wildlife, though we did come across what looked like bear scat along the trail, a little before reaching Panther Creek Camp.
Overall, this was a pretty nice hike -- no single spectacular destination to shoot for, but pleasant throughout and never unreasonably difficult. Definitely a good option if you're looking for a place to camp away from the crowds, want to try a relatively short/simple car shuttle trek, and/or are able to snag a reservation on short notice.
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