Vacation in the Big South Fork Touted as the best trail riding east of the Mississippi River By Tommy Brannon Big South Fork National River and Recreation area on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee and Kentucky has been touted as the best trail riding east of the Mississippi River. With 125,000 acres, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. The area has miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs. It has an abundance of natural and historic features, and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of recreational activities. The park is easily accessed from I-40 from the south or I-75 from the east. Horseback riding draws many visitors to the park. Unlike the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are no traffic jams going through the park. There are no tourist trap towns with theme parks just outside the park. Indeed, there are very few roads in the park and no ATV trails except for licensed hunters in hunt season; access is mainly by foot, mountain bike, or horseback. There are over 180 miles of horse trails developed and marked for horse or mule drawn wagons throughout the Big South Fork. These horse trails are all signed and marked for designated use. The trails vary in length and degree of difficulty. They range from short, easy day rides to long and strenuous loops that may take several days to complete. Maps of the trail system are available online, at the Visitors Centers and at area businesses. It is highly advised to keep the map handy while on the trails. Tour guides are available who have detailed knowledge of the trail system and can educate the riders about the geology, flora, and fauna. One can bring your own horse, or horses experienced in traversing mountain terrain can be rented from the concessioners in the park, or from the many horse-related businesses nearby. The two horse camps in the park are Station Camp Horse Camp in Tennessee and Bear Creek Horse Camp in Kentucky. Each site offers water and electricity, tables, grills, tie-outs for four horses, access to modern restrooms with hot showers, a dump station and access to miles of horse trails. Station Horse Camp is located on Station Camp Road, off Hwy 297, west of Oneida, Tennessee. Bear Creek Horse Camp is located on Bear Creek Road, off Hwy. 742, west of Stearns, Kentucky. Call (423) 569-3321 for reservations. One of the most interesting overnight accommodations in the park is Charit Creek Lodge. Only accessible by foot or horseback, it is a group of cabins, one dating to 1817, that were built on the sight of an old Indian hunting camp. Hardy meals are provided for riders and hikers. Fresh brewed coffee is served on the porch in the morning before tacking up for another day of riding. Two special annual events in the park are the April Spring Planting Festival and the September Storytelling Festival. The Spring Planting Festival has mule and plow horse demonstrations; festival crafters demonstrate arts such as blacksmithing, basket making, hand spinning, weaving, woodcarving, chair caning, soap making, garden herb lore and use, and paling fence making. There are displays of women’s life, antique farm tools, farm animals, and old-time toys. The Storytelling Festival, held on September 18, 2010, remembers the days when “Mountain folk” entertained themselves by telling tall tales, in the days before iPods, Internet, DVDs or radio and television. About 1,500 people attended the Storytelling Festival in 2009. There are craft classes to learn the arts of chicken scratch embroidery, basket making, pioneer skills, soap carving, wood carving, needle felting, and candle wick embroidery. Visitors can take advantage of the beginner dulcimer classes offered by the Knoxville Dulcimer Club. Live music is heard at both the spring and fall festivals. The weather on the Cumberland Plateau is very conducive to trail riding. Although the summer days can be hot, they are not as hot as west Tennessee and Mississippi, and the evenings always cool off. A check with the National Weather Service shows that the high temperatures of the day are consistently the lowest in the state. The fall weather is cooler than further south and a little wetter, but the fall foliage changing color provides a breathtaking pallet of colors to be seen from horseback. For more information about the park, see http://www.bigsouthforkvacation.com. The Big South Fork is not the only place on the Plateau to trail ride. There are many other horseback riding facilities nearby; most provide horses and have cabins, stalls, paddocks and there’s even a luxury hotel. Dale Hollow Lake, west of Byrdstown TN, is home of the Red Oak Trail for horseback riding and boasts crystal clear water and the world record holder for small mouth bass. The water is cold and clean enough for Lake Trout and brown Trout. Two nearby Tennessee state parks, Pickett State Park and Frozen Head State Park, accommodate horseback riding. Frozen Head State Park has a 7-mile trail. Pickett State Park, adjacent to the Big South Fork, has six stalls for overnight boarding. Following is a sampling of the horse and trail businesses on the Plateau. True West Campground and Stables, owed by Mark Krider, is located across the road from the Big South Fork. Mark’s facility resembles an old west town, with camping and lodging, as well as horse facilities and horses available. He has an Old West Store where one can shop for boots, hats, tack, etc. Mark hosts a bluegrass festival on Labor Day. Visit www.truewestcampground.com. Cedar Creek Cattle Company is owned by Mike and Jo Ann Archambault. They provide accommodations for both horse and rider and are very active in the Mustang Youth Challenge. They host pack rides and have horses for sale. Visit: www.cedarcreekcattlecompany.com. Southeast Pack Trips provides outfitting and guides for overnight and day trips for groups large and small. They have a ten stall barn and camping facilities. Visit: www.cedarcreekcattlecompany.com. East Fork Stables near Jamestown, TN has 12,000 acres of privately owned land; 150 miles of trails, 50 miles of which are good for wagons. They are open year-round and host horse shows for charity and clinics throughout the year. The Hamilton Hunt of Ontario, Canada brings their pack of foxhounds to East Fork Stables each year for two weeks of fox hunting on the Cumberland Plateau. Visit www.eastforkstables.com Additional places to visit and ride on the Cumberland Plateau are: Blair Creek Horse Camp and Resort www.blaircreekresort.com; Honey Creek Horse Camp http://www.honeycreekhorsecamp.com; Saddle Valley Campground www.saddlevalleycampground.com; Long Branch Lakes Equestrian Center http://www.lbl-equestriancenter.com For general information about the area see:http://www.visitthecumberlandplateau.com. Equestrian Vacations Links Looking for info about equestrian vacations? Here is a sampling of places in the mid-south area. A Tennessee Guest Ranch, aka Sequatchie Valley B&B Guest Ranch, near Chattanooga, TN http://www.tnhorsevacation.com/ Long Branch Lakes Equestrian Center, Spencer, TN (on the Cumberland Plateau) http://www.lbl-equestriancenter.com/ Resident Equestrian Center Managers: Lamar & Vanessa Wright. Contact: Lamar Wright: (931) 316-9561; Vanessa Wright: (931) 316-9560. Email: landv@longbranchlakes.com or call (866) 615-6615. Summer Discovery Weekends run July 24-26 & August 21-23. See: http://www.longbranchlakes.com/special.htm French Broad River Dude Ranch (800) 995-7678 or (423) 487-3147 http://www.frenchbroadriver.com/ (in the Smoky Mountains) For Horse Riding in Mississippi and Tennessee vacations, see: http://www.horse-riding.net/stables/United_States/Mississippi/ http://www.horse-riding.net/horseback-riding/Tennessee/ There are horseback riding links for every state in the U.S on these pages. For Horseback riding Tennessee vacations, visit: http://www.tnvacation.com/listing/horseback_riding/. There are five pages of listings!