I think you will love the Shawnee.  We have been there twice.  The riding and scenery is absolutely beautiful.  Our first time, we stayed at Bear Branch---will NOT go back there.  The second time we stayed at One Horse Gap Horse Camp at New Hope Hill.  Those folks took such good care of us.  I would go back in a second!!

Be sure to ride with a guide or at the very least take a GPS with you (and lots of batteries).  The trails are not marked and it is SOOO easy to get turned around.  The map we got at BB was only good for starting the campfire.

Horses should be in good shape.  There are a lot of hills to climb.

Hope this helps.  Have fun and take lots of pictures.

RIDE ON!

Hi,

I've been to Shawnee many times over the years, and have visited all of the above mentioned campgrounds.  I've mostly stayed at Bay Creek, but haven't since the new owners took over last year.  Still, it's a nice campground, good trails, friendly regulars and not ever too crowded (www.baycreekranch.com.)  For a change, I've considered going to Hayes Creek this year since they've got new owners and it IS stunningly beautiful right out of the campground!  Circle B is also nice and shady and the pens are right next to your campsite. You'll love Shawnee.  Happy Trails!

we went to hayes canyon last yr oct.. had a blast.. its not a fancy campground but its clean and actually pretty big.. you could not ask for nicer people to deal with.. the pens are outside so depends on what time of yr you go as to rain and cold.. we were there in oct and it did get fairly chilly and it did happen to rain one day.. i am thinking about buying some horse rain sheets for that purpose.. you will like hayes canyon.. happy trails

i'm sorry to dash your hopes. shawnee is nice. i just wouldnt travel that far again. once was enjoyable though. maybe just not a whole week. bay creek and louie were priceless. if you have plenty of time off work and dont mind hauling that far, it's still worth considering. personally, i think we have as nice or nicer around here.

north GA has some awesome riding. around clayton, ga there is wills knob and whetstone. the trails cross back and forth between SC and GA and the river is absolutely beautiful. reserveusa.com is the way to get reservations. wills knob has electricity and shared water with picket lines for your horses. it is geared toward group camping in that you reserve more than 1 site at a time except #9. even in july, it's not too hot to camp in the woods without a/c. that is the river where the movie deliverance was filmed and it's very scenic! whetstone is the same trails but you camp on the SC side of them. no electricity but sites are easier to getsince you book one at a time. there is shared water and yo ucan still picket line anywhere you choose around your own campsite. i like that.  

also, we like talledega national forrest between tallapoosa, GA and heflin AL. warden station is the name of the horse camp and it is near coleman lake. it is primitive with shared water. $3/night. the trails are nice. the endurance riders use it and even donated $$ to help build wooden bridges across some of the boggyer spots.

i love tenn too. east fork stables any time of the year. also big south fork and bandy creek!

and the great smokey mtns are beautiful. i would prefer to stay outside the park because i do not like the standing stalls in the campground inside the park. but the riding is incredible. we even got to ride part of the famout applacian trail until the rain made us turn around. but the sights and trails are so pretty. like i pictured hanzel and gretel's forest in my mind from my childhood. but the horses need to be in good shape! 

have you visited or heard of any of these? i'l like to hear your thoughts and where you visited before too. thanks!