I like to read feedback here but also always check out the reviews on this site:

http://www.horsetraildirectory.com/Nov05_selector_results.asp?State=TN&desc=Tennessee&unit=state

There's a lot of detail in them and as a whole, this seems to be a very good horse camp.  I'm planning a trip there next summer.

I have never stayed at Timber Ridge, but have ridden through the camp and heard alot of great comments about the owners.  Hope it's all true!  But I do ride at Big South Fork alot, so I can give you a good idea about trails.

Timber Ridge is located on the western boundary of Big South Fork, so trail access is limited.  I can think of 2 good rides (4 to 5 hours in duration) right out of camp.  You will need to be sure your horse is fit, as there are some steep areas on each of the trails.  If you are willing to ride out and back, I can think of another ride or two from camp.  There are some nice caves/rock formations in the area, I am sure the owners at Timber Ridge can tell you how to access them (ask them about Wildcat Den specifically).

When you make your reservations, be sure to ask them if the Proctor Ridge Trail is open yet.  It had been closed for renovations, and have not heard whether it has been reopened.  That trail forms one of the "legs" of one of those loops.

If you are going to stay for more than a few days, you might want to investigate the possibility of trailering to other trail heads on that side of the park.  Some horse camps offer drop off and pick up service at trail heads, I'm not sure if Timber Ridge does that or not.  If you have the time, trailering to Gobbler's Knob Trailhead and riding to the Hostel is a nice ride, and can be made into a loop.  Alternately, you can trailer to Cumberland Valley Trailhead and make a couple of nice loop rides on either the North White Oak Trail or on the Cumberland Valley Loop Trail.

Most horse camps have maps of the trails in their immediate area.  If you are able to trailer to other areas in the park, investing in a Trails Illustrated map of the BSF is a good idea.  Unfortunately only a few trails in the Timber Ridge area are on that Trail Illustrated map, as that part of the park has been most recently developed and not yet mapped by TI.

As far as footing is concerned, you will find most trails are dirt/sand.  There are some areas that are rocky (like Proctor Ridge Trail).  You will also find quite a bit of sandstone ledge in the park, but since it is sandstone, no traction aids are required for your horse to have good footing.  The Park does tend to lay gravel on trails that are somewhat soft and muddy in an effort to firm up the footing.

It's a beautiful time to ride in Tennessee! 

I think leaves will have started to turn by next week.  We are supposed to have a cold snap starting this weekend, so that will definitely help start bringing those colors out.  We were at BSF 2 weekends ago, and the leaves had just barely started to turn at that time.

The good news is if you like riding the O&W, that trail is still accessible from Timber Ridge.  You will want to leave camp and ride south, either on Darrow Ridge Road or the new trail that parallels Darrow Ridge (can't remember the name of the trail, but Timber Ridge owners can tell you).  Ride until you reach Christian Cemetary Trail on your right, and ride down that trail.  It ends on the O&W.  If you are in for a real adventure, ride the O&W back up to Gernt Trail and back to the Cumberland Valley Trailhead parking lot.  From there, you can ride the Spruce Creek Trails all the way back to Proctor Ridge which will lead you back to Darrow Ridge Road and back to camp.  Warning, this is a LONG ride.  We did it several years ago when I was riding my fast racking horse, and it took us 6 hours or so and we FLEW most of the way.  If you're not into that long of a ride, take Christian Cemetary Trail down to the O&W, ride that for a while, then ride back to camp the same way you went out.  If you ride this, you can stop and see Hippy Cave on that new trail that parallels Darrow Ridge.

As far as restaurants, Bacarra's is about all there is in that immediate area.  You can drive into Jamestown and find a few fast food restaurants and an oriental place.  There was a restaurant (used to be called Ruth's at one time) that has been opened and closed several times, so I don't know if it is open now or not.  There is a tea room, too, but I think they are only open during the day.

If you want to take a little longer drive, you can go into Oneida (on the other side of the gorge).  They have the same fast food restaurants, but also a couple of non-chain restaurants.  We have eaten at Preston's Steak House and it was pretty good.

Hope you enjoy yourselves!

I love Timber Ridge.  We were there last weekend and had a blast. 

The BSF trails are easy and great, and the local trails are also pretty cool.  They'll let you use the trailer to go visit any other trailheads.  You'll find people in camp who will be able to tell you anything you want to know about the trails, I'm sure.

They have a new obstacle course at the campground that is a total blast.

There really aren't many places to eat in the area, but you can use the common area for cooking, and that helps some.

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The next time you come to Big South Fork, check out Bandy Creek Campground and Bandy Creek Stables.  They are the most centrally located within the park and probably offer the greatest number of different rides right out of the stables.  The only down side to Bandy Creek is the campground is approximately 1/4 mile from the stables.  Most of the stalls (all except those in the very newest barn) are deep and very sturdy, so I never worry about leaving my horses there.  But I know it is a concern for some people.  The campground is operated by the National Park Service and the stables are operated by a private concessionnaire.

All the other horse camps in that area are privately owned and located outside the park boundary.  Therefore, trail access is more limited.

Just checked the location weather, they are calling for a little rain this weekend then it's supposed to turn absolutely beautiful after that.  But remember this is East Tennessee, so that weather can change pretty quickly! 

Hope you enjoy your trip.