Posted 2010-03-27 7:43 AM (#118050) Subject: True West At Big South Fork
Member
Posts: 20
Location: mount vernon ar. 72111
We are going In April to ride at true West, Never been in this part of Tenn. before. Will be there for 4 days.Any points of interest that is a must see???Any places that you would suggest (trails) we should ride before we leave???
Posted 2010-03-27 8:49 PM (#118069 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
Regular
Posts: 99 Location: Pleasant Plain, Ohio 45162
Big Southfork is our favorite place to ride. We have stayed at Bandy Creek and Saddle Valley which are both close to True West. The ride to the O & W Bridge is a great ride and we always trailer over to a trailhead on Divide Road and ride to Charit Creek and Big Island but not in the same day. Bandy Creek campgrounds sells excellent maps for all of Big Southfork. Most of the trails are for any level of riding and you will see gorgeous rock formations and some river crossings. Make sure to take a day just to run around and do some short hikes to see the arches and caves in the area.
Posted 2010-04-01 4:02 PM (#118340 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 1
Location: KY
Go see double arches and twin arches. Twin you have to hike to it from charit creek but it is so worth it! If it rains go see the amish at muddy pond, great tack store and grocery.
Posted 2010-04-05 11:12 AM (#118460 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 91 Location: South Carolina
True West is a nice campground & the Big South Fork is a great place to ride.
My main suggestion would be to NOT try & enter the Big South Fork from the East end on Highway 297 from Oneida, TN. Traveling this way will put a lot of stress & strain on your vehicle / trailer / horses. There is a very steep, steep section of 297 that comes down to the South Fork of the Cumberland River. It may take you a little bit longer to travel around & come in from the West end into the Big South Fork, but you will have a lot less of a chance of breaking something getting there. The steep curves on either side of the river are not very forgiving.
Posted 2010-04-15 9:42 AM (#118860 - in reply to #118460) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Originally written by Lankyman on 2010-04-05 8:12 AM
True West is a nice campground & the Big South Fork is a great place to ride.
My main suggestion would be to NOT try & enter the Big South Fork from the East end on Highway 297 from Oneida, TN. Traveling this way will put a lot of stress & strain on your vehicle / trailer / horses. There is a very steep, steep section of 297 that comes down to the South Fork of the Cumberland River. It may take you a little bit longer to travel around & come in from the West end into the Big South Fork, but you will have a lot less of a chance of breaking something getting there. The steep curves on either side of the river are not very forgiving.
Good luck & have a great trip!
I'll agree with Lankyman. We scouted the route on a milkrun to town without the rig. Steep combined with sharp curves makes for a hard pull into and out of the gorge. There is also a rock outcrop that I'm sure will be unforgiving to a unwary trailer puller going by.
Posted 2010-04-15 11:59 AM (#118880 - in reply to #118860) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 434 Location: Brooksville, Fl
We did what Hosspuller did and drove it in the truck. The turns are so sharp and steep, I don't know how you would get the trailer around them if it's of any size. I'm sure it has been done but I'll bet it was a nail biter! Have a good time!
Posted 2010-04-15 1:11 PM (#118885 - in reply to #118340) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 522 Location: Tucumcari NM
The craftsmen at Muddy Pond make the most beautiful buggies and carts that I have ever seen. Also make harness and other tack, and they have a blacksmith shop that is facinating to see.
Posted 2010-04-19 8:37 AM (#119012 - in reply to #118955) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 91 Location: South Carolina
Originally written by dietz on 2010-04-17 4:23 AM
Tks for the info guys. I will be coming in from The Nashville side, so I hope it will not be to bad.I will have to check out the Amish store.
Dietz, from Nashville, I might suggest I-40 to Exit 317, then go North toward Jamestown, TN on US 127. Just past Jamestown, you will want to turn right on Highway 154 & then right on Highway 297 (Leatherwood Road) - this will take you into Big South Fork & over toward True West. That is the way that we drove in from SC. For some reason when we left up there we turned & drove out through the gorge. That was not a smart decision with a big 4 horse trailer with a bumper pull right behind it. We made it will all finders intact. Ha, Ha!! But next time, we'll go around & up through Jamestown to get to Big South Fork.
There are some beautiful areas up there at Big South Fork. I would suggest having someone trailer you to some of the various trail head so your roundtrip ride time is not too long. We made the mistake of riding out of True West & down by the river & over to the O & W Bridge. Then we rode back up toward Bandy, but not crossing 297. We found a trial that kind of paralleled Highway 297. That made for a long day with 20 - 25 miles of saddle time. If you head out toward the O & W Bridge, just check the river level, because it may be up depending on how much rain they may have when you are up there. I would get a copy of the trail maps so you can plan where you want to go & what is the best way to get there. You may want to get one of the maps that is water resistant so it will last longer & not wear as quickly.
Posted 2010-04-20 6:53 AM (#119055 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 20
Location: mount vernon ar. 72111
Tks Lankyman. That is the way we had mapped out.We are going for a few days vacation and our first ACTHA ride. It should be fun. tks again for the info.
Posted 2010-04-21 8:07 AM (#119103 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 91 Location: South Carolina
You should have a great time up there right now before the temps & bugs get going for summer time; although, up there it is not as bad as some places. Hope y'all have a great & safe trip! If you have it, take a digital camera, there are some good places to get some nice photos.
Posted 2010-05-31 2:54 PM (#120761 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 1
Location: crown point in
going to visit True West Campground for the first time in early June. any information about the weather there right now or trail conditions ( bugs etc ) would be helpful. Thanks
Posted 2010-05-31 5:52 PM (#120770 - in reply to #118050) Subject: RE: True West At Big South Fork
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Posts: 368 Location: Georgia
Never been to True West but went to TimberRidge (which is sorta in the same area) on July 4th a few years ago. It was hot (I do not mind hot) and the deer flies were horrible but the riding was great! We saw folks with all sorts of ideas for keeping the deer flies off of their horses heads. We knew the files were bad as we were leaving the campgound and folks were riding back in with tree branches and limbs/leaves etc hanging from their horses head gear! Personally, I used a limb with leaves as a constant swatter around my horse's head. Sorta wears out your arm but was effective. No amount of fly spray was effective. The scenery while riding was beautiful though!!
True West At Big South Fork
