We are taking our QH’s to Jamestown, TN next month and would love any information you can give me. We have never been there. We are renting a house with a barn, with trails that go right to the Cumberland Valley Trailhead. Any advice on things and trails that are a must see? Thanks.
[QUOTE=Lilbit;5061615]
We are taking our QH’s to Jamestown, TN next month and would love any information you can give me. We have never been there. We are renting a house with a barn, with trails that go right to the Cumberland Valley Trailhead. Any advice on things and trails that are a must see? Thanks.[/QUOTE]
stop in and see us…we are about 35 min away…there is a great BBQ place near Henbos behind the Walmart…the mexican resturant in town in good too…nice Mennonite hamlet at Muddy Pond…
take bug spray and oh the snakes won’t be gone for another month
other than that have a big time:)
Tamara in TN
Where are you staying? Just a warning - I stayed at the True West cabin early in the month, and I’m pretty sure the bites I came home with were from bed bugs. I did email them, but they were sure I had chigger bites. I’m confident they aren’t chiggers (in straight lines up and down my back). Anyway, just an FYI.
They have added a lot of very large gravel to some areas that were muddy, so I’d advise you bring boots. Shoes didn’t really help - we’re talking 3-4" gravel, and sharp. My barefoot horse did fine on it on day one, but we wore boots on day two just in case. It looked painful to me. I used Endure fly spray, and there were tons of horse flies, but they didn’t bother my mare who was soaked in Endure. It is a great place to ride - you’ll have a blast. There’s a great restaurant not far away, Barracas or something like that. You can ask at any of the little stores, and they’ll point it out to you.
Have a great time!
Snakes, I HATE snakes!! We are renting a house in Spruce Creek Acres. Did you ride the trails at Cumberland Valley?
I did. Spruce Creek is great, and I don’t think you’ll have any problems staying there. The trails are nice (but that is where the big, thick gravel was). I haven’t seen any snakes in that area. Not to say they aren’t there - just that I never saw them.
I ride at Big South Fork weekly - and live nearby. I’ll be out there Saturday of this week with a load of horses to ride.
True West does have some other issues from what I’ve heard. I’ve stopped in there and talked to the owners but haven’t ridden there. Heard several complaints from others who had stayed there as well. Chiggers aren’t going to be down your back unless you’ve been laying flat out in the grass. Just saying 
I usually ride out from Bandy Creek and head towards the Cumberland Trailhead or the other direction out towards Station Camp / Charit’s Creek. Good trails for the most part, some rocky but not dangerous.
This time of year is chigger season; stay out of the grass and/or you can put flea collars around your ankles (over socks/clothing - not against your skin!) to help prevent them. There are also many biting flies - make sure you bring good fly spray for yourself and your horse - this is a must! The one day I forgot bug spray for myself I had bites all over my face and arms - wasn’t pretty.
Spruce Creek has its own set of trails that join up to the park system’s trails; I hear they are nice, but have never rode on them simply because I go directly into the park itself.
Above all - have fun! This is one of the best riding areas I’ve ever been to, and it’s the sole reason I moved here.
For the Park,
Do you need a permit (To Ride) or some kind of certification of weedless horse feed?
Edited to add “To Ride”.
[QUOTE=MoseyAlong;5068612]
For the Park,
Do you need a permit or some kind of certification of weedless horse feed?[/QUOTE]
no we sell to more than one of the stables up there
Tamara in TN
You don’t need anything other than a coggins (although I’ve never been asked to show mine on the trails, it is the official rule). No rules on hay.
Have a great time!
True West does have some other issues from what I’ve heard. I’ve stopped in there and talked to the owners but haven’t ridden there. Heard several complaints from others who had stayed there as well. Chiggers aren’t going to be down your back unless you’ve been laying flat out in the grass. Just saying
I have to - and our friend who camped there was not at all thrilled either, and she was the only horse camper in the whole place! I hate to see True West go downhill, because it could be a lovely place. The customer service was, overall, really disappointing. We weren’t able to get in touch with anyone when we needed supplies and information.
I told them that about the chiggeres, but they were not open to listening. I had mentioned this on a local message board, and the owners of Saddle Valley did a complete inspection of their lodgings, just to be sure they didn’t have an issue. That’s the type of customer service that impresses potential customers. I was really horrified that the TW people didn’t at least look into it. I’d be furious if I was covered in bites, or even worse - brought bed bugs home to my house, because they couldn’t be bothered to check into a report.
Not a problem unique to cabins.
http://www.badbedbugs.com/hotel-bedbugs/
http://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/a/bed_bugs.htm
And, the latest Registry:
Kind of improves the allure of LQ trailers, eh?!?!?! :lol:
G.
It does, and I know bed bugs are all over now. I was still disappointed in their response to the problem. Really, no place can be sure they don’t ever have an infestation, but they can take care of it if it happens!
As much as I prefer my BP trailer, it is making me think I’m headed back to a GN w/ at least my own bed! I will be breaking out my tent for my fall trips!
[QUOTE=MoseyAlong;5068612]
For the Park,
Do you need a permit (To Ride) or some kind of certification of weedless horse feed?
Edited to add “To Ride”.[/QUOTE]
What Tamara said.
While you are supposed to have Coggins, very few places ask for it here. I keep mine in the truck anyway, just in case.
The area is very…relaxed. Especially for people who move from more regulated regions such as CA or - well - just about anywhere else. Sometimes this can be a problem for people, since you do see some serious drinking and riding as well as some people with no concept of trail safety.
But don’t let that scare you - it’s STILL the best place in the US to ride. Well, perhaps it ties with being near the Tevis trail, but it’s MUCH cheaper to live here than there
I just got back from a few days at saddle valley, I like it for the not so rigid rule system, of course we always need to honor the good places, clean up after ourselves. Some places have their rigid rules. Like be out by a certain time of day or get charged extra. Even on a full weekend like this one was there were still a few sites left open, so I guess he’s not too concerned about who leaves when. Oh there was several people drinking and a couple had too much and we were amused with their antics. But no problems. Most people who like to camp and ride are real nice folks.
But I also love to get out and ride those trails, did 25 miles the first day, and then shorter rides with small groups who didn’t want to go so far.
Of course primitive camping is my style, sack out by the fire is good enough. A tarp is handy if the rain threatens. I’m fixin to go back and do his 80 mile ride in 4 days in a bit over 2 weeks.
