True West’s main building houses the Marshall’s Office, The Old West Clothing and Tack Shop, the Marshall’s Suit, and a large porch and covered deck. The Marshall’s Office is where the campground’s business affairs are conducted; owner Mark Krider lives in a loft above the office.

Southeast Region

True West Campground and Tack Shop is a newly opened riding destination waiting for you and your equine friends to explore. The campground is located just a few short miles from the western entrance to Big South Fork National Recreation Area in Jamestown, Tennessee. The most convenient trailhead is literally across the street from True West.

Big South Fork offers a mix of more than 300 miles of private and parkland trails that are very well maintained. Many are wide and sandy, inviting you and your horse to kick up your heels and enjoy a good canter.

Old-Fashioned Fun
True West is owned by Mark Krider, whose southern roots show as much in his style of talk as they do in his warm hospitality. Mark opened True West with the dream of establishing a place where his guests may enjoy the excitement and fun of the Old West, coupled with the best in Southern entertainment — live bluegrass music.

True West opened on Labor Day weekend 2004, with the biggest Bluegrass Festival that the Big South Fork had ever seen! Musicians drove in from Nashville and North Carolina, and Mark roasted a wild boar with all the trimmings for his guests. The campers were jolly and quite sociable. We met wonderful folks from western Kentucky and some seeking refuge from the hurricanes in Florida.

When my husband and I loaded up my horse and our dog and headed south from our Kentucky home to the beautiful wilderness of the Big South Fork, we didn’t realize we were in for such a treat!

We arrived quite late, and Mark was kind enough to wait up to make sure we got ourselves and my horse tucked in for the night. I showed her to a clean stall that was heavily bedded with fresh shavings, where she settled in for the evening.

The next day, we were joined by friends, and our party set out to enjoy the horse trails. We rode out to The Overlook. It is about four miles to this point where you can tie your horse and hike a short (but steep) distance down to a rock overhang that looks out over the valley.

Our group chose to enjoy lunch from this picturesque location where we reveled in the beauty of this amazing valley. After lunch, we continued to explore and rode down to the bottom of the valley and splashed around in the river before heading back to camp. Both humans and horses had a wonderful day.

My husband, Brad, the non-rider in the group, chose to spend his day exploring the wonders of the Big South Fork National Recreation Area on foot. He was highly impressed with the quality and maintenance of the trails and park facilities. He particularly enjoyed the dramatic valley views from the wind-formed Twin Arches. Our dog accompanied Brad on his hikes and thoroughly enjoyed herself. They ran across very few other hikers, and both enjoyed the peace and solitude of the wilderness.

The highlight of the trip was the wonderful Bluegrass Festival. The musicians were wonderfully talented and played beautiful Bluegrass into the night. Campers relaxed at their campsites or around the campfires in the center of camp. After a wonderful day of riding, eating roast boar and listening to live bluegrass, I remember tucking my trusty horse in for the night. When I snuggled under the covers, my dog was already asleep at the foot of the bed. I could just hear the beautiful music drifting in on the breeze of the open window. At that point I smiled, knowing that few moments in life were sweeter than that one.  

We had the opportunity to ride a few different trails, and all were in good condition. Each one led to gorgeous vistas and nature views. We’ve now been down to True West twice, and there are many trails yet to be explored! 

Creature Comforts
The campground boasts two large barns with a total of 64 stalls. There are 32 campsites, all with water and electrical hookups. The main building houses the Marshall’s Office, The Old West Clothing and Tack Shop, the Marshall’s Suit, and a large porch and covered deck.

The Marshall’s Office is where the campground’s business affairs are conducted; Mark lives above the office in the spacious post-and-beam loft area. The tack shop conveniently sells any item you might’ve forgotten—from buckets to bridles, as well as T-shirts, caps, and even saddles! The porch and deck area are open to campers. Here, guests are welcome to simply relax and watch the horses come in from a day’s ride, or throw the evening dinner onto the gas grill.

If you should need any supplies for the humans in your party, it’s just a stone’s throw to Jamestown. And you’ll find a Super Wal-Mart a half-hour drive north in Oneida.

The natural beauty of this wilderness area will draw you to the Big South Fork. But it’ll be the warm, unmatched, southern hospitality at True West that will keep you and your horses coming back time after time.

For reservations, contact True West Campground and Tack Shop, (931) 752-8272; www.truewestcampground.com.