# Suggestions for Good Trails?



## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

I am from Texas (south) and now live in North Georgia. You don't have Tennesse listed as a place you would travel to, but.... the Big South Fork area is beautiful!! it has beautiful rivers/creeks and great plateaus with views that are breathtaking. The whole Jamestown area is horse oriented and there are many places that you can camp. Google Big Southfork and look it up. We travel 3 hours up there and are pleased.

Rhonda


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Rhonda, I'm spoiled living in the west. 

I'm in Utah. Which is 70% public land. I never pay to camp. We just pull off the road in Forest Service, BLM or State owned lands and primative camp. So tent camping would fit right in. I would think that New Mexico, Colorado would also have lots of pubic land. I camp in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and it easy to find places to camp. And of course the scenry is spectacular.

I can give you a couple of suggestion coming across Southern Colorado and into Utah. Depending on when your trip is. You don't want to be at 2000 foot elevation in July heat, nor do you want to be camped at 8000 foot in April.

You could spend your entire vacation riding in Southern Utah. There are so many places to see.

We make an annual trip down to Bryce Canyon each May.


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

Well I had a local friend point out two areas that are fairly close to home...there are the grasslands here in texas...its like 100 miles of open free trails...and there are the kaiamichi mountains in oklahoma...you have to pay for lodging an such but its cheap...

anyone ever been to either of these places?

Also im going to look into big fork and bryce canyon...are these places ok to go to during say...june? heat an humidity wouldnt be to bad on the horses...in my area of texas we get super humid heat and dry heat all year round so the horses are extremely heat tolerant no matter what kind of heat. I was riding hard during triple didgets last year. so long as there is salt an water at the end the horses stay happy an healthy lol.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Utah doesn't have any humidy. During June it will be 15%-30% July it will be 10%

Bryce Canyon is at 8000 foot elevation. June temps will be 70*-85*
There is a motel at Bryce Canyon. Ruby's Inn. It has horse corrals that you can put the horses in for $10 a night. If you get tired of your trailer, spend a night or two in the motel. It has a good buffet for all meals.

There is lots of National Forest with in 60-90 minutes drive of Bryce. So lots of places to primative camp and just bushwack ride. Part of the problem with the west. Is the trails are just cow and deer trails. Not much is marked to help you out of staters find your way around. 

The Grand Staircase Escalante is also with in 30-40 minutes drive from Bryce. It is at a much lower elevation and will be much warmer temps than at Bryce. But it has some neat narrow canyons to ride. 

Sheep Canyon in the Grand Staircase


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

If you get to Utah you have to go to Antelope Island and see the bison. It's also quite pretty at sunset. Once you see Utah or Colorado mountians you won't call what they have in Oklahoma mountains.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

Wow, I'm jealous of riding in Utah. I want to come!!!! 

Big SouthFork will have pretty high humidity in June/July probably 80-100%. I'm from South Texas (2hours south of Houston) and when I first moved up here folks would complain of the humidity and I didn't think it was that bad.. now... I've acclimated to this weather and think it is bad. 
I will be happy to share what I know of Big Soutfork, but if it were me.. I'd go to Utah!!

Rhonda


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

Bryce canyon does sound rather nice! i mean 70-85 in june?!?! that is unheard of here...by june we are hitting 90's atleast...sometimes we already hit triple didgets by then if we have a bad summer...

I wonder if i could just convince all my friends of a week long trip to bryce...it sounds like the perfect spot for us to go and by the sound of it we could ride in a different place everyday lol. the drive to utah would be sorta long but its no different then taking the time to drive to multiple places closer to home!

Also with a motel we could let the horses in a corral and stay in a room the first night after the long drive...then the next day pack up and pack in for the rest of our camping. As for there not being any trails...none of us will mind...we have been exploring and making our own trails near home for years lol

Yes. I think bryce canyon sounds very nice! along with what yall tell me i think ill do alittle google searching lol but i thought of another question...If we need a place to park truck an trailer will there be a convenient place to do so at bryce? also how rocky is the area? Its a canyon so i figure there will be lots of rocks and maybe lots of sand an gravel...all our horses are barefoot and the last thing we need is someones horse coming up rock sore or lame after the first days ride...thus we need to be prepared for rocks lol

If it is rocky im looking into some stuff called soleguard...something like that...has anyone used it an does it work to keep them from being ouchy? I read another thread on here about it a while ago...my geldings feet are lovely barefoot and i dont want shoes...and hoof boots are expensive...so this soleguard stuff sounds like my best bet. I just want some opinions lol.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I ride all across Southern Utah barefoot. I use the soleguard and boots when I ride up North. The red rock country of Southern Utah is made up of sandstone and it's not to bad on bare feet. I do use some protection if I'm riding 3-4-5 days in a row. And the Soleguard is a good product IF you get it applied correctly.

There is only ONE trail to ride in Bryce Canyon. The Peekaboo trail. 









But there is Red Canyon, Thunder Mountain, Losee and Castro Canyon all within 15-20 minutes of Ruby's Inn. You will have to trailer to each trail head. There is no riding from Ruby's Inn. There is some primative camping near the mouth of Castro Canyon. Lots of primative camping in the Grand Staircase and up in the Dixie National Forest. Primative Camping, means you just pull off the road and Camp. You have to bring everything you need. Often you can find horse water in the streams and lakes. 

Here is the county website that Bryce is located with in.
Garfield County Trails
And the Forest Service Webiste
Dixie National Forest - Recreational Activities

There is so much for you too see between Texas and Utah. Stop and spend a day or two near durango Colorado. There are some great trails up around Purgatory ski resort. Come on over to Bryce and ride a couple of days. Head up to Fish lake and stay at the Tasha Horse Camp and ride the mountains in that area. Head back over to Colorado and camp on the Grand Mesa near Grand Junction and head home. Make 4-5 stops during your 2-3 weeks.

You wil need Coggins and current heath Certificates for travel in Utah & Colorado.

Good luck and have a great time.

The trails in and around Bryce are not too hard to follow. No signs, But a well worn trail.









Its the trails in the Grand staircase and San rafael where you just wander


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## spence (Nov 8, 2009)

oh man... when the wife and i came back out here we stayed at a horse hotel in central OH, had to cross a bunch of state ground to get there. it's said they have a lot of good trails around up there in the summer months, i would love to go back there and do some serious trails. i don't remember the name of the place, though...


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

Ive officially fallen in love with utah's landscape....i think i would miss having the flat open spaces of texas after a few days but i wanna visit and ride!!! LOL

even if i dont go this summer i think i will have to visit at some point in my life...sometimes soon...


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Just remember that Utah is way more than Red rock country. Lots of green forest.


















And plenty of Cowboys to make you feel at home


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