just returned from buffalo river trail ride

[The Rossons]

They do not have 4 shower houses they have 1 that is usable afte the flood the others are gone.... no showers... porta poties at river campsites... the stables are wet and nasty... no wheelbarrels to

muck so there are piles everywhere.. which adds to the fly problem that already exists there.I saw noone attempted to clean anything the same trash stayed at the front door of the bathhouse the entire time. the riding was good but noone maintains these trails.. there are NO trails marked so carry your GPS  as the map is a joke, the river is the best part but still not worth the amount they charge.

[Melinda Smith]

I agree with part of this, but sorry, I do have to disagree with some of it, as well.
The stall, that was assigned to us, was standing with water, as were several others, but we chose one that was not and went back to the office to make the correction. The 2 biggest problems for me was, as mentioned, no wheelbarrows for stall cleaning and the water hose had so many leaks it was constantly wet and muddy around the end of the barn where my horse was stalled.
We used the bath house every day and it was cleaned. I saw the cleaning people there and it looked good for a little while. But, unfortunately, there are so many people who just don't care, or try to keep it that way, that it NEVER looks clean for very long. Seriously, how hard is it to put a paper towel in the garbage can instead of on top or in the floor?! And that was right after the bath house was cleaned and the garbage had been emptied.
On Friday, we did try to follow one trail that was pretty much non-existent any longer, Thunder Trail, but we chose another trail and were able to take a very good ride with no other problems. The debri and washed out areas just added to the challenge and gave my young horse a LOT of good experience, which he handled wonderfully. I am sure there are other areas that had problems, but I think there is also a lot of good riding left to do at Buffalo River.
So, my opinion, considering what this place and many others have gone through with this recent flood, they are in pretty good condition. If you would like Buffalo River to stay in operation, and come back to what it once was, the only way to do this is to go and support them through the tough times.

[Renee' Walls]

The price for riding compared to Circle E or Many Cedars for what you have to look at and ride in is extortion! I have been riding at Buffalo for almost 18 yrs and after they started logging it about 5 or 6 yrs ago, it has not been the same since. It will take years for the trees to grow back for Buffalo to EVER be what it was. If they made new trails it might make a difference but when you have to look at all that clear cutting and know what it was years ago then it is just not the same.

[ReubenT]

I know how that works, a good share of the land within 10 miles of us was clearcut and it was a major degrading change from the hardwood forests I used to wander around in. Some was converted to pine, some was sold to developers. The cause? Huber land management changed, they used to do selective cutting here and there, but someone decided they needed a higher income from their land so they went crazy with cutting and selling.

[Kayla Baxter]

We went to Buffalo River for Memorial Day and it was disappointing. We've been going there every Memorial Day for the past 10 years and this year was our last trip. We left our house on Tuesday and stayed til Monday. Me and my Dad had an amazing time until the place started to become packed. The people that were parked next to us were loud and stayed drunk the entire weekend. They also had their radio turned on so loud that I'm not surprised that everyone in the camp didn't hear ALA-FREAKING-BAMA! My family wanted to relax and enjoy nature but that was just too much to ask for. My grandmother made it to the dirt road and had popped two tires on the way down to the camp. As for the trails, I have to ask what trails? Everything has been clear cut. I remember going to Buffalo a couple of years ago and riding for hours and never getting out in the sun and now you have to ride in the sun to get to almost every trail if you ride on one side. The bath house situation was ridiculous, especially on the nights of the dance. It took and hour of standing in line to take a shower. I also agree with Melinda. The bath houses were cleaned for a short time but people didn't care to pick up after themselves. On Saturday, the front of our truck got hit ruining the weekend even more.
Needless to say, the only reason we might go back is because we like the hills you can play on with your horses and we enjoyed swimming in the river.
Other than that we won't be spending anymore of our money at Buffalo River, we would much rather go to Big South Fork, East Fork, or Circle E and actually enjoy ourselves.

[Melinda Smith]

Kayla, you guys sound like my husband and me.
We have only missed one Memorial Weekend at Buffalo River in 8 or 9 years, but nearly every time we go, we end up thinking 'why do we come on a busy weekend, when we would much rather go during an off weekend?' We, too, come for the purpose of relaxing and enjoying nature, but that rarely happens during Memorial Weekend. It is usually very noisy. This year was the quietest it has been, at least in several years. I don't know if the flooding kept some of the noisier people away, or what, but it was not so bad. We went one time, in the early part of a week in September, a few years ago and there were only 2 or three other campers there. That was AWESOME! It was SO peaceful!
Sorry you guys did not enjoy your vacation. It is really bad when you come home from vacation more stressed than when you left.