Occasionally, visitors to the Big South Fork area get lost while they are out riding and may end up traveling along the road, trying to get back to wherever they are staying. Sometimes riders may need to consult a map or tighten a girth. If so, the right of way is their "breakdown lane."
There has been a proliferation of "Horses Keep Off The Grass" and "No Horses On The Grass" signs in this area in recent months. Big South Fork National Park is considered the best trail riding east of the Mississippi and is called "The Trail Riding Capital of the Southeast." Many local businesses advertise in publications such as The Trail Rider magazine in an effort to attract visitors to the area. Not only are such signs unwelcoming and offensive, they are incorrect.
The RIGHT OF WAY extends a minimum of 25 feet from the centerline of the road, in either direction, on State Highway 297 and, in some places, it is fifty feet. That means you have a perfect RIGHT to stand on the grass or ride on the grass as long as you remain within the right of way.
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