Alum Ford Campground — Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area

This park is gorgeous and great for family . The hiking and camping is wonderful.

Great campground and park. Unbelievably clean bathrooms and showers! Site have bear proof cabinets for your cooler, and rangers are super friendly.

Ranger Review: Mountain House Meals at Alum Ford Campground ,Big South Fork, Ky

Campground Review: Near Yahoo Falls Alum Ford this small (6 sites) primitive campground is a good place to set up base camp for activities your planning in the area. 

Not much to the actual campground: 

• Picnic table, bear box, tent pad ,fire ring

• Pit toilets

• Co-located with a boat-ramp (Cumberland River)

• A trail that meanders along the cliff face behind the campsites that takes you down to the boat-ramp

• Trailhead in the very back to Yamacraw Bridge and the Sheltowee Trace

The campground is quiet aside from loading and unloading boats (which went on until after midnight) There were only two occupied sites when we arrived on a Saturday. No reservations and $5 per site. There is credit card information on the pay envelope but I prefer to use cash and not have my info floating around. 

The campground was clean and well maintained but obviously old and in need of some restoration, no surprise with all the cuts in Park positions. I like this type of campground but not so much the noise from the boat-ramp. There is no direct put in from the sites. I doubt I would leave my watercraft tied off overnight either.

 This would be an excellent and cheap spot to do some extensive hiking from or even backpacking/dispersed camping from. Due to there being no through traffic you could leave your vehicle and odds and ends and not have to worry about anything wandering off while your gone. We camped here after hiking some of the Tennessee end of the Sheltowee Trace. Sunday we hiked some more and visited Yahoo Falls. 

Product Review: Mountain House Freeze Dried Meals are surprisingly very good....https://www.mountainhouse.com/m/abus.html

Now I say this from a background of years of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat....in someone’s opinion) and T-rations. So it should only be improvement, BUT some of the other products I’ve tried were not that great. 

I first tried Mountain House a few years ago on a backpacking trip and thought it was okay, but not great. I tried Mountain House again last year and enjoyed it a lot more. I don’t know if they changed anything or maybe I read and followed the directions ;)

So when given the opportunity as a Dyrt Ranger to review Mountain House I was like absolutely!

I selected breakfast items, Granola and Egg mixtures( not together;) because that’s the time of day I like quick and easy so we can get on the move.

I read the directions and boiled my water, poured a cup in, waited 3 minutes and Had Some Scrumptious Eggs and Bacon! Just that easy, quick AND filled me up. 

I’m trying to think of any cons but right off hand the only problem I ever had was not reconstituting it correctly. Eggs needed some salt and pepper but that would go back to preference. 

Mountain House comes in pro-paks for backpackers and high altitudes, which are packed to save space. They have cans for crowds and kits for preppers or just emergency preparedness.

Definitely good for at the house, in the camper and the car just in case.