Big Ridge Mountain Club 

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: October 2024

This issue of The Laurel is all about the beauty of the area in this month of glorious revelation.

That’s why it’s the perfect time to invite you – whether you’re a year-round resident, seasonal guest, or someone just passing through – to explore the possibilities to be found at Big Ridge Mountain Club.

This members-only lodge in Glenville offers family and friends a simple and gracious home away from home, opportunities for convivial fellowship and quiet reflection, and a home base from which they can enjoy all the bucolic pleasures of the lake and the Plateau and the mountains that loom all around us.

“A friend recently gave me a talking to about the lack of specificity around Big Ridge accommodations,” says Big Ridge Developer Geoff Graham. “He found it difficult to convey to his mom exactly what she should expect when she arrived.”

“Big Ridge Mountain Club is in Glenville, exactly one mile up Big Ridge Road from Highway 107. The address is 1150 Big Ridge Road. From 107 – you’ll wind your way past a fork to Pilot Knob (stay right!), and after a sharp bend, you’ll come to a wood fence and a big pasture.”

To recap, the whole Spring House has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a half-bath on the main floor, a full kitchen on the main level, and a kitchenette in the Garden Level. Including the day beds in each of the masters (which are great for humans under 5’10”), the Spring House sleeps 10 people, though it’s most comfortable with eight.

“A group has flexed it up to eleven for a big girls’ weekend by adding an inflatable mattress in the office,” says Graham. “Eleven adult women in the house sounds crazy to me, but it’s certainly possible. And, of course, the serious introvert in your 12- person troupe could quietly lodge him or herself in the Writer’s Hut.”

That last bit got me excited! How could a writer/editor resist what’s billed as a “Writer’s Hut?”

“Built in 2019, the Writer’s Hut served as my lodging and office during construction of the Spring House,” says Graham. “Initially, it was totally off the grid, without plumbing, and dependent on the little wood stove for heat. It now enjoys luxurious electricity and electric heat, but it still awaits a bathroom addition. Visitors to the Writer’s Hut must hop and skip over to the Spring House for their daily ablutions.”

During the summer, members have access to a sport boat on Lake Glenville.

“Our next building – a barn with a two-bedroom loft apartment – is under construction now,” says Geoff. “Once completed, we’ll begin building the main lodge (which will have a few hotel-style rooms and offer members family-style dining). Big Ridge membership capacity is limited and while we’ll expand our capacity as we complete more buildings, I don’t plan for the club to ever get big. Being small is part of what makes it special.”

Big Ridge Mountain Club is only open to members and their guests. To learn more about its promise and possibilities, visit bigridge.club.