Looking for the best horse camping near Bear Valley Springs? Finding a place to stay in California while traveling with your horse has never been easier. Search nearby equestrian campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Keysville (formerly Keyesville) is a historic mining area that offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Set in rolling terrain amidst a blue oak and foothill pine woodland, Keysville is dissected by the lower Kern River. A little exploration can turn up a wealth of historic resources, including a variety of mining structures and features, a historic fort, and the famous Walker Cabin. Keysville offers commercial and noncommercial white-water rafting opportunities as well as fishing, recreational gold panning, and dispersed camping. A network of over seventy miles of trails provides for mountain biking, equestrian, and motorized recreation use.
All motorized use is limited to designated roads and trails. For a map of Keysville area designated routes, see https://www.blm.gov/documents/california/public-room/map/keysville-recreation-management-area.
Jeffery Pine shaded camp near creek. Dirt road to camp normally accessible by 2 wheel drive vehicle.
Borax Bill Park has Free dry camping on a first-come, first-served basis. Power and water hook-up campsites are also available for $25/day.
Walker Pass Campround is located just off of California State Highway 178 and at the junction of the Owens Peak and Cache Peak segments of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Located at 5,000 feet, there are pinyon pines and a few Joshua trees in this semi-arid setting and outstanding views of the dry, rugged foothills of the Southern Sierras. The campround includes eleven walk in sites for Pacific Crest Trail hikers and tent campers. The camprgound also has two sites for car camping. All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Hitching racks and corrals are available for horses. No potable water is available at this site.
$25 - $45 / night
Scout
Office is only open th-tue, but staff roaming the area are very helpful. Dry camp the other days anywhere you want. Need tokens for showers, which you can get when office is open.
Scout
We were robbed from this location while out hiking and rafting for the day. Lost thousands of dollars in gear, clothes and personal items. Literally everything was gone, they plucked up the whole tent and took it all, nothing left but some tent stakes once we returned. The location is convenient to town and it is nice next to the river BUT BEWARE and don’t leave ANYTHING. We have a feeling it’s people who know the area and do quick grab and goes, not other campers.
TravelerVery helpful
RangerBeautiful spot conveniently located only a couple miles outside of town. Dumpsters and put toilets provided on both sides of the Kern River. A larger group site on one side and dispersed sites on the other. Great, reliable Verizon service. Road access is rough in some places, but passable in our low-clearance rig. Days are typically windy so tenters beware. Some of the sites on the dispersed side could use some TLC, but for the price you can't complain. Seems like a great fishing spot, and there do appear to be hiking trails in the area. Glad we made the trip out, if we pass it again we will definitely stay again!
Traveler
Spare of the moment trip idea lead me to finding this campsite. Coming from Frazier, CA I was able to access the camp site with a 2012 Chevy Equinox LS FWD (By no means an off-roading vehicle) and return back home with no issues. The drive down into the little valley is spectacular. There are few cool rock faces on the drive into camp which I had a great time doing some bouldering. The campground was shared by one other vehicle and it was fantastic. The site was pretty clean! Only found and picked up the usual (glass, caps, twist ties, styrofoam, toilet paper, etc.) There are a lot of trails near by and the scenery is pretty incredible.
GuideMy family would camp here once a year for 4-5 days. It is dispersed camping, so there are no hookups or designated sites. It is primarily for off road enthusiasts, however, we just came out here to enjoy the desert and go for walks. We would usually go toward the end of the year when it is not so hot (Oct-Dec) and have had a variety of weather over the years. From beautiful skies, to wind, rain and snow. The wind always picked up in the evening, so don't forget to roll up your awning. Our rig is a 30' bunkhouse trailer being pulled by a full size 4x4 truck. Although you don't need 4x4 and probably any car can make it out there. You just might have to drive slow as some of the road are pretty tore up. The camping is all over the valley and I can't see ever showing up and not being able to find a good spot (for what it is). There will be dust and some dirt bikes, trucks and OHV's rolling around. You will probably hear some of them long into the night. But I think there are areas you can go to get away from a lot of it and enjoy the stars and solitude of the desert. As you drive in you pass a ranger station. $10 gets you water to fill up your tanks and a pass to use their dump station.
Legend
Along Hwy 178 towards Ridgecrest you'll find this campground that is small but quiet and clean. It is not for big rigs or RVs.
There are 2 sites with fire pits and covered picnic tables that could fit a large van at most. There is one other spot that is level but has no fire pit or covered table. Further back are several scattered picnic tables and tent spots. There are also 2 unisex ADA accessible pit toilet bathrooms which were quite filthy.
This is a stop along the Pacific Crest Trail. The scenery is an amazing mix of Joshua Trees, pines, chaparral, mountains and large rocks, some snow on the peaks facing north. It is close to the highway so there is some road noise and people stopping to use the bathroom. The road in is paved and narrow and potholed but passable.
There was no cell service with AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile.
There is a donation based drop box for camping fee so pay what you want or what you can afford.
Fires and charcoal grills are not allowed per sign at info board, camp stoves are ok.
RangerNot the easiest to get to. But, great for altitude get away. Not winter accessible.
Traveler
We heard good things about this campground from family so we decided to give it a shot. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes from our home in Bakersfield. That road off of the 65 is pretty decent as we have a 32 foot fifth wheel. As usual some sites are better than others there are some creek side sites that are very large and if there’s water are very nice. They have tent only sites as well. On our first trip we stayed in a pull through site. There is not a whole lot of space between campsites in this loop but it’s doable. They also have a stocked pond on site. However if you want to keep any of the fish caught, you have to purchase them. There are trails to hike. FYI, there is no cell reception and no provided wifi. Personally I think that’s a good thing 😬.
GuideBeautiful drive down grade valley to get to this awesome site. We were looking for a more remote place to camp and this site satisfied all our needs. We were the only ones there and the scenery was pleasing. There is access to some nice hiking trails of Los Padres National Forest. There was some water still available in the nearby creek.
TravelerNice long drive to a beautiful destination
LegendThe keyesville classic mountain bike race is held every year in the area! With miles of trails and perfect single track for all age groups and abilities!
LegendThe hubs, kids and myself have spent a lot of time in Keysville if you're looking for a weekend getaway for mountain biking or trail riding this is the place! Some of the best free riding in California! Highly recommend keyesville to everyone! Town is just a few miles away if you should need anything.
Horse camping in California offers a unique way to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Bear Valley Springs, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Bear Valley Springs, CA is Keysville South Recreation Site with a 3.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Bear Valley Springs, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Bear Valley Springs, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
