Best Equestrian Camping near Bell Gardens, CA

Giant oval loop with camp sites all along both sides. Rv sites, tent sites and equestrian (horse) sites. Paved road is good for bike riding. Behind my Camp site was a few different hiking paths. Restroom buildings have water, toilets, and showers. It says to bring quarters for the showers but they were free. Each site is typical... Picnic bench, fire pit, and metal grill. No gathering fire wood, gotta buy it at local grocery or gas station. $20 a night. Lots of families with kids. Feels really safe here. Saw the park rangers driving around and the front has a gate guard who checks you in. Also only 10 minutes away from city.

Free showers and restrooms available. Tmobile and at&t service both were intermittently fair to good. Campsites are all mostly level. Dogs are not allowed on some of the trails. Each campsite has a table, fire ring and grill. They do allow car camping and there were more than a few car campers there. Seniors camp for $15/night. Generators are allowed and unfortunately the camper nearby ran theirs allllll day. They have equestrian camp sites and group sites as well. Water spigots are at every site or nearly every site. Trash bins are also plenty.

SITE: 

This site is great if you like hiking, biking, MTB, and running. It is very clean, and the showers are free and clean as well. It's tucked back in the canyon, but you will still hear all the traffic from the road. Since it is a canyon, many loud cars and motorcycles zoom past at high speeds. 

Free dump station.  

SURROUNDING AREA: 

There aren't too many shops in close proximity, but there are shops down the road a few minutes away if you need supplies. 

ACTIVITIES 

The campground is located next to Oneil Park, which is huge and great for bike and running. There are many hiking trails nearby in all directions. I usually ride to Caspers from the campsite or Trabruco creak up to Holy Jim.

The park has a day-use area and 4 campgrounds: Ortega Flats(13 RV only sites), Live Oak Campground(tents and campers), Star Mesa Equestrian Campground, and Owl/Quail Group Campground. I reserved an electric site in the Ortega Flats Campground. I heard cars passing by all day and night. There were only port-a-potties by this campground but you could walk farther in the park for more decent toilets and showers.

The campsite was nice, shady with benches, a picnic table plus a fire pit. I had electric hookup but no water because of the drought. The rangers are friendly and patrol regularly which makes you feel safer. There is a cute playground for kids, a nature center where you can enjoy viewing through the telescope overlooking almost all of the 8,000 acres of the Caspers WP. If you like hiking or mountain biking this is a great park for you! The nearest shops are about 10-15 drive away.

Clean, quiet campground located in one of the OC Parks, with plenty of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use. I stayed here on a weekday, and there were a few couple of vacant campsites in my area, so it was an extremely quiet visit. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked for my stay. I didn’t use the showers since I was only staying one night, but I heard they were free!

Rangers were very friendly and firewood was only $5 for a decent bundle that lasted me over 2 hours.

The city of Rancho Santa Margarita is right up the hill, so you can grab food and any necessities if needed.

My site backed to the creek, so I never had people walking through my campsite.

My dog & I slept in my van, but there was room for multiple tents, and a decent amount of shade in my spot.

My spot didn’t have its own water spigot, but there was one at a site across from me.

I was fortunate that all of the campers around me were quiet and considerate. I know that it doesn’t always work out that way, and having obnoxious neighbors can really ruin your experience.

Tucked on the outskirts of Mission Viejo is an oasis of green grass and groves of the twisting and searching limbs of Coastal Live Oak trees.  If you stuck me in the middle of this park, I’d never know that I was miles away from the sprawl of suburbia of a major metropolitan area…shhh don’t tell anyone.

There are 3 campgrounds within this regional park -- one soley dedicated to RV's that require electrical hook-ups (Ortega Flats), a group campground (San Juan Meadow), and another which is a mix of tents and off-grid RVs (Live Oak).  This review is specifically for the off-grid Live Oak Campground which s aptly named because you’ll find yourself enjoying the ample shade of these amazing arbors, but plenty of sun to run our solar powered system.  

The campsites can be reserved but there is plenty of room for first-come first-served travelers as well.  The sites offer enough space to tuck away a tent in the corner, or set up the longer trailer, as well as the typical picnic table and fire ring.  Plenty of port o potties are scattered throughout the campground and served the large groups gathered here on Easter weekend.  We indulged in making a fabulous brunch of Wood Fired Waffles to celebrate the holiday!  As of April 2023, they were still experiencing a well water issue, so no water was available from the faucet, but the river running through the park was useful for obtaining water to wash dishes.

Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails meander throughout the park. The campground borders on a small creek for fishing, but is off-limits to wading and swimming because of the instability of the opposite bank. Keep an eye on the kids!  Be sure to check out the volunteer-run Nature Center on the property which is full of great information about flora, fauna, and native history.

The closest store for firewood, and groceries is just a few miles back toward town.  And, the closest beach is just about 30 minutes away, so a great option for a day trip.