Best Equestrian Camping near Columbia, CA

Clark's Fork is a large campground with 88 sites – all of which are situated with lots of space so that you aren’t too close to your neighbors. The availability of adjacent “double sites” makes this campground a great place for larger groups of families and friends. The 25 sites on Loop A offer vault toilets and cost $19 an night. Loop B sites offer flush toilets and cost $20 a night. There are also 14 nice family-sized equestrian sites and one group equestrian site. Sites are within easy walking distance of the water. No matter what kind of camping you want to plan, Clark's Fork offers options. A RV dump station is located near the entrance to the campgrounds. The Clark's Fork Campground is on a first-come, first-served basis. This beautiful wooded campground is on the Stanislaus River, recommended for your fishing and scenic pleasure.

This place is amazing. I’ve been five times since I discovered it late last year. This campground is about an hour’s drive to any kind of amenities or cell phone service. The road in is bumpy and there is a shallow creek that you will need to drive across, but I had no problems driving a 2wd Honda Fit compact car up. This park didn’t even open until late July this year due to all the snowfall. There is 1 vault toilet and an old-school hand pump for water, which isn’t always functioning so bring plenty of water. All of the sites are first come first served, each has a fire pit with grill plate, and a picnic table. No dumpsters for trash, pack it in and pack it out.

There is plenty of hiking, both steep and moderate. Folger peak trail can be very challenging due to all the loose shale. There is an equestrian trail that is more flat going the other direction which is less steep but still a very scenic hike. Ranchers bring their cattle up to graze during the summer months so you’ll hear their cowbells all day long. There is a weather station in the valley and it’s fairly accurate so you can get the forecast before you go, just google weather Highland Lakes. I would recommend a 4 season tent, even in the summer. On my last trip it was a little to cold for my taste so we drove back down the road and camped along the creek the last few nights.

We camped at Spicer on Labor Day weekend with our 28’ toy hauler (no OHV allowed on site). The campsites have a variety of trees/rocks and many are fairly private. We got one close to the walking trail down to the lake, which took just a couple minutes. The lake is nice but better for fishing than swimming/paddle boarding/kayaking. We did find swimming at the river leading to the lake, and it was only a short hike down. Utica is also a quick 10-15 minute drive and perfect for the activities mentioned.

The camp hosts were pleasant and helpful. The vault toilet bathrooms were clean. No reservations (except group camp, I think), hookups, or America The Beautiful pass discounts (but they do take Golden Age). There is AT&T cell service down by the lake. At the time (early September), there were a lot of bees and we saw some fresh bear poop right behind one of the sites.

This campground is at the end of a long dirt road. 4x4 is apparently not strictly necessary but I would recommend it, particularly given the unpredictable weather (hail storm on July 25).

The views at the lakes are breathtaking. The campground is next to the smaller lake and has two sections. One is right by the road, fairly open and flat, and the other a bit up the hill, with sites that are more private, nestled around the trees. Most sites had fire pits with grills and a picnic table. Both sides have drinking well water with a had pump. Bathrooms were fairly clean and stocked with tp. The groundskeeper was friendly and helpful. The lakes are cold but apparently there is some trout. Looked like fly fishing was the way to go.

The main downside was how busy the area was, both with campers and day users. Given the COVID situation, reservations are not accepted and driving that road to end up without a campsite would be very unfortunate but highly likely. We ended up camping one night on the side of the road and were fortunate to get a spot for our second night.

Hilltop sites are better for smaller campers. I have an 18’ trailer and sites 126-128 are really nice. They are set into the mountains with trees behind you. The park rangers are very present to keep people in check and the camp host drives by multiple times to keep the bathrooms clean. Jenkinson late is beautiful to kayak or paddleboard on and you can also rent for $20/hr + $10/hr after that. This is a nice campground to stay in and paddling around the lake is wonderful. Plenty of space for social distancing. Also has nice trails to hike to a small waterfall. 9