Are you planning a trip to Green Valley with your horse? We've got you covered. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. With our help, you'll find the best California equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
One of the best places for Malibu Camping is Malibu Creek State Park, just 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, features hiking, fishing, bird watching, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding opportunities. Fourteen-mile Malibu Creek is the principal watercourse of the Santa Monica Mountains that ends at Malibu Lagoon. There are 15 miles of streamside trail through oak and sycamore woodlands on chaparral-covered slopes. Following the trail along Malibu Creek State Park, the visitor will be treated to spectacular vistas, including volcanic rock gorges, scenic pools, and breathtaking views of the Las Virgenes Valley and Malibu Canyon. Previous to being opened to the public in 1976, the park was used extensively to film numerous movies and TV shows, such as Planet of the Apes and MAS*H. Most of the park's land holdings were donated by Bob Hope, with later significant acquisitions from Ronald Reagan and 20th Century Fox.
$225 / night
Tapo Canyon Regional Park is located in the midst of the rolling hills and canyons of the Santa Susana Mountains, north of Simi Valley. Hikers, equestrian riders, and mountain bikers enjoy this rugged and rural park, which features picnic areas, A group use area, playground, an equestrian arena, restroom and shower facility, and an RV campground with 16 full hook ups. Cell service is spotty depending on carrier.
Due to winter road damage, low clearance vehicles are not recommended. At a Glance: 5,000' elevation 26 campsites There is currently no piped water available at Horse Flat Campground. Please bring enough water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and extinguishing campfires. Equestrian facilities include 4 corrals, hitching rails $12 per night per site. Campsites are on a first-come, first-served basis. No reserving or holding of campsites allowed. Checkout/Change of day is at 11 am. Maximum RV length 20 feet - No Hookups What to Expect Horse Flats Campground offers 26 campsites with plentiful shade options at a lofty 5000-foot elevation. It also has accessible hiking opportunities such as the Silver Moccasin National Recreation Trail, some excellent areas for mountain bikers, and, as the name implies, equestrian resources that include with four corrals and several more hitching posts. It is an easy 90-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles up Angeles Crest Highway (HWY 2) to inhale crisp mountain air scented with Jeffrey Pines and Mountain Mahogany. Mt Hillyer's silhouette and various wildlife make for an excellent backdrop for a day hike. With it being only 18 miles as the crow flies from downtown, it makes for a quick easy getaway from the summer heat.
$12 / night
Located near the western boundary of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, both road 3N17 and the access road to Mt. Pacifico Campground are open to street legal and off-highway vehicles, while road 3N90 (aka “Roundtop Road”) is only open to street-legal vehicles. Campsites are first-come-first-served. Interagency Pass or Adventure Pass required for vehicles parked at this campground. The Pacific Crest Trail passes 1/2 mile north downslope of the campground. Not RV accessible. 7100' elevation. 10 tent-only sites.
Now Open
Located in the cliffs and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga State Park features 36 miles of trails through open grassland, live oaks and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
The park is located entirely within the Los Angeles city limits and is considered the world’s largest wildland within the boundaries of a major city. Excellent recreational opportunities for hikers as well as mountain bikers (restricted to fire roads) and equestrians.
The park is bound on the south by Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, on the west by Topanga Canyon, and on the east by Rustic Canyon. Numerous geologic formations can be found in the park, including earthquake faults, marine fossils, volcanic intrusions, and a wide variety of sedimentary formations.
$7 / night
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.
$25 - $50 / night
Legend
Three miles from a the grocery and only minutes from north LA, you'll find a basic campground with flush toilets, coin showers, and easily accessible hiking trails. The sites are basic with campfire pit and grill, open space for a tent or rv, and picnic table. The inner circle of sites abuts the bathrooms and is better for groups. The outer rings on three sides have nice views, but some sites on the south side are shorter and abut a fence.
We stayed in site 59 which had a really nice shade tree and great views of a meadow and the cliffs out the back of the site. The sites are fairly open and close to each other, so be prepared to hear everything, and because the campground is close to the city it is popular with groups and families.
The campground was under fire warning all weekend, but faux wood (javalog or duraflame) and charcoal was still allowed. The camphost sold Javalogs, and there were plenty of options at the nearby Albertson's.
The state park is a former movie set and is filled with easily accessible trails for hiking and some for mountain biking. The primary trails were open fire roads with off-shoots to lakes, pools, meadows, and more. It was easy to imagine you weren't anywhere close to the city. During a holiday weekend the trails were fairly busy with day-use hikers, but even then, it was easy to get away and be on trails alone if you wanted. There is also a visitor center in the park, but it has limited hours.
The wildlife is abundant. There is plenty of birdwatching, and coyotes were wandering through the park and campground without fear. If you have a dog with you make sure they don't try join the pack. On a hike right out of the park a few hundred yards, I came across a pair of bobcats—mom and cub—making their way to a running creek.
I'd recommend a visit if you're looking for a close to town escape.
GuideGreat campground, Great spots but unfortunately bit expensive .Very disappointed about the rules regarding fire, but I understood. I left from the campground after the sunset...fire allowed only with courchal...
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.
ScoutGood campground, convenient location, nice WiFi. Sites are pretty close together, some sites had limited sun in December.
Legend
Although it’s not the most scenic campground itself, the state park has plenty of beauty to offer on its hiking trails. Not a single other party at the campsite on a Tuesday in September. The facilities and grounds were well maintained. Pretty short hike from the parking lot.
Traveler
This is a very nice campground near everything but still away from it all. No issues parking our 42' 5th wheel here. Clean and quiet despite the peacocks. They can be rather loud when startled. I swear they could hear my morning alarm and squawked their disapproval. The camp host Shawn is AMAZING! Bathrooms are very clean. Showers are coin operated. DO NOT expect cell service. I could only work from this spot by placing my mobile HomeFi router on top of the camper. Our Verizon phones were paper weights. Make sure your reservations are complete online before arriving. The Rangers check the spots multiple times a week. The kids enjoyed the playground and fields. It's not uncommon to see and hear movie/TV production crews at the filming locations along the road. Pet friendly but be careful at night. Mountain lions were spotted while there.
ScoutNice, small campground with hiking trails easily accessible. It was green and lush in the campground and the hillsides after a lot of rain. The sites are nicely spaced out. The sites with the best views are 59, 61 and 63.
LegendCleanliness: 10/10 Privacy: 0/10 Location: 5/10 nice park but super close to the street and other vehicles. Service: in some areas, one bar (att) Area: close to food etc just right down the hill. I used to live in this area, had no idea this was here. If you need something in this area this is a good spot, but I wouldn’t stop by choice if you could keep going somewhere more interesting.
Don’t forget quarters for showers! Wonderful playground if you have kids. Lots of grass for dogs too
LegendCleanliness: 10/10 Privacy: 0/10 Location: 5/10 nice park but super close to the street and other vehicles. Service: in some areas, one bar Area: close to food etc
TravelerPark for $7/night at Trippet Ranch and hike one mile to the campgrounds. It’s an easy hike and very quiet. Nice views during the day. Currently closed for repairs though.
TravelerThis campground is clean and quiet and the gate is open late (until 10:00pm) so you can check in late if need be. This place is a little expensive ($45/night plus online booking fee), but it’s very clean and well maintained. Showers are coin operated and cold. Flush toilets and sinks are available as well.
Guide
Bring some bug spray if you’re bugged by bugs. Other than that there was plenty of space for plenty of campers.
TravelerNo individual campsites. They’re set up in groups 2, 3 or 4 But it’s probably never a problem as this place doesn’t seem to get lots of visitors. It is a nice place and campground with lots of trees that provide some shade during the day. Sadly (because of our ongoing drought) trees and vegetation are in great need of water. I’d love to come back here after a rainy day.
Bring lots of mosquito repellent. You will need it.
Scout
The people here are so nice, the pool is clean and rarely busy from what we have seen. The shop has everything we have needed and the views are gorgeous 😍
TravelerClean and well maintained. There are many trails to explore.
Traveler
Parked at Three Points parking lot and hiked about 3.5 miles on the PCT. I believe it has 5 campsites with tables and fire pits. Beautiful river runs in the middle and an added bonus is that it has 2 outhouses. Truly a beautiful secluded campsite.
LegendNorth of LA. Easy to get to when traveling south. Staff very kind and helpful.
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.
ScoutWe live in Simi and we’re looking for a close place to test out our new travel trailer and we found this awesome gem of a campground. It’s super clean, has all the hook ups and was only 10 minutes away. I highly recommend this campground!
ScoutShowers cost $1 for 4 minutes, but dollar must be converted to tokens first. Clean bathrooms and showers with multiple trash receptacles available! Very close to Malibu Canyon Road and houses
TravelerThe drive up to the campsite and view from any location in the park is gorgeous. There’s lot of families and big groups around - so great for big groups but not if you’re looking for peace and quiet. The gate to enter does close at 10 though you can always leave and all the amenities were well maintained!
ScoutVery Friendly and Very Clean,Can see God's Creation
ScoutI love camping here people are friendly has large pools (adult pool, family pool, spa and splash pool). Most people live in this campground. Management is really nice staff is friendly. Will stay here again. Super clean campground and each site has grass.
GuideThis was a great stop over for a week. A little remote and you have to drive to the nearest town(s), but clean grounds and nice site. Very easy to book online.
The RV park is pretty large so it's a nice daily walk. We had an easy pull thru site with plenty of space for our RV and truck to fit and had some shade from a nearby tree. There were a few bugs at night, but nothing miserable.
Wifi worked fine for us. For video calls during work we used our hotspot just to be safe, but otherwise their wifi was reliable and worked just fine. AT&T service worked great.
Laundry was credit card which made it easy to avoid a hassle of getting quarters. They have a few pools and hot tub, but closed due to COVID.
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.
GuideCute Campground situated right inside the regional park. There is a playground and large covered picnic area. First come first serve camping, decent sized spots with shade, fire pits, and water. Enough room to park your RV or tent, or both. Clean and quaint. Heads up there’s no cell service once your in the campgrounds.
Traveler
Crossing the tiny bridge at the west end of Switzer Picinic area(park up top during the weekdays, adds half a mile), you’ll see Switzer Trail Camp. You snake up the hill(keep an eye out for those btw) and see breathtaking views from the top of the canyon, veer to the left down the hill and go downstream to the right. Switzer Falls is upstream to the left. Follow the creek( which is GORGEOUS with waterfalls and shade in the spring) and go all the way to the end. Trail tends to get iffy at points, but you kinda get to know the flow of it if it disappears into rocks or the creek. You start to go uphill again and the creek switches its flow so you’re suddenly walking up stream, then you’ll be there! There are fire rings but use responsibly- have lots of water at the pit to put it out, and make sure you do do that completely before you go to sleep. That place would go up faster than you can run, so be mindful. Animals love toilet paper, so make sure your cat holes are 6 inches deep because there are no toilets, and I did see the weekend crowds toilet paper and cig butts strewn about. Pack out ppl, pack out...
All in all, gorgeous place!! Breathtaking views and when the creek is ice-cold, you are just spoiled.
Horse camping in California offers a unique blend of scenic trails and equestrian-friendly facilities, making it a perfect getaway for horse enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Green Valley, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Green Valley, CA is Malibu Creek State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 30 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Green Valley, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Green Valley, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
