Best Equestrian Camping near Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that California camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Los Angeles camping trip.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Los Angeles, California (10)

    1. Malibu Creek State Park Campground

    38 Reviews
    El Nido, CA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (818) 880-0367

    $45 - $225 / night

    "What I love the best about this place is that it's local to me as I live in Los Angeles."

    "It is prime location for some great hiking and at night it is super quiet. There are restrooms and showers as well."

    2. Musch Trail Camp — Topanga State Park

    6 Reviews
    Topanga, CA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (310) 455-2465

    $7 / night

    "If you want a longer hike you can hike up the East Topanga Fire Road and then drop down into Musch Camp on the Backbone Trail from Eagle Junction."

    "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."

    3. Tapo Canyon Park

    12 Reviews
    Simi Valley, CA
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (805) 654-3951

    "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."

    "This campground happens to be very close to home so we went here to try out our brand new pull behind camper trailer for the very first time.
    The campground is small, quiet and very well-kept."

    4. Seabreeze At Seal Beach

    9 Reviews
    Seal Beach, CA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (562) 626-7504

    "Awesome park, clean, level paved pads with a parking space..nice amenities, small NEX nearby. Wildlife reserve adjacent to the park made it nice for walking the dogs, too"

    "Very clean, cement slab, walking paths well lit and near to many areas to explore. Wetlands on the base and birds galore."

    5. Bear Canyon Campground

    3 Reviews
    Altadena, CA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (818) 899-1900

    "But otherwise a great spot to spend a few summer days away from anyone not hale enough to trek in a few miles."

    "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."

    7. Valencia Travel Village

    8 Reviews
    Valencia, CA
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (661) 257-3333

    "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."

    "I didn’t actually stay here as I was looking for a tent camping spot, but I did drive around the facility and it was super clean and looked like a great spot if you’ve got an RV."

    8. Horse Flats Campground

    8 Reviews
    Juniper Hills, CA
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (818) 790-1151

    $12 / night

    "Horse Flats is not as popular as Buckhorn, and is a little less "green" with regards to the immediate scenery. It is also quieter for this reason, which is nice."

    "We usually only see rangers come around in the morning. With that said, we still like Horse Flats because there is usually a spot or two open if we arrive on a Saturday."

    9. Mount Pacifico Campground

    1 Review
    Juniper Hills, CA
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (818) 899-1900

    "great views 360 degrees once you're on top. a 7 mile hike north on the Pacific Crest Trail from mill creek fire station. fire rings with multiple spots"

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Los Angeles, CA

89 Reviews of 10 Los Angeles Campgrounds


  • Tony  C.
    Jun. 24, 2019

    Henninger Flat - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

    Great local campsite

    I recently moved to WA from Los Angeles so this review is legit 😁 This was and still continues to be one of my favorite campsite close to Los Angeles, I have plenty of fond memories with close friends at this site. It’s completely exposed all the way to the top, a well worth 3 mile uphill hike to three different camp sites. My favorite is the middle site where you get a clear view of the city, beautiful views at night. They say there’s no water but there is, there’s a spout located by the restroom close to the museum, you’ll have to treat it before using (but don’t take my word for it, they tend to shut it off so take plenty of water for your time there and check it out if you need more) If you continue past the middle campsite to the upper site, you’ll have plenty of space for tents and hammocks just no view due to the trees on the edge. If you continue on that trail for another 3 miles i believe, you’ll get to idlehour campground. It’s a small site right next to a creek, you can continue on to Mt Lowe campground and inspiration point. Back to Henninger, plenty of trees for hammocks and sometimes they have firewood collected. At the museum you can buy soda cans so take some change. Hauling a 24 pack of cold Modelos in my pack was not fun at all, but boy did they taste good at the top hahaha. Bugs can get annoying so carry some bug spray, hang your food and PACK IT OUT!!! Leave no trace behind.

  • Stacy C.
    Nov. 15, 2020

    Henninger Flat - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

    Weekend backpacking

    Close by campsite and pitstop on the way to Mt. Wilson. Great overlook of the Los Angeles. Lots of bugs around good thing we had a head net. Not many people around when we were camping so it was pretty quiet.

  • D
    May. 23, 2019

    Henninger Flat - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

    Great hike in beautiful views

    This is a special place and a bit of an uphill hike very rustic and incredible views at night looking over Los Angeles about 25 miles away.  Not very busy ever. Goid memories for sure

  • Roberto R.
    Jul. 30, 2016

    Malibu Creek State Park Campground

    Malibu Creek

    What I love the best about this place is that it's local to me as I live in Los Angeles.

    I was looking for a beautiful picnic spot and found it here....You should definitely come and enjoy this beautiful area. ...Even if you have a large group.

  • Erik M.
    Jan. 9, 2021

    Musch Trail Camp — Topanga State Park

    Easy Backpacking Trip in Los Angeles

    Musch Camp is an easy one mile hike from from the Trippet Ranch Parking Lot in Topanga State Park. If you want a longer hike you can hike up the East Topanga Fire Road and then drop down into Musch Camp on the Backbone Trail from Eagle Junction. This will add a few more miles to your hike and allow you to make a loop by hiking back to Trippet Ranch via the one mile Musch Trail.

    The cost is $7 per person per night. You can pay at the Entrance Station at the Trippet Ranch Parking Lot or the Iron Ranger at the camp. If you are parking your vehicle overnight in the parking lot please leave a note on your dashboard so that the Rangers are aware that you are camping at Musch Camp.

    The campground has around 6 campsites in two sections surrounded by fencing. Each site has a picnic table.  FIRES ARE NOT ALLOWED. There is also a restroom with flush toilets' and sinks as well as a water spigot. There are also horse corrals across the trail from the campground. Some of the sites have shade.

    There are meadows down the trail on either side of the campground. There is limited cell service at the campground.

  • Les R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 7, 2016

    Horse Flats Campground

    Standard, quiet campground

    Disregard the "closed for the season" post in the name - this campground is open.

    There are a few campgrounds in this area of the Angeles National Forest. Horse Flats is not as popular as Buckhorn, and is a little less "green" with regards to the immediate scenery. It is also quieter for this reason, which is nice. The individual sites are large and spread out from each other, so it is easy to have some privacy. Make sure to get food and firewood before you start the drive up the mountain, as there is no place to purchase such supplies near the camps.

  • Les R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 25, 2018

    Horse Flats Campground

    Ranger Review: Mountain House freeze dried meals at Horse Flats Campground

    Campground Review

    We come to this campground throughout the year, and its one of our favorite spots for summer camping when we're short on time. It's an hours drive from LA and because the campground is at elevation it stays cooler during the hot months. This is my third review for this campground, and one thing I will say that I've noticed over time is that as the popularity of the campground has increased, so has the noise. We've been kept awake by other campsites on three different occasions now. Part of the issue is that rangers aren't regularly monitoring in order to enforce the quiet hours. We usually only see rangers come around in the morning. With that said, we still like Horse Flats because there is usually a spot or two open if we arrive on a Saturday. Also, the sites are relatively well spread out compared to other SoCal camping options. And it's dog friendly, which is a must for us.

    Things to know before coming

    • bring all your water with you. There is no running water at this campground
    • purchase firewood before driving up the mountain. I've unfortunately seen too many campers collecting wood around the campground to use for fires. Don't do it! Different woods burn differently and also carry differently in smoke, and the Angeles National Forest is often at elevated fire danger levels
    • the drive from the base of the mountain to this campground is about 45 minutes. make sure you have enough gas and have a map / driving directions ready, because there is no cell phone service

    Things to do nearby

    • bouldering, just a short hike away. See more info on routes here
    • hike the Pacific Crest Trail to historic Glenwood Cabin. Here is the route I mapped out if you want to pick up the trail near Bandido campground. And here is more info on the cabin
    • take a scenic chair lift and play disc golf at Mt Waterman, a 10 minute drive away. More info here
    • Hike Rosenita Saddle to Mt Hillyer, see route here

    Product Review

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products to review for some of my camping trips. On this trip, we tested out two meals from Mountain House. (See my review of other meal options in my Meander Lake campground review). After cooking these pre-made camping meals, I may never go back! On this trip we had the Noodle with Chicken for dinner and Granola with Milk and Blueberries for breakfast. They were seriously DELICIOUS. Better than anything I can cook with my backcountry kitchen set-up. Here's what I love about these meals:

    • super great taste
    • quick to make. These meals are ready in 10 minutes or less, some are ready as soon as you add water. After a long day of climbing or hiking, or when you're waking up in the morning, it's so nice to have food ready so quickly
    • easy to make. Just add water (boiling, usually). This also means that all we need to pack is a Jetboil, which is so much more convenient than packing a stove, pots, cooking oil, ingredients, cutting boards, etc.
    • lightweight, and you can choose among packaging options for more compactness

    All in all, I'd say these meals are a game changer for short trips or backcountry camping , when you want to pack minimally. If you're doing a week of camping with easy access to your car, then these meals aren't necessarily your cheapest option for the whole week, but it's totally worth the money in terms of taste and convenience (so you can spend more time on other outdoor activities!).

    There are only two things I'd like to see change to further improve Mountain House meals. First, there are no vegan options, and very few vegetarian options. Second, I find the serving amounts to be unhelpful in their current format, because the calories per serving are so low. For example, with the Noodle with Chicken, the pouch says "2.5 services", but there are only 220 calories per serving. If this were your sole meal item for dinner, I'd say that more like 1 serving, especially if you're consuming these meals after a day of rock climbing or hiking. So if I meal plan with Mountain House pouches, you have to calculate servings based on the calories, rendering the "servings" as advertised uninformative.

  • Chuck T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 13, 2018

    Seabreeze At Seal Beach

    Close as you can get to LA!!

    Awesome park, clean, level paved pads with a parking space..nice amenities, small NEX nearby. Wildlife reserve adjacent to the park made it nice for walking the dogs, too

  • Kate O.
    Jul. 18, 2018

    Horse Flats Campground

    Popular with Climbers

    Horse Flats is a popular campground deep in Angeles National Forest.

    There are a bunch of sites (more than 20) and there are vault toilets, fire pits, and picnic tables.

    $12 fee per site, not sure how many cars that means but you might need the adventure pass if you have a lot of other cars parking overnight.

    It's a great escape from the city, about an hour from DTLA. Popular with climbers as there's bouldering in the area.

    Know before you go - it's closed from November-ish to April-ish - so check the forest website before you head out there.

    When driving there, you take a left off the 2 and it's a little past Bandido Group site. Some people have a hard time finding it their first time going.


Guide to Los Angeles

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 saddle up and enjoy the trails.

Equestrian campgrounds include essential amenities

  • At Musch Trail Camp — Topanga State Park, you'll find horse corrals and picnic tables, making it a convenient stop for riders.
  • Bear Canyon Campground features multiple sites along Bear Creek, complete with fire pits and a scenic environment for both horses and riders.
  • Horse Flats Campground offers a rustic experience with picnic tables and vault toilets, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tips for equestrian camping near Los Angeles, California

  • When visiting Mount Pacifico Campground, be prepared for a hike-in experience that rewards you with stunning 360-degree views.
  • At California Tapo Canyon Park, you can enjoy a range of amenities including electric hookups and drinking water, making it a comfortable choice for horse camping.
  • For a more secluded experience, consider Spring Camp Campground, which is currently closed for repairs but typically offers a peaceful environment for horse camping.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused features like trails and corrals

  • Seabreeze At Seal Beach provides a well-kept environment with large spaces for RVs and horses, ensuring a comfortable stay.
  • Valencia Travel Village is known for its friendly staff and clean facilities, making it a great option for families with horses.
  • Bear Canyon Campground not only offers beautiful views but also has seasonal water sources, perfect for keeping your horse hydrated during your stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Los Angeles, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Los Angeles, CA is Malibu Creek State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 38 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Los Angeles, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Los Angeles, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.