Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Piñon Hills. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. You're sure to find the perfect site for your California horse camping excursion.
Due to the Line Fire, Lake Gregory will remain closed until further notice to keep the roads open for first responders and those under evacuation.
Located alongside an old riverbed in the high desert south of Victorville, Mojave Narrows offers lush plant growth, acres of waterways, impressive strands of cottonwood and willows and broad meadows all naturally landscaped by nature. The park is home to more than 1,500 species of watchable wildlife.
In addition there is year-round fishing, disc golf course, equestrian trails, a playground, climbing rocks, splash pad and hiking trails.
For campers, there are tent campsites along the shores of both Horseshoe Lake and Pelican Lake. RV sites with full hook-ups are also located near Horseshoe Lake.
Mojave Narrows Regional Park offers many options for camping and is dog-friendly and is accessible for people with disabilities.
Camping Amenities
38 RV or trailer full hookup sites (no tents allowed) 31 tent camping sites along Horseshoe or Pelican Lakes 6 group camping sites 3 group equestrian sites Hot showers and restrooms Grills and fire rings Dump stations
$3 - $40 / night
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
$10 - $119 / night
$35 - $40 / night
Located on 160 acres in close proximity to the Deep Creek Hot Springs. Rural property with natural landscapes in the mountains of the high desert. Showers, bathrooms and running water on site, no RV power hookups. Private hot spring rental and glamping tents available. Large group sites available, secluded sites, event venue available. Ziplines on site.
$15 - $119 / 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.
Holcomb Valley Ranch provides campers with an enchanting escape from the city. We invite you to kick back and relax at our private, 400+ acre ranch in the San Bernardino Mountains just 25 minutes from the Big Bear ski slopes and 15 minutes from Big Bear Lake- A large recreational, fresh-water lake for Summer swimming and water sports. Each campsite is approximately one acre(or more), generously-distanced from neighboring campers with its own fire ring and picnic table. The Ranch feels remote and private. Yet is only four miles to town. Neighboring the Pinnacles, for incredible rock climbing, and surrounded by the National forest, the location offers seemingly endless hiking and epic off-roading trails to enjoy and explore. After a day filled with adventure or relaxation, take in the breath-taking sunsets over the meadow. Then, blanketed in a sea of stars, enjoy toasting up some s’mores and hot-coco over a beautiful warm campfire. The horses are vacationing in sunny Palm Springs for the winter and will be back this Spring. ACCESS AND DIRECTIONS: Please pay close attention to the driving directions we provide. Your GPS may suggest you take Van Dusen Canyon Road or Rim of the World Drive, however, we highly suggest you take Polique Canyon. It is the most direct. The Ranch is about 15 minutes or 3.5 miles up Polique Canyon, on the left. Polique Canyon is a forestry road it does not get ploughed after a snowfall. Particularly during winter months, a 4x4 or AWD vehicle is recommended. After a snowfall, 4x4 or AWD combined with snow chains will likely be needed to successfully navigate Polique Canyon to get to the Ranch. WINTER CAMPING WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS: Big Bear is popular for its snowy white winters. Nighttime temperatures can fall into the single digits. Please check weather.com or another weather app prior to your visit and plan accordingly. When travelling to the mountains during the winter months, be prepared for winter weather driving conditions and always carry chains, extra food/ water, warm clothing/ blankets, and a full tank of gas in the event you become stranded. The sun sets around 7:00PM this time of year. Please arrive and check-in after 2PM and before night fall. Last check-in is at 8PM. WATER: The Ranch has been winterized to protect the pipes from the cold temperatures. Thus, the water has been shut off for winter. Our shower and flushing toilet buildings are currently closed. There are numerous, very clean, portable toilets throughout the Ranch and near each campsite, for guests to use. Please bring a plentiful supply of potable water for drinking, cleansing and extinguishing fires. FIRES: Campfires are permitted at the Ranch unless the Forest Service institutes a fire ban in the surrounding national forest or high winds are expected. Firewood is available for purchase on-site. Just ask your camp host for some bundles when you arrive. CELL RECEPTION: Verizon gets pretty good cell reception at the Ranch. AT&T gets some. Other cell carries are pretty spotty. Please note: Weather conditions in the Big Bear area can change dramatically and rapidly during the winter months. As such, Holcomb Valley Ranch reserves the right to cancel any reservation up to 24 hours prior to arrival due to any extreme or cold weather conditions. Remember the s’mores and always follow the“Leave No Trace” principles. We look forward to hosting you at the Ranch!
$25 / night
Temporarily closed until further notice
$40 - $55 / night
$25 - $50 / night
Legend
General: A mix of FHU RV sites tent sites, group sites around Horseshoe Lake and some additional dry camping and equestrian sites around Pelican Lake. There are also four RVs you can “rent” in the Horseshoe Lake area. The sites around Horseshoe Lake are close to an active rail line. And by active, I mean really active – I stopped counting after I counted 24 trains lumbering by during our short overnight stay.
Site Quality: IMO the waterfront tent sites are the nicest. They are farthest away from the trains (but not far enough!) The other dry sites have paved camper pads; some are “doubles” which would kind of suck if both sites were occupied by people who did not know each other! (Ours was one but fortunately, this was not the case for us on a Sunday in November).
Bath/Shower House: There were two restrooms about equidistant from our campsite, but both were very basic– no soap, hooks or shelves and no mirrors (it looked like they had been ripped off the wall). The floors were concrete, and the entire appearance was very drab. I did not use the shower.
This was an overnight stop for us, so we did not take advantage of any of the activities (horseback riding, hiking, disc golf, fishing). There was a very nice playground in the day-use area, a reasonable walking distance from the Horseshoe Lake sites. I had called about a week ahead of time to make a reservation (the online reservation system has been down for quite some time) and was assured would not need a reservation. However, there is a gate that is locked at 4 pm and we knew we would not arrive in time, so we called and were able to make a phone reservation when our site was assigned. We were a little concerned when we saw a security guard making rounds around 10 pm (and this combined with the locked gate), we wondered if we were in a safe environment, although we did not encounter any problems. Make sure you know that the park is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (which seems a bit bizarre) so you will need to know the gate code after 4 pm and on those days (the code seems to change daily). Also, I read that seniors (62 and older), active duty military, and veterans receive a $5 discount Sundays through Thursdays but you have to go to the office and show proof and then you will receive a “rebate” a few days later (which we did). This was just an overnight for us as we worked our way back home but we would likely not stay here again.
Scout
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! Deep Creek Camp is a great spot to get out in nature and check out one of the coolest geological features in the area! Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!
TravelerThe RV Park is located in a natural reserve. The scenes are beautiful!! We stayed by the river and had a great time. The only downside is that there are railways near the park and trains running by all night long.
ScoutDoes not allow tent camping
Traveler
Rough ride in but totally worth it
The hike to the springs is pretty rough but also worth it when you get there. No hot showers
Traveler
Holcomb Valley Ranch is absolutely beautiful, the shower facilities are clean and the portapotties are clean for portapotties. You can buy wood on-site. The campsites are huge - I doubt there’s a bad spot. The drive up is treacherous if you have a lil sedan - I was worried for my Honda Fit.
TravelerTips: When you’re on the road heading into Holcomb go slow (Rocky). Prep for dusty ground sediment. Bring extra water and chargers. Dropped to around 40 degrees at night so bring extra blankets/ jackets. Bring firewood from town. Otherwise, As expected when arrived with fireplace, secluded space (enough from other tents), space to spread out, and scenic meadow views. We saw mule deer and of course the horses! Check out grand view mountain trail, it was a gorgeous view- across the lake. Oh and it’s rifle hunting season in Oct, FYI.
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.
ScoutWas great trip
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.
GuidePlenty of room to be by yourself and shoot some pictures.
TravelerWe spent 4 days at the Ranch on a Peninsula Site near the Barn. Sunrise and sunset views are absolutely gorgeous. Clean porta potties, fire rings, we had two picnic benches and far from any other campers. Staff was amazing so sum them up. We will be making this trip I imagine twice a year. We'll worth every penny. Plenty of off-roading trails, sites to see and exploring.
Traveler
Water and electric only on camp sites. No dump site there. There's nice shade on probably half the sites, the other ones have little or none. Nice views of the lake but it's fenced off and access to the lake and park close in the evening. There is a small older bathroom there a flush toilet and a shower
Guide
We traveled from Fullerton to Brea. Check in is near 12. I only assume that since check out is 11. When we arrived the camp host was waiting for us. A friendly gentleman that showed me the like s of his stray momma raccoon that he has a big heart for. The store is filled with all the essentials and some delicatessen items as well. After a quick back and forth with the most ideal spot and a quick set up ,it was in the river we went. With temperature nearing 90 or at least it dealt like it. The mountain. Cooled stream was just what our fam needed to get unbound and grounded
GuideWe visited this campsite with 4 other families. We thoroughly enjoyed the stream the trails the pool and all the good times.
ScoutThis campsite was found by my wife because we wanted to be able to have a campfire. It seems to be private property which allows you to have a campfire in their designated pits. The site is fairly large and divided by a road of the 38 hwy. On the left side is the main office with a pool nearby a shop, restaurant and RV parking with all hook ups. Behind the main office are mobile homes that are used as cabins. We stayed on the right side of the road where its divided in two rows of sites. One row is right of the stream/creek. Each site is is divided by a picnic table and they are relatively close to each other. Those who are off the creek actually camp on the water when its hot which makes it awkward to use the creek. The website makes it look like there's fishing but I didn't see any and can't imagine them any bigger than a guppie. There are plenty of water faucet and a couple dumpster which should be used because of raccoons. Its a good place if you want to start camping but still don't feel comfortable being on you're own. The showers and bathrooms are clean for the most part but you do have to walk across the street to them.
TravelerWe stayed here for the weekend, the only issue is the gates around the lake and the fact that you can no longer cook off in the spring. The other issue is how many ground squirrels there were! I ended up with two in my tent and one in my van! Very unsettling. There is also a great lack of shade. The camp is fairly clean, but some of the prices are pretty high
GuideLooks to me like this site could use a little Park Maintenence
GuideSuper fun place to visit with the hot springs trail. Went in January with snowfall, hardly any campers and nature all around! Two nights are perfect.
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.
TravelerReally good site. Showers, pit toilet, running water, but it's 10$ a night. Hardly any shade unless you get a good site. However they have glamping tents and even own personal hotsprings for a ridiculous fee. I didn't stay there. There is supposed to be blm land around there but everyone keeps it a secret on how to get to where you need to go. The hotsprings is clothing optional, so if you don't mind naked people, or you wanna strip down yourself, you should go check it out 💯💯. Went in early April and it was already really warm in the area
RangerEasy access to the hot springs and no services to speak of. Basically a patch of dirt you can occupy for $10 a night. Loved it.
ScoutBest place ever!! Tent camping, RV camping, they have a restaurant and bar, best burgers in all of southern California!! They also have a small store, there's showers, restrooms and a swimming pool! Tent camping along Santa Ana River, you can also fish and hike. So amazing and beautiful, awesome memories made!!
Guide
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.
GuideGreat campground with multiple sites. Fire pits & along Bear Creek (seasonal). Can be reached from Tom Sloan Saddle or Switzer Falls Trailhead.
Horse camping in California offers a unique opportunity 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 scenic trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Piñon Hills, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Piñon Hills, CA is Mojave Narrows Regional Park - CLOSED TIL FURTHER NOTICE with a 3.5-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Piñon Hills, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 equestrian camping locations near Piñon Hills, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
