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Best Equestrian Camping near Santa Ana, CA

157 Reviews

Horse Flats Campground in the Angeles National Forest offers tent and RV sites for equestrian camping, with special accommodations for horses. The campground maintains trails for horseback riding across varied terrain, connecting to longer equestrian routes throughout the forest. Located at an elevation of 5,600 feet, the campground provides a cooler alternative to lower-elevation sites in summer months. No drinking water is available on site, requiring campers to bring sufficient water for themselves and their horses.

Musch Trail Camp in Topanga State Park accommodates tent campers with horses, featuring access to a 7-mile loop trail system ideal for day rides. Drinking water and toilets are available for campers, though fires are prohibited throughout the park. The campground serves as a trailhead for several bridle paths that connect to the Backbone Trail and other equestrian routes in the Santa Monica Mountains. Trailer parking requires advance planning as space is limited and the access road has tight turns. Most equestrian trails in the region remain open year-round, though seasonal closures may occur after heavy rains.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Santa Ana, California (16)

    1. O'Neill Regional Park

    31 Reviews
    Trabuco Canyon, CA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (949) 923-2260

    $20 / night

    "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 has several restrooms, showers, equestrian areas, nature trails and picnicking for day use too."

    2. Seabreeze At Seal Beach

    9 Reviews
    Seal Beach, CA
    11 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."

    3. Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    22 Reviews
    Coto de Caza, CA
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (949) 923-2210

    $20 - $25 / night

    "Great hiking and equestrian trails. Excellent equestrian camping with a private corral right next to each campsite in the equestrian area."

    "Casper is a great park located 15min from the city. It has three main camping areas that cater to campers, RVs and horses. There are a number of hiking trails around that range from a 1 to 12 miles."

    4. Rancho Jurupa RV Park

    17 Reviews
    Riverside, CA
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (951) 684-7032

    $40 - $55 / night

    "The lakeview area has dirt roads, sparse grass and a few spots close to the lake. The Cottonwood campground has concrete pads and well maintained grass throughout."

    "Lakeside is more for tent camping. Nice park for family camping."

    5. Launch Pointe Recreation Destination and RV Park

    12 Reviews
    Lake Elsinore, CA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (855) 471-1212

    $55 - $140 / night

    "Canopy Court area has easy and close access to the splash pad, the playground, a large grass area, and even the pool. The boat launch is very near by too but we had no use for that."

    "I had site 126 in the fields, corner site and lake view. This campground has a pool, splash pad, park, dog park and access to the lake. They also have a band on Saturday nights."

    6. Lake Perris State Recreational Area Campground

    39 Reviews
    Moreno Valley, CA
    42 miles

    $25 - $300 / night

    "It is right next to the lake which has a swimming area, bike path, climbing area, Hiking trails, along with a camp store which has boat rentals and much more!  "

    "Paved full hookup sites right next to each other but quiet neighbors. Campground is just 5minutes from busy town."

    7. Horse Flats Campground

    8 Reviews
    Juniper Hills, CA
    43 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."

    8. Lake Park RV Resort

    1 Review
    Lake Elsinore, CA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (951) 674-7911

    9. Bear Canyon Campground

    3 Reviews
    Altadena, CA
    38 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."

    10. Musch Trail Camp — Topanga State Park

    6 Reviews
    Topanga, CA
    47 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."

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Santa Ana, CA

157 Reviews of 16 Santa Ana Campgrounds

  • j
    Apr. 6, 2021

    O'Neill Regional Park

    Great family friendly safe campground

    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.

  • Steve C.
    Sep. 10, 2021

    Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    Caspers Wilderness Park

    Lovely campground in the Orange County foothills. Great hiking and equestrian trails. Excellent equestrian camping with a private corral right next to each campsite in the equestrian area.

    Room for large rigs and good space for tents with flat pads.

  • Steve H.
    Apr. 17, 2024

    O'Neill Regional Park

    Beautiful area and lots of hiking/biking trails

    My 3 dogs and I stay here often, as it's the lowest cost in Orange County and allows dogs. It has several restrooms, showers, equestrian areas, nature trails and picnicking for day use too.

  • Berton M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 12, 2019

    Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    Hidden Gem

    Casper is a great park located 15min from the city. It has three main camping areas that cater to campers, RVs and horses. There are a number of hiking trails around that range from a 1 to 12 miles. On Saturdays there’s a nature walk.

  • Maxine R.
    Feb. 9, 2022

    O'Neill Regional Park

    Beautiful Trees

    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.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    May. 2, 2024

    O'Neill Regional Park

    Great Tucked Away Spot in Orange County

    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.

  • SmallRVLifestyle V.
    Apr. 25, 2020

    Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    Ortega Flats Campground - Nice Hiking and Mountain Biking

    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.

  • jennifer G.
    Sep. 1, 2024

    O'Neill Regional Park

    Great little campground in south OC!

    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.

  • Shari G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 20, 2023

    Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    A World Away from the City Surrounding It

    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.

Guide to Santa Ana

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 for horse lovers

Tips for equestrian camping near Santa Ana, California

  • When visiting O'Neill Regional Park, be sure to bring plenty of water for your horse, as some sites may not have direct access to water sources.
  • At Bear Canyon Campground, plan for a hike-in experience, which can be a fun adventure for both you and your horse.
  • Always check for local regulations regarding horse camping at Mount Pacifico Campground to ensure a smooth experience.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused activities and trails

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Santa Ana, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Santa Ana, CA is O'Neill Regional Park with a 4.2-star rating from 31 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Santa Ana, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 16 equestrian camping locations near Santa Ana, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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