We're here to help you find where to go horse camping in Smith River. Camping with horses is a beautiful way to experience nature. With our help, you'll find the best California equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
$35 - $50 / night
$20 - $35 / night
Sam Brown Campground is centered around a large meadow that has a colorful history of the earlier miner and homesteader to the area. Trails are located throughout the area, as well, with options for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and motorcylces, including Elkhorn Mine Jeep Road. Nearby trail opportunities include: Briggs Creek Trail #1132 (the trailhead located in campground) Taylor Creek Trail #1142 Onion Way Trail #1157 Secret Way Trail #1282 Dutchy Creek Trail #1154 The size of this campground, and nature of the landscape, lends itself to large group camping, with 2 picnic shelters, and and amphitheater. The meadow is great for group activities, and is also a great place to wildlife watch: deer, elk, and a plethora of bird species frequent the area. Briggs Creek flows through the area before passing on to the Illinois River. Campsites are suitable for tents, small trailers, or campers. This campground is close to Sam Brown Horse Camp. Facilities 19 campsites with picnic tables, and fire pits No water available. Please bring your own water. 3 vault toilets Please pack out what you pack in, as this site does not have trash removal service.
A backcountry permit is required for overnight camping: https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm To prepare for any trip to this location, download the detailed Elam backcountry guide and map: https://www.nps.gov/places/elambackcountrycamp.htm
• When parking at trailhead, secure items of value and keep them out of sight; better yet, leave them at home! Lock vehicle doors, roll up windows, and engage anti-theft devices. • Hikers/backpackers only: 7.5 miles to camp from Orick Horse Trailhead. • Hikers/backpackers only: 3 miles to camp from Redwood Creek Trailhead. Note: Frequent vehicle break-ins at trailhead parking area. • Hikers/backpackers only: 6.5 miles to camp from Tall Trees Trailhead. • Pets (with the exception of service animals) and bicycles are not permitted on trails or in camp. • Redwood Creek may be impossible to cross during the rainy season and/or during high flow stages; two bridges over Redwood Creek are only in place seasonally, usually June–September.
Guide
This is a great place to see an elk herd as they sometimes come grazing through the campground. The campsites were more spacious than other campgrounds we stayed at. The restrooms are ok, however take a light with you at night because the motion lights will turn off before you can finish your business. The showers are in need of an upgrade. Plus they are coin operated which was disappointing considering the condition. Very convenient beach access road is almost directly across from the campground entrance. Also, there are two areas to camp, the meadows with no shade and the woods with little sun. WiFi is free for 30 minutes each day or pay for longer periods and Verizon signal is weak Overall a nice place with friendly staff.
GuideVery special to see Elk roaming the campgrounds. Nice large campsites, clean bathrooms, and great service.
Traveler
Perfect for a weeknight stop when on the road, bathrooms were clean enough. Quiet on a summer weeknight. Beautiful forest.
GuideSites are ok. Elk wander around the campground and in the meadow. Gravel and grass pads. Power did not work at our first site but host moved us over one site.
GuideWe used this as a checkpoint in 2021 when traveling from Oregon to Southern California via HWY-101. The park is clean, and we had a great time walking around and resting between the legs of our trip. We arrived after hours and our stay information was available in an envelope at the main building. Here's a view from the back-in site 510. We would stay here again.
GuideWhen we pulled in the herd was on the property . All our stay info was in an envelope hanging on the office porch . Clean warm bathrooms , coin operated showers .not a lot of other campers felt private and cozy to sleep with elk surround by redwoods
TravelerHad booked and paid for a site but when we arrived it was closed up and no record of my booking. We just found an empty space and parked up for the night. No info on facilities. Left early
Scout
Great spot for families. There are plenty of things to do from fishing, swimming, and even renting a "peddle" boat for a leg workout while taking your trip around the lake.
LegendI’ve driven by this RV campground at least 20 times in my life now and have ALWAYS seen elk. It has never disappointed. I wanted to bring my kids to see elk, so we booked a site in December. It was wet, rainy, and cold (at no fault of the campground lol) but we’re not fair weather campers and came prepared.
Lo and behold, ELK AS PROMISED! My kids were fascinated and very excited. We kept them a safe distance and followed the campgrounds rules and precautions about being near elk.
The campground is HUGE. There are over 500 sites so I can imagine how mobbed this place can get when the weather is nicer. We didn’t have any issues getting a site in the winter. It was rather empty with a few other RVs, schoolies, an van lifers around.
The restrooms were big and clean. Showers had plenty of hooks for keeping dry things dry.  
GuideWe’ve only stayed here one night but Would recommend staying here. Pretty expensive and still had to pay for the shower, which was kind of dirty.. staff is really friendly tho.
GuideThis is a nice place to stay while visiting the Redwoods. Make sure you stay in the meadow portion, the forest looked dark and damp. Meadow spaces are spacious, although our rig is small. Bathrooms ok, pay showers. Cell service not good. Office staff ok (didn't seem too outgoing, but could have been the day). But the ELK, so cool!!! Also, a trip to Fern Canyon is totally worth it.
GuideNo cell signal. WiFi is iffy at best and you are only allowed an hour of WiFi a day unless you want to pay for a “package”. When a place advertises it has WiFi all qualifiers should be stated. The sites are not well maintained. Worst place I have been in 6 months of traveling.
LegendStayed three nights over Thanksgiving weekend in a 29 foot travel trailer. Due to the holiday the office was closed when we arrived so we picked up our paperwork at the front door. To my dismay, our site was different than the one we reserved and it was the closest to the highway. This is one of a couple black marks against this campground - I was moved and received no heads up and no avenue for recourse since I arrived on a holiday. All in all, the site wasn't too bad. It was large enough for our trailer and truck and decently spaced from our neighbors. The road noise was there but not too bad. The second black mark was the wifi. Not sure if it was our site location, but the signal was poor - very rarely were we able to connect (also we had Verizon with barely any signal). All the utilities were in decent shape and worked fine. Bathroom was clean and there were plenty of toilet and shower stalls. I never used the laundry but there were three washers and three dryers that looked fairly new. The store had some basic grocery and supplies (a bit overpriced, but that's because there isn't much local competition). There was an old one room schoolhouse on location that still had a lot of displays in it from when it was a museum (just ask at the office to be let in). And the ELK!
Let me tell you about the elk. Our first morning the herd came in the far side of the campground. We kept an appropriate distance and watched as they grazed and roamed the meadow. Then we didn't see them for a few days. The morning we planned to leave, we got up before dawn to make an early get away. That plan was foiled when we opened the door and realized we were surrounded by the herd - over 40 elk surrounded the trailer, some as close as 10 feet away. We watched, and waited, and eventually they moved away, allowing us to go outside to break down.
Overall, a nice campground. It's very close to the local parks. I would stay here again.
GuideLoooooved this campground. There's a meadow area for RVS and a forested area for smaller rvs/vans and tents. Some tent sites have electrical outlets, all tent sites have a spigot. BIG bathrooms with flush toilets, hot coin showers, laundry room. Laundry room has a soap machine AND a change machine. Hosts are super nice and the facilities are really clean. The grounds are beautiful, there's a lovely large lake with a little footpath around it - I saw otters in the lake and elk in the front meadow! Great base to explore the redwoods, Trinidad, Patrick's Point and Eureka. I got some TMobile service near the road but the wifi didn't work for me. Solo female traveler approved, super chill. There were a few open spaces even over the weekend.
TravelerWe spent a weekend at Lake Selmac camping in our RV with our four kiddos. The hosts were incredibly kind and helpful. The new Owners of the Marina were wonderful as well. The campsites were all so beautiful with all the amenities one may want. You really felt removed from the world while there BUT not to far from a grocery store that has all you need. Boat rentals are cheap and very easy to access. I highly recommend this place!
LegendGreat place to stay. So quite, sites are great, some what level. The red school house was very interesting. The smell of camp fire was wonderful.
TravelerThe owners are great. Turns out her parents owned this and she now got it from the people who bought from her parents. They have gone beyond with the tee pees fishing hate to leave.
TravelerWe rented an RV and discovered we couldn’t fit down the narrow roads to the campsite we planned for. Praying for plan B we drove back to this RV park we saw from the road. Thankfully they had space for us. We learned about the roaming Elk herd that passed right through the camp. The camp host made clear the Elk were NOT domesticated in any way. Our site was a comfortable distance from neighbor vehicles, included a picnic table and fire ring. Had a beautiful coastal foggy sunrise on the meadow which have clear views in all directions. Friendly neighbors, clean bathrooms and showers (bring quarters). Hook ups were in good condition. Visited nearby state park and beaches. Elk herd arrived the next day, slowly making themselves at home amongst the campers. The meadow, the elk herd, friendly people, good campground…. was probably our favorite stay that week.
TravelerSuch a great spot to get to hikes within the redwoods but, also see the beaches. The sites are well spaced out but, you do have to pay to shower if you use the public facility. We got to see the elk in the morning and it was so cool! We stayed in the meadow and there was not trees for shade but, it was pretty cool out so our airstream didn’t get too hot
RangerThe greatest think about this campground is the Rosevelt Elk herd that grazes throughout. They are simply beautiful. We stayed in the Meadow campground which is all open and no shade but we loved it. We pretty much had the park to ourselves so lots of room.
It’s a 2 min drive (or mile walk) to a beautiful and secluded beach. Also a short and beautiful 20minute drive to the Lady Bird Trail in Redwood National Park (a great 1.5 mile loop through a redwood grove)
Guide
I camped here in late March 2021 during a 2 night, 3 day hike of the Redwood National & State Park. This campground is the first one you come upon while hiking in from the Orick Horse Trail Trailhead. There are picnic tables and two bear lockers, (there's another by the horse coral). I stopped for lunch at this site on my first day. I think this is the primary campground used by most hikers, (and the gravel bar near by).
If I were to plan another trip I would only use this campsite as a way point on the way to more secluded sites. This is a main thoroughfare, so people will pass by your site. It's also the only horse camp. There was a sign that directed hikers to camp on the gravel bar instead of Elam. I think this is more likely in summer because of traffic as I only saw one horse rider on day hike.
This is wilderness, so appropriate caution must be taken, Bear canister is required is you do not have access to a site with a bear locker.
ScoutThis campground is conveniently located right on the 101 Hwy, close by to the ocean and right down the road from tons of Redwood Nat’l Park trails. Because of its proximity to the Hwy, this means you will hear vehicles but it’s not obnoxious and didn’t bother us. The closest amenities (groceries, gas, and one or two small restaurants) are about a 15 min ride south in Trinidad. Orick, the closest town to the north, is very run down, but I think it has a gas station and small market. The grounds are very lush and green. You do have to watch where you walk because there is Elk dung everywhere, but that is a small price to pay for being able to see an herd of Elk almost every day. The ladies at the front desk were very friendly to us. They did warn us about keeping distance from the Elk and doing things like, looking out your RV’s window before walking outside in case the Elk were right there. When they say that the Elk come right into the campground, they are not joking! We stayed in a site in “the meadow”. They are quite close to each other but we got lucky with and end spot and no one on the other side of us during our 2 night stay. Our site had full hook ups, a picnic table, and fire pit. They had a clean laundry room, which we didn’t have to use during our stay so I cannot attest anything other than it’s cleanliness. The bathrooms were also very clean, but sadly the showers required quarters. We didn’t have any but we’re able to exchange cash for some at the front desk. It was $1.50 for 6 minutes of shower time. Overall, we liked this campground a lot and would stay here again.
GuideMy favorite parts of staying at this site were 1) seeing all the elk migrate through the campground, and 2) you’re right by the ocean! The site was clean and family friendly.
There were some downsides, however. This site nickel and dimes you for everything. You only have 3 hours or WiFi and then you must pay, showers are coin operated, laundry cost about $5 in quarters for one load, and the firewood was pretty pricey. The bathrooms in the meadow area were also closed but there was no notification that they had been closed on the website. There were bathrooms and showers in the forest part of the campground, but again, it cost $.75 for 3 minutes of water (about 1 minute of hot water)🙈
ScoutThe sites have really fine dusty dirt. Literally no cell service on att or Verizon. The front desk lady was consistently rude. We stayed in site 9 which looked into the bathrooms - not my vibe. But some people might find that convenient. It also looked into a barn with a bunch of stuff behind it including obnoxious keep out signs. The trees were pretty, it was quiet and peaceful. There’s also a bunch of ugly mobile homes throughout the rv sites which isn’t my idea of a beautiful campground.
TravelerOnly stayed for one night and it was a great experience. The bathroom is super clean and had hot water. Would come back.
GuideDidn’t get to see any elk when we stayed which was a bummer but it was a really nice site with a cute little lake. Hosts were great, and it was a nice location. They have showers available, pay with quarters. Will definitely be back, hopefully will get to see elk next time!
TravelerSome sites here are very private feeling because you park the car up top and walk down (not far at all) to the tent that sits close to the lake.
Toilets but no showers.
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 that cater to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride through stunning landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Smith River, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Smith River, CA is Elk Country RV Resort & Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 28 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Smith River, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Smith River, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
