Are you planning a trip to Ventura with your horse? We've got you covered. Equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. Search horse campsites and discover top-rated spots, as reviewed by other campers.
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
Set amidst acres of wilderness flanked by the picturesque Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains, lies glimmering Cachuma Lake. Here you will find practically everything you need for a relaxing getaway in the great outdoors. Mild temperatures, typically sunny skies, and celebrated fishing conditions make camping here during winter months exceptionally rewarding. The County entered into a long-term lease with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation in 1953 to manage the 9,000 acre Cachuma Lake Recreation Area. Cachuma Lake was formed by the construction of Bradbury Dam in that same year. Located off scenic Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley, Cachuma Lake is midway between the beaches and bustle of Santa Barbara and the Danish Community of Solvang. At any age... in any season... you'll find that the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area offers a fun and relaxing getaway.
Hammock spots, dipping holes and a fishing stream make Reyes Creek Campground an ideal hideaway. Located near the Sespe Wilderness alongside Reyes Creek you will find renewal and replenishment, Reyes Creek-style.
Trail hiking, fishing, swimming, group camping, mountain biking, hunting, horseback riding, nature viewing, and recreational mining are favored activities. Day trips to higher elevation snow play in the winter is also enjoyed.
This shaded streamside campground located at 3,500 feet elevation boasts an ample supply of riparian oak and cottonwood trees. The creek area is well shaded and runs year-round. Overhead you may catch a glimpse of red-tailed hawks soaring above the trees. If you are lucky, you may see a California condor!
Located south of Ozena Valley, this campground provides access to the Sespe Wilderness via the Reyes Creek Trail linking to the Piedra Blanc National Recreation Trail. This site is the trailhead for Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Area ideal for hiking or mountain biking.
$150 - $154 / 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.
Bordered by the Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Ynez River, Rancho Oso RV Camping offers acres of beautiful scenery and endless opportunities for horseback riding, hiking, and photography. Explore 310 beautiful acres of our RV camp in California, filled with history dating back to 1845. Put on your boots and hats (spurs optional), come to our RV camp in coastal California, and experience the Western atmosphere of Rancho Oso from our RV camping sites.Have a horse? Board it with us & take advantage of our Western Village and horse camping options with spacious pasture, covered corrals and more.
Visit the Western Village, adobe, stables, conestoga wagons, cabins, stone lodge and all the unique amenities we have to offer at our RV camp in California. At Rancho Oso RV Resort, we encourage you to participate in the recreation events, entertainment, or sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery and wildlife native to our area. We are also just a scenic 30-minute drive from Santa Barbara or Solvang.
Jeffery Pine shaded camp near creek. Dirt road to camp normally accessible by 2 wheel drive vehicle.
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
Nestled in the Santa Ynez Mountain Range, Sage Hill Campground is a great group camping spot with easy access to the Santa Ynez River. Spend time fishing or take in the epic scenery on one of the trails designed for both hikers and horseback riders. One of the campsites is designed for group equestrian camping and includes 12 corrals and a hitching post.
Fishermen are likely to find carp, catfish, bluegill and the occasional bass that swim up from Cachuma. The Aliso Canyon Trail begins at the rear of the facility and continues to Upper Oso Campground, which is where the Santa Cruz Trail begins. The nearby Cachuma Lake Recreation Area is perfect for boating, fishing and kayaking.
Fishermen are likely to find carp, catfish, bluegill and the occasional bass that swim up from Cachuma. The Aliso Canyon Trail begins at the rear of the facility and continues to Upper Oso Campground, which is where the Santa Cruz Trail begins. The nearby Cachuma Lake Recreation Area is perfect for boating, fishing and kayaking.
The campground sits in a flat area with some sites shaded by oak trees. Sage Hill is near the river, which flows into Cachuma Lake about seven miles west. The Santa Ynez Mountains make up part of the Transverse Range along the Pacific Coast of California. The landscape may become very dry by mid-summer.
The campground is half an hour from the thriving beach city of Santa Barbara.
$150 - $154 / 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.
Traveler
This is tragi-comedy: I was invited to a wedding in Santa Barbara. It was summer and the most fleabitten motel prices were astronomical. I began to look at campsites within driving distance, I was desperate. Booked Catchuma and thought, hoorah, I’ve defeated the tourism trap.
Well… from the moment I arrived . . . I really could not care less about the wedding. My god. I think I’ll leave it at that.
Bring binos. Boat, bring your canoe/kayak.
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...
Guide
Great weekend experience
ScoutGood campground, convenient location, nice WiFi. Sites are pretty close together, some sites had limited sun in December.
LegendThe lovely county run park in the hills above the Santa Barbara coastline, is a great campground offering a wide variety of camping experiences from full hook ups to grass covered spaces under the trees along the shores of this lovely reservoir. The sites offer the usual camp picnic table and fire ring, and the many group sites offer large grills and even a few picnic shelters.
The sunshine is typically abundant in this California park, and even without full hook ups you can easily get all the power you need with an appropriately sized solar panel system. We’ve run on solar for over 10 years, and it saves us thousands of dollars each year for our full-time camping life.
The flush bathrooms are clean and spacious. Water spigots were plentiful throughout the campground. The coin operated showers got the job done, but since we were there during a chilly March, things could have been warmer. But hey, everything important got clean…
The lake is perfect for boating, but since it’s a drinking water reservoir, there is no body contact with this body of water. So plan on using the campground pool to cool off during the summer months. Hiking and mountain biking trails are abundant throughout the area, and kayaking, canoeing, fishing or sailing on the lake is the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
The campground offers some excellent yurts and cabins for nightly rent right on the shores of the lake. These are often booked out so plan ahead.
The camp store offers enough grocery supplies in case you forgot something, including ice, snacks, fire wood, and gas. There is also a cool pub down by the boat ramp which offers live music in the weekends. The nearby tourist town of Solvang offers a great day trip to sample the amazing Dutch pastry treats, pick up some groceries, wine tasting, or a night out on the town.
LegendGeneral: Many different options from tent sites to premium tent sites, water/electric, and FHU sites in addition to yurts and cabins.
Site Quality: Varies greatly depending on what type of site you choose. The only sites with gravel paved pads were the ones with water/electric hookups or FHU; all others were grass. Most seemed level. It was raining heavily when we were there and some of the sites were flooded. Very little to no separation/privacy between sites. We were in a w/e site, and it was long enough to easily accommodate two camper vans.
Activities/Amenities: Off-season, everything was closed but in-season, there is a marina, boat rentals, restaurant, store, gas station, pool, and laundry.
Bath/Shower house: Clean but very basic. No hooks or shelves for toiletries. Cold water only. The shower looked nice but did not use so cannot comment on it.
IMO, the best options are the premier tent sites, yurts, and cabins as they offer the best lake views. We had not planned on camping here but after evacuating from Jalama Beach, we were told this park would honor our reservation. It rained most of the time we were there, and it was off-season, so I imagine it would be an entirely different experience in the summer when all amenities were offered and the campground was full.
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.
TravelerSprawling campgrounds.
TravelerStayed at camp site #143 no shade trees very dusty site. Rental boats pontoon type are brand new. Boat rental opens at 7am close at 7pm boat harbor is very nice with new boat docks. If going fishing the K boats are nice but anchor line to short to use I bring my own 50’ of anchor rope and use their anchor. Came hear to get away from all the illegal fire works where I live. Not one fireworks at the park yea the dog had a great nights sleep. Plus the swimming pool was great open from 12 noon to 5:30pm they have plenty of chairs and have life guards
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.
GuideSomething for everyone, no matter your level of camping. Staff was great when my car battery died too.
Traveler
Reyes Creek was great. The drive was nice, very scenic. The campsite was nice but small. Campsites are very, very close together. Some are smaller than others. Especially closer to the creek are smaller. The bathrooms are very clean for a campsite bathroom. Jade was very helpful and informative. She told us about two trails, we did the lighter one that was very nice. I can see this place being very nice in the summer. The weather on the apps are wrong. You have to google a few things to get the right weather. It was much colder than expected at night, woke up to 29 degrees F and ice on my tent and car windows. Other people with us said they had ice in their tent.
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.
GuideWe stayed during the recent storm of the century in Central California so weren’t able to take advantage of what the park has to offer. The sites are very long and not too jammed together. Immaculate bathrooms and showers. Close to Los Olivos (great wine tasting) and Solvang. Disc gold course.
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
GuideGood experience overall. There are many kinds of sites including full hook up, partial, primitive, cabins & yurts. Many sites have views of the lake.
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
ScoutI love this campground, but reserving a site is a pain since there isn't a site map. Here's the sites in the main loop. Hope you all find this helpful!
LegendHuge campground! Variety of sites from dry to full hookups. Anything with hookups is cramped though. We originally booked FHU and opted out for much more spacious dry site. Dry sites really vary but all are largish. Fire pit at 409 put in a strange location so that we is located on the back side of our trailer. Really no other way we could have configured it. For such a large park with so many amenities I cannot believe the dog park is downright tiny. But park during week is largely vacant so a lot of space to let your dog run (which is against policy). Sure the place is a muddy mess is the rain. Ground squirrels got the place all torn up but hey they were there first. Generally this is a great destination resort! Go see the monarch butterflies in Goleta in winter months. They overwinter there!
TravelerOkay so spot 289 has an amazing view - but somehow that gives your fellow camper the green light to just confidently stroll through your campsite without saying a word? I’m a small woman - was sitting alone in my site. A man just strolled up to take in the view right next to my tent. My dudes - please be aware of how eerie it can feel for a woman to have a man just assert his dominance and presence without permission!! I would never in a millions years just go hang out at another person’s campsite.
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.
ScoutIt was pretty clean. Everything was nice. Even the market was good. The only disappointing things was not be able rent a boat . There not strict with policy of 2 hours and return the boat back. That just the disappointing part of our trip. Rather then that it was pretty good.
TravelerNice camping. Plenty of spots and not very expensive $30 for a site.
TravelerWhat a beautiful lake campground. Facilities clean, campground well maintained. Choose site well some have no shade.
GuideIt’s a Quite campsite near Santa Barbara if you don’t want to spend the night in the city! We booked the day before and as we arrived a few other sites were free. Showers are a bit expensive with 4x25ct per 3 minutes and the water can’t be stoped!
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 saddle up and hit the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Ventura, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Ventura, 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 Ventura, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 equestrian camping locations near Ventura, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
