Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Finding a place to camp in Colorado with your horse is easier than ever. Search nearby equestrian campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
So close, yet feels so far away from the hustle and bustle of Estes Park. This very popular campground is located at an elevation of 8,300 feet at the end of a beautiful road just west of town. There are wonderful views of the snow covered peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park and access to the East Portal Reservoir which has ample opportunities for fishing. This double loop campground offers shady sites suitable for tenters and campers with small RVs and trailers shorter than 22 feet in length. It is especially well-suited for families and outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore nearby nature and trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. Sites at this campground open up to views of Rocky Mountain National Park and starry nighttime skies. A mature blend of ponderosa and lodgepole pines interspersed with groves of aspens makes it a wonderful home away from home. It is an ideal setting for guests seeking recreation and relaxation. The camping season runs from mid-May to late September.
The Estes Park Campground at East Portal has 66 sites suitable for tents and small trailers and RVs. There is a maximum length of 22 feet for RVs. All sites are equipped with picnic tables and campfire rings, some with ADA accessibility. Guests also have access to drinking water, flush toilets, hot showers, water & electric hookups, dump station, firewood and ice sales, and a playground for the kids. Cell phone service is spotty and there is no wi-fi, so please plan accordingly.
$35 - $50 / night
Curt Gowdy State Park is nestled conveniently between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Here you will discover three reservoirs, endless recreation and unforgettable experiences! The Park is a well known destination for mountain bikers, hikers, archery enthusiasts and those just looking for a relaxing getaway. Named after the well-known sportscaster Curt Gowdy, the park was established in 1971.
$19 - $33 / night
$30 - $120 / night
$40 - $60 / night
Jacks Gulch Recreation Area is located 48 miles northwest of Fort Collins, in northern Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its great hiking, biking and horseback riding opportunities.
Popular activities include hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding and viewing wildlife. A nature trail circles the entire area of Jacks Gulch, with one section providing stunning views of the Mummy Range.
The campground is situated in a ponderosa pine forest, dotted with aspens. Grassy meadows are scattered throughout the area.
For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578.
$155 - $206 / night
$60 / night
Located on the southern end of the Medicine Bow Mountain Range in north central Colorado, Rawah Wilderness was designated by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and now contains 73,868 acres. "Rawah" is a Native American term meaning "wild place."
Elevations in the Rawah Wilderness range from 8,400 to 13,000 feet. The high peaks were carved by glaciers, resulting in spectacular cirque lakes and moraines. There are twenty-five named lakes, ranging in size from five to 39 acres. This high alpine area contains the headwaters of the McIntyre, Rawah, and Fall Creeks, as well as the Laramie River.
The Rawahs are host to mammals such as elk, moose, mule deer, black bear, bighorn sheep, marmot and beaver. There are many species of birds including the red-tailed hawk, white-tailed ptarmigan, golden eagle, raven, Steller's Jay and a variety of warblers. Lakes and streams are inhabited with lake, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout. Graylings are also found in this area.
The Rawah Wilderness is very popular with summer backpackers, hikers and anglers. It is also popular with hunters in the fall. To encounter the fewest people, plan your trip for mid-week and use less popular trails.
Always use Leave No Trace techniques to help keep this area wild, clean and pristine.
Motorized equipment, or mechanized transportation is prohibited, including motorcycles, chain saws, bicycles or carts. Wheelchairs are exempt. Group size is limited to 12 people and/or livestock combined. Camping and campfires are prohibited within 200’ feet of all lakes, streams and trails to protect water quality, sensitive vegetation and to help assure solitude. Thin soils and mountain vegetation are easily damaged by fire and fires scar rocks and soil. Use a stove, a fire pan or an existing fire ring when and where fires are allowed. Campfires are prohibited in the alpine areas above 10,800 feet. Campfires consume scarce vegetation and leave permanent scars on the fragile soils of the area. Pets must be on a handheld leash at all times if hiking. Equestrian riders can have dogs under voice control.
Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch is a unique mountain getaway destination, situated on 480 scenic acres along the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River, with around 50 tent and RV sites, as well as rustic camper cabins. Lodging, condos, and stand-alone cabins are also available, as well as fly fishing, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, and much more!
Traveler
Stayed here 2024/09/11. Easy access, well marked and well separated dispersed campsites. Good views. Only downside was distant traffic noise from I-80. Would stay here again.
Guide
Lots of room to spread out but some weird regulations. Like only 3.2% alcohol?
Scout
We showed up at night and it was very quiet, no problem finding a spot to camp. However, during the day the gnats, bugs, and ants were everywhere. Literally crawled up our boots and bodies. Great place to over night, but terrible place to hang out during the day unless you have a bug net.
Scout
Love all the room in the big sites! Area can be busy but keep going down the road and you’re bound to find a spot! Great area with lots of spots!
Scoutsimple, and easy place to get to… flat awesome sunset
Guide
Semi-dispersed. My site GP153 is not level. Need level blocks! Entrance right to the lake for water sports. Easy hiking trial to loop the lake at your campsite. Fire ring was allowed even with high fire warning and fire bans south in CO.
LegendAs you enter Cheyenne there are plenty of signs directing you to Curt Gowdy State Park. Our GPS agreed with the park instructions to take us out of Cheyenne on I-25 then onto Happy Jack Rd, which leads you up the mountain to the State Park. The signage was less plentiful as we turned left and passed under the big Curt Gowdy State Park sign over the road. We followed the road up to the visitors’ center and registered then proceeded as told down to Tumbleweed pull-through site 24, which was water and electric. As we got into the Tumbleweed area, we realized our door would be facing the road and the utilities by pulling in that direction. So we decided to pull in the opposite direction, which we had to go back up and make a tighter right turn to get us back on the road to put us into the pull-through with utilities on the driver’s side. We were then able to pull into site T24 with no issues. This gravel site is at a bit of a downhill angle, but we were able to auto-level. The pad was plenty long enough for our 40’ 5th wheel and F450. The water and electric(50 and 30 AMP) were more toward the back of this pad, but we had no problem reaching to hookups. The water pressure was around 40 psi. We got 1 bar on Verizon, but there was a clear shot either north or south for satellite. In our case, north for Starlink. We had a cement pad with a concrete picnic table plus a nice-sized fire pit off to the side. We were not too far from the reservoir with a nice lake view from the right/door side of the site. We were here in the middle of the week and the park and campground were about 3/4 full, but by Thursday the CG was filling up and the reservoir much busier with boats and jet skis. We enjoyed our stay here to include some pretty good shore fishing for trout.
GuideWe stayed at site 7, big enough for our caravan of 3 campers. Very spacious! Great views and nice center fire pit!
Scout
I had an awesome site but I guess it was too good to be true. Not one but two other cars came, one pulling a horse trailer crashed on my site. It’s a campsite not a campground. Then, the day I was leaving, someone else came and dumped a trailer on the site. I packed up and left. That would never happen in Montana or Idaho where people actually have manners!
GuideThis area is huge on Stillwater road so keep going for a spot! We are here in July and found a spot completely secluded and some of the large lots have vault toilets! Which is a real treat when you spent two weeks on dispersed areas all over the west with no bathrooms. Mosquitoes are a little heavy so bring spray. No wildlife spotted but this area did suffer a wild fire so a lot of the trees are burnt. A lot of the spots have fire pits made by rocks but bring wood! The first stops have more Mountain View’s and the farther you drive is next to the water!
GuideWe were driving through the area and needed a quick/easy place to camp for the night. Even in mid-July, we were the only people there. Spots are labeled well, with great fire pits at every sight. Rock formations were awesome. We nestled behind a rock and couldn’t even hear the traffic by nearby road. Definitely planning another trip soon
RangerSpent a night here with my dog. Very cool rock formations along the road , very big spots, very peaceful and secluded from neighbors, open and beautiful. Will be staying again on my way through.
Ranger
This is a really well run campground. They have tons and tons of activities on site and you could honestly spend your entire trip just at the campsite. They have horseback rides, ATV rentals, an animal farm, social events, pickle ball court, volleyball court, a nice general store, clean showers, bathrooms, laundry rooms, really everything you could ever want. The only downside is that it’s quite pricey, basically double what I would normally expect. But given the amount of amenities they have, it’s not surprising.
A cool fact is that you’ll be right next to the Colorado River. This is not far from where the river begins so its journey starts around here as a fairly unassuming creek.
ScoutReally easy to get to and the services were spot on. The views are also stunning and there is plenty of hiking to do.
Guide
Family friendly campground at the end of a quiet road near RMNP. Quiet, no generators heard as big rigs won’t fit! Tents, vans, car camping and camper trailers fit well. Clean bathrooms, hot showers, friendly hosts, ice and fire wood for sale. Big playground and not crazy expensive.
Guide
Loads of options going down 103. Found a solid spot by the river that even had a few primitive structures built. Great fishing and pondering spot until neighbors rolled in on both sides. Guessing you can generally count on neighbors in summer months even in seemingly nestled spots quite a ways down 103 and it was a a random Monday. I still had plenty of space and privacy. But I could hear a group of RVers playing music through the trees (and they were in view, too) at night which led me to seek a new spot after night one.
Traveler
We drove up around 8/9pm from Boulder. Most camps spots were already taken (1-8 sites only..) but we made our own site / shared with campsite #2. Roads are rough. Some loud campers nearby but we had fun.
Beautiful views and campfire spots!
Guide
We have a 38ft travel trailer and we were able to go only about 3 miles up but found a great off the road spot by a creek.
Traveler
You definitely need to know where you’re going with this one, as the location on here isn’t really even close. The trail getting in/out is fairly rough and uneven, so you’ll need something with some sort of clearance. The sites themselves were pretty fantastic, clean, and accessible. There are more rewarding and harder to reach spots the farther you go, but plenty are easily available. You’ll find lots of fine folks walking, riding quads/bikes, etc. It’s not often you find a spot like this that isn’t crowded out.
LegendOnline reservation was easy as was the check in. The staff were helpful and friendly. Some reviews balked at the price and the tight spaces. Expected in this sort of prime location. Live with it! That being said, we were there at the tail end of the season, with the other campgrounds around us literally closing. The result for us was that we had few neighbors. This made navigating the narrow roads and tight campsite much easier. All in all a very pleasant couple of days.
GuideAbsolutely awesome campground. Beautiful stars at night. Be careful of your ways or GPS sending you in a different direction
GuideWe stayed in two different spots. The first one was nice but the second one was so spacious and had so many trees and was far from the road so traffic didn’t sound too bad. Had many fires in the available fire rings. The place is busy during the weekend but dead during the week, especially when it started to cool down. The pictures will speak for the amazing views!
GuideUnfortunately we only got to stay one night here and I only got a few pictures. We got lucky and we’re able to book one of the last spot available for weeks. This place is always booked and I see why!Very quiet. A beautiful lake view. Ice and fire wood available nearby. Would definitely stay again
Ranger
Nice spot. Great views. Only a third full mid week September. Water near entrance. Vault toilets. Sites well separated but limited screening between. Very Sunny Trees are sparse and short. Hiking trails in camp. Moose along trail. Nice lakes. Large tent pads 15’x15’. Level sites. Limited T mobile
TravelerFabulous rock formations and peaceful. It's well worth the ridged dirt roads and the drive to find the perfect spot.
TravelerDespersed camping with easy access and great trails nearby. Rock climbing also.
TravelerWe only got to stay one night but we enjoyed our stay! We were right next to the lake and watched the super blue moon come up over the lake. The showers are in the downstairs of the visitor center and you have to pay with quarters, there is a change machine $1.25 for the first 7.5 minutes and then you can add more as needed.
Horse camping near Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG in Colorado offers a unique experience for equestrian enthusiasts, combining stunning natural landscapes with well-equipped facilities for both riders and their horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG is East Portal Campground at Estes Park with a 4.5-star rating from 40 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 equestrian camping locations near Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG, with real photos and reviews from campers.
