Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy California. 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. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
East Fork State Park Campground is large with 400+ year-round sites mostly wooded, and located on the north side of the lake. (follow link for reservation details) It offers Electric and Full Hookup sites, including an equestrian camping in Loop A; all with 20, 30, and 50 amp service. Designated hammock camping sites are available.
Each site has a paved pad, picnic table, and fire ring. Bring your own equipment and play cornhole, soccer, basketball; plus enjoy beach and boat ramp access and pay-to-play putt-putt. Visitor’s Passes ($3) are collected from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend and special holidays (ie-Halloween campouts). Leashed pets are permitted in all areas.
$29 - $30 / night
This recreation area is part of West Fork of Mill Creek Lake
A.J. Jolly Park & Campground is an award-winning, 1000 acre park that offers 83 Camping Spots (47 of which have been improved with water and electric) and many outdoor activities. A.J. Jolly offers approximately 20 miles of trails to enjoy a day out on the horse. We are proud of our new stable and campground, which includes a new 28 stall barn, 12 site campground with water and electric, comfort station, dump station, pavilion with grills, and a playground.
$15 - $28 / night
Guide
Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.
Legend
General: Huge state park with over 400 sites. All are pet-friendly and electric. About 20 are FHU. While tent camping is permitted, certain sites are not recommended for it as there would be no place to pitch a tent. One loop is for equestrian camping but when we were there, I only saw one horse trailer, and the rest were occupied by RV campers.
Site Quality: All camper pads are paved and most appeared level or just very slightly sloped. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site. Some sites have more trees to provide privacy while others are closer together with little separation.
Bath/Shower House: Not all loops have their own bath house and the I loop where we stayed was one of them. We used the one in the H Loop. The bathhouses were clean, and the shower had nice hot water, however, it doesn’t seem like there were sufficient facilities for how large the campground was (H Loop had two showers, two toilets, and three sinks). Hooks or shelves would have been appreciated.
Activities/Amenities: Many activities can be enjoyed here including mini golf (small nine-hole course), soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, corn hole, boating, and bicycling. Playgrounds are in several loops (I saw them in C and G). Rentals are available but most are only in season (ended September 30). There is a nature center and several hiking or paved biking/walking trails. There is also a camper beach for boating and swimming.
When we reserved months earlier, we knew that our first night (a Saturday) was 100% full as we got the very last site. What we did not know is that there was a HUGE Halloween celebration complete with 30-40 decorated golf carts parading through the campground. The road was closed until 6:45 pm (we arrived around 7 pm) and cars lined both sides of the approximately two-mile road! If that's your thing, great but it wasn't necessarily ours!
I appreciate that this park encourages so much outdoor activity, but it is not very pedestrian-friendly. I walked the road from one end to the other and there was no shoulder and, in many spots, no place to safely step off into the grass. I’m guessing it is assumed you will either have a car or golf cart to get around.
One final note: for a park so close to a large city (Cincinnati), I was surprised the cell service was so lacking (on Verizon). We eked out one and occasionally two bars of 4G.
TravelerWhen you check out, Eastfork, you should look at it personally instead of just online. My mistake was I did it online and I ended up with My Family being in the middle of the rich snob class of loop I lol.? We did have a very nice neighbor across from us the last couple days. The bathrooms were clean . Our lot was full of acorns very very dry and very very small lot. They say you’re supposed to camp or park your tent from the electric box over.
Guide
Expensive for what it has to offer. At 48.00 bucks a night yes they do have WIFI in the RV section. They do have concrete pads. It’s a shame they are worthless they are to small to park the average RV on an are on the wrong side of most rigs unless you pull in 1/2 the sites the electric is on the wrong side. The sites are gravel and not level the rest rooms are new and nice. The horse stalks are very nice. If you have a large horse trailer type camper your screwed the sites are small so that only leaves you with the RV sites that are a few 100 feet away from the stables If you want to walk threw the drainage ditch add about 300 ft if you don’t want to walk threw the muck. It’s a shame when they paved the entry road they didn’t spend a little more. “Grant money “ or tax money an do it properly. The main play ground is extremely nice. About 1/3 Mile walk. They do have a small playground in the rv section. For horses again they have a nice setup for big RVs it Sux they have a dump station. Situated in between the entry road to the Fkatwood rv section and equestrian area The main lake is nice you can rent kayaks canoes. Or use your own boat. The boat ramp is nice the other end of the lake at the flat wood rv section. Is t really a lake it’s a back water shallow mud hole depending on the time of the year. Mosquitoes the size of jet fighters. Will rather eat you alive or carry you off. “Lol sorry could t resist “ it gets bad the park is clean and well maintained Except for the camp sites
TravelerLot372 sits in a little into the woods. Makes it cool for camping. Real camping without a camper. lol shade some sun but watch out for the yellow jackets!
LegendWe enjoyed this site a lot. Neighbors weren’t sitting on top of one another. There was a tree for shade and plenty of space and grass to walk our dogs. Shower house was great!
ScoutWe've been to Cowan a few times, first time in this loop and was not disappointed. Bathroom was clean and well stocked through the weekend. Additional vehicles have to pay $3.
TravelerThis camp grounds beautiful, spacious, clean, and close to the lake.
Ranger
See note about Site 50 below before you book!
Needed to stay in Cincinnatti to visit friends, so decided to check out Winton Woods and we were so impressed! We had an electric-only site, which put us under established trees. The sites with water, sewer, and concrete pads are newer and nice, but the trees are still growing. So for the summer, I'd go with an electric only site to enjoy the shade.
The campground has a nice camp store with ice cream and other camping essentials (ice, firewood, etc) and the park has a great system of paved trails around the lake. The biggest surprise was a small laundry room that I took full advantage of: the washer was only $1.25 per (small) load and the dryer was 25 cents per 8 minutes. It wasn't fancy (and didn't have a change machine) but it definitely got the job done!
Even if we didn't need to stay IN the city again, I think we'd consider Winton Woods. But for an urban campground, it was amazing!
Important Note: We stayed in site 50. There is a large dip and hill leading up to this site. I would avoid for most travel trailers. We have an Airstream Basecamp, which has an aggressive departure angle and could handle the dip, but I think it would be problematic for most trailers.
ScoutEvery facility you need. Really engaged staff. Camp Coordinator Linda has a great group of people on board. Very friendly.
ScoutClean bathrooms and plenty of room between sites.
ScoutGreat hiking trails and people are friendly
ScoutThis place was amazing. My only complaint was the water stayed cold when I attempted to shower and the dryer didn't have any sort of timer and had to use it twice to get laundry dry
GuideRecently looked at staying at the RV Flat Woods section. They haven’t done any camping upgrades. To the RV section the electrical. Is on the wrong side if a few sites. So you will need 25 ft 50 amp extension cord. The sites are Not Paved. They are Nit full hook up most of the pads they poured are in the Wrong position for a 5th wheel. For 45.00 a night. Your better off going to anyone of the Kentucky or Ohio State parks. They do have canoe rentals. and a huge frisbee golf course. “Rolling eyes “ really. They spent money on upgrades. Mainly on planting grass and walking loops. The few RV sites. Are gravel. Un even un kevel. And Over priced hasn’t changed for the past 4 years other than the price going up. The park area fir day use is nice. Ball field upgraded. Boat ramp. Same location just upgraded. With better automatic gate. Again the park is nice. But the rv section SUX. Especially fir 45.00 a night plus
TravelerWash houses where clean. Camping areas kept clean. Full hookup sites had plenty of room. Quiet at night. Enjoyed our stay.
TravelerGreat Park, several access points to the unlimited HP lake. Recently lucky enough to watch scull Rowing races . It is a big Park, and lots of campsites and very busy. Total of 34 miles trails. this is combined with horse, hiking and biking trails around the lake.
GuideSites are easily accessible each site or loop has a nice size turnabout so your facing the proper direction for backing in the sites are. Paved and level restrooms and showers are all ADA accessible and very clean hot water is hot @allways a plus for us “ the trails are nice The park is well taken care of. The lake is large enough for skiers jet sky’s fishing or even larger boats. We use to bring a 32 ft weekender. And camp out on the water in one of the many back water boils or coves this visit was march 27 2023. Not exactly peak season but again plenty of maintenance and ranger presents Daily cleanup and general policing 8 or 10 miles from anything you could possibly need or want
RangerOvernighted here with my horses on my way south for the winter, but will definitely be coming back and spending more time. Stall accommodations are excellent, even include bedding. The camp Ranger/host, Larry?, was incredibly helpful and kind.
ScoutThis is a nice little county campground outside of Cincinnati with easy access to the city. Prices are a little high, IMO, but the park is clean, neat, with lots of wooded sites!
GuideAlthough it’s quite a bit off the main road, it was a nice place to stay. Gate was manned when we arrived just before 8:00 pm. Clerk told us to book online once we picked our spot, as she had just closed the register. We just chose an open spot that was level as we could see in the dark. Weary from a day of travel, we put our heads on the pillow and were fast asleep. Shortly after 9 we heard several rounds of gun shots; that was alarming because it was well after sunset. All in all it was a nice spot with electric only. Several gray water dumps were situated throughout the campground. Dumpsters were full from I’m sure what was a busy weekend of fall camping. The lake was beautiful with ability to rent kayaks. Frisbee golf was onsite too. Commissary for ice and basic sundries, with playground nearby. We didn’t visit the bathhouse, so I’m unsure of it’s condition. Tenant sites with no electricity were down by the lake. Cabin rentals were in a separate spot, off the lake. All in all, in was a nice place with lots of things to do. More of a destination park, for sure.
GuideI’m in a class a 35 foot motorhome. Live less than 30 mins away. Glad I checked it out I will come again. The Bathhouse is super nice and clean. The sites I’m at are on a hillside so think theatrical style site. None are level looking so you will need to know what your doing. I’m o level your rig. The lake is in view to each site. The tables are all concrete and big but useable. The fire pit is way to close to my rig for comfort, I’ll save the wood. I was happy for a quick fix. So yea I will be back
ScoutUsed to camp here all the time with my large family of 10 (plus family friends) and come every year for the Halloween camp out. We loved it so much we would stay for both weeks and even made family T shirts for the trip. In recent years it seems like they are going away from the fun events they do like the costume contest and hayrides and community stew. Hope to see them continue these events because it adds so much to the experience.
GuideI arrived later in the day after check-in hours but the campground host left a voicemail with clear instructions on what to do when I arrived. I love the location - close to a big city but far enough away to relax. The site I had was clean, included water, electricity, sewer and wifi. It was very close to a trail that went around the lake. I felt safe and it was gated. I would absolutely stay here again.
Guidehuge campground loops. very small sites, no privacy at all. on the up side they do enforce quiet hours.
ScoutWe enjoyed our 2 week stay The hosts Sheri and Gary were polite and friendly We felt safe and had a great time, Oh yeah, the bathrooms were supremely cleaned every day Well be back Dave and Corrina
LegendThis campground is massive! They have so many different loops, so it does not feel like you are camping with 400 other campers. Due to the size of the park, you have several options in choosing a campsite. There are a small amount of full hook up sites. We got lucky and got one of those because someone cancelled last minute. The only down side to our experience was that we were camping next to a very large group and I think they ought ever plug in light that they owned. The campground was lit up like an amusement park. I like the be able to enjoy the dark sky, but you can’t always pick your neighbors unfortunately.
Scout30 minutes from GABP, Paul Brown and Kings Island. Spacious sites and away from highway traffic noise
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near California, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near California, KY is East Fork State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 63 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near California, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near California, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
