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Best Equestrian Camping near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

65 Reviews

Wild River State Park Campground includes a separate horse campground area with miles of riding trails throughout the park. The campground accommodates tent camping, RVs, and features camper cabins for those preferring more shelter. Horses are welcome with their own dedicated camping section that connects directly to the trail system. The park offers extensive riding opportunities across open grasslands, hardwood forests and valley waterways, making it particularly appealing to equestrians. The horse trails cover diverse terrain including sand surfaces, which can be challenging for hiking but excellent for riding. Trail riders frequently note the uncrowded atmosphere and ample room to explore.

Located in North Branch, Minnesota, the park provides year-round access to horse-friendly camping options. The horse campground connects to riding trails that traverse the St. Croix River valley, offering scenic views particularly beautiful during autumn when the leaves change color. The paved bike trails throughout the park create additional exploration opportunities for non-riding days. Campground facilities include drinking water, electric hookups, showers, and restrooms to support extended stays with horses. The park maintains a 30-amp electrical service option for RVs in the campground area. Wildlife observation opportunities are abundant, with the area recognized as an excellent destination for bird watching while on horseback. The park's reservation system accommodates both individual riders and larger equestrian groups planning to camp together.

Map showing campgrounds near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, MinnesotaExplore the Map

Best Equestrian Sites Near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (4)

    1. Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park

    10 Reviews
    Danbury, WI
    12 miles
    Website

    "Site 207 was especially tucked in but it's a tight spot, so probably best for a van or tent.  The park itself has a lot to offer being right on the St."

    "This is Minnesota’s largest state park and has over 200 camp sites. But where we were, we were secluded from most people. Not from the mosquitos. You had to defend against them. But clean park."

    2. Riverview Campground — St. Croix State Park

    7 Reviews
    Danbury, WI
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (320) 280-7880

    $25 - $35 / night

    "This is one of my favorite state parks for last minute camping trips due to its proximity to home."

    "There is a modern restroom and shower, it is also located near a nature store."

    3. Saint Croix State Forest Boulder Campground

    2 Reviews
    Danbury, WI
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (320) 384-6591

    $17 / night

    "The sites are spaced out and although it is a long drive in from the tar and gravel, it's worth the trip. A beautiful lake and lots of trails."

    4. Wild River State Park Campground

    45 Reviews
    Taylors Falls, MN
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (651) 583-2125

    $35 / night

    "This is a big park with a diversity of hiking, equestrian, and canoeing options. Since the park runs along the St. Croix, there are beautiful river-side walks to be had."

    "Nice park, scenic trails, horses on the way in."

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

2 Photos of 4 St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

65 Reviews of 4 St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Campgrounds

  • Erik R.
    Apr. 5, 2025

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Camping in Spring snow

    Well, it snowed … in late March. I stayed in the campground in late March, 2025. This is a big park with a diversity of hiking, equestrian, and canoeing options. Since the park runs along the St. Croix, there are beautiful river-side walks to be had. There are also Oak Savanna trails. Several trails are for horses, but that isn’t my scene. I stayed in the campground for two nights. It was cold, rainy, and that turned into 5” of snow. Like many MN State Park campgrounds, you are close to your neighbors with no real private offerings. I stayed in site 66e. It was a typical site with nothing bad nor special about it. The hike to the former Dam site is the neatest thing about the park. I recommend reading the historical information at the site of the dam. Having been here once, I see no reason to come back.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 3, 2021

    Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park

    First solo experience

    This was my first solo tent camping night in June 5, 2020. There were some horse flies when I parked but they didn't seem to hang out in the shade of my campsite. There was a very loud bird making calls until about 1am... Maybe a whip-poor-will. Otherwise a serene spot tucked back in the walk in site.

    Directions to the walk in sites were a bit unclear when driving in but I eventually made it there.

  • Joslyn H.
    Jun. 27, 2024

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Lots of good memories

    I have been coming to Wild River since I was a kid. Nice park, scenic trails, horses on the way in.

  • M
    Sep. 26, 2023

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Serene times at Wild River

    Stayed for two nights at a drive-in double site here and found it ideal for autumn camping. We didn’t think we would get colors, but they came out a little early, adding a few splashes to the hiking and river view.

    Site was private enough, the woods surrounding dense enough to obscure others while still feeling open. Also open enough to spot three white-tail deer.

    Hike to the Nevers Dam lookout was easy enough for a five year old to walk (most of it) — featuring some very cool fallen trees and a wonderful winding staircase — and the adjacent sandy beach was a pleasant and peaceful surprise.

    One complaint is that the nearby vault toilet reeked of amonia and was unusable so we had to walk to the adjacent loop for bathroom. Silver lining is that we discovered the free little library near that bathroom and grabbed a copy of ‘Ramona the Brave’ for the kiddo. We went back and left a copy of ‘Amira’s Picture Day.’

  • Kate H.
    Jun. 4, 2018

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Very spacious and private campsites!! Lots of wildlife!

    This campground is massive! Our campsite was on the farthest loop and was very private! We saw sooooo many deer some even walking right through campsites! You can hear coyotes, raccoons and very loud owls😂

    We spent an entire day hiking and it was decent hiking along the river, some of the trails where a little confusing and trying to figure out where we at, but we made it just hiked a little further than we wanted to😂! This seems to be the hot spot for horses and if we go back I definitely want to do the horseback riding right outside the park! DRIVE to the visitors center from the campsites it’s a bit away!

    Postives: Very private and remote, Lots of wildlife, friendly staff, okay hiking. The canoe rental place wasn’t open so we can’t comment of water activities!

    Negatives: Only one shower house and we had to drive there, the primitive toilet smelled so bad it burned!! It needed to be emptied and wasn’t the entire time we were there. This isn’t a comment on this state park but because we where no where near a real bathroom and we have a toddler who wears a diaper/potty training there are no trash cans in the primitive toilet it could create a problem if you had a little one or if your a women😉

    overall it was good camping trip, but if we did come back we would definitely camp closer to the shower house.

  • Ramona A.
    Jul. 6, 2017

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Beautiful river valley area

    Have stayed here many times in all seasons. Not an over crowded park with lots of room to roam. Horses are welcome here with their own special campground area and miles of trails to ride. Hiking trails cover open grasslands, hardwood forest and valley waterways. Lots of wildlife and a great place for birders. Paved bike trails trailer and tent camping as well as camper cabins. Especially beautiful in autumn with the colorful leaves.

  • Ari A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 3, 2021

    Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park

    Decent sites; plenty to do

    This park has a ton of camping available, particularly if you don't need electricity and have a smaller rig because then you can get into more of the campground loops. (There is electricity here, but there are many more sites without.) 

    The sites in the Old Logging Campground were close together but many had vegetation between them offering some privacy. Site 207 was especially tucked in but it's a tight spot, so probably best for a van or tent. 

    The park itself has a lot to offer being right on the St. Croix River, plus there are hiking trails, a paved bike path, a fire tower you can climb, an old CCC camp area you can tour, and more. Also, canoe and kayak rentals are available. And this is all within the state park boundary since, at 34,000 acres, the park is the largest in the Minnesota state park system. 

    Some of the loops have old bathhouses that desperately need to be replaced, but they are in the process of doing so, which means some loops have great new bathrooms and showers. (If you stay in the upper 200s, sites, you'll have one of these new bathrooms right away, but more are being built.) Cell service was incredibly spotty on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Depending on where you're at, you'll get a low signal, but often it was only enough for texting-- don't think about using the web or social media or getting any work done while you're here. 

    Overall, we enjoyed our weekend at this park and would come back for another getaway if we had the chance and it wasn't a workday.

  • K
    Sep. 8, 2020

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Campsite 29

    We stayed in campsite 29 in the drive in campsite over Labor Day weekend. The park was great - lots of hiking options, very clean (including the bathrooms), available water, right along the river. #29 definitely wouldn't be my first pick, but we booked late and it was one of the two left. No pad, which was fine (some of the sites do have pads, though). You could easily fit two tents in the site - it was a nice big area and looked kind of empty with just our one tent! The site isn't particularly private, since it was in the center of the loop, and if anyone ends up in the campsite behind you (#33), you're really pretty close - we lucked out and no one showed up until we were leaving. On the other hand, if people wanted to double camp, those two sites would be great together! It was a busy weekend, but people seemed to be pretty quiet after 10 pm. #30 looked like an awesome site and probably had the most privacy of the B lane. The restrooms were between A and B lanes (walkway between #24 & #26, #26 was pretty exposed to people walking back and forth) and was pretty busy - and not many people following the mask rule for the park. The campsites in general were pretty busy (Labor Day weekend probably contributed to that), there are a lot of sites, and it's close-ish to the cities, so if you're really looking to get away from people this probably isn't the ideal park. Lots of dogs, too. But, the sites were right next to the hiking paths and the park has a ton to see. We had a good time! We hiked past the Spring Creek campsite area and it looked really great, if you want to carry your stuff in.

  • Justin R.
    Jul. 12, 2018

    Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park

    Large yet private

    This is Minnesota’s largest state park and has over 200 camp sites. But where we were, we were secluded from most people. Not from the mosquitos. You had to defend against them. But clean park. Would go back for sure.

Guide to St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Horse camping near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Minnesota offers a unique opportunity to explore the scenic beauty of the area while enjoying the companionship of your equine friends.

Tips for equestrian camping near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Minnesota

  • The Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park provides a variety of accommodations, including horse camping options, making it a great choice for those looking to enjoy nature with their horses.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

  • At Riverview Campground — St. Croix State Park, you'll find spacious sites that are pet-friendly, allowing for a comfortable stay with your horse companions.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like trails

  • The Saint Croix State Forest Boulder Campground features access to numerous trails, perfect for horseback riding enthusiasts looking to explore the natural surroundings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park with a 4.1-star rating from 10 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway?

TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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