Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Ashland? Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. With our help, you'll find the best Missouri equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
The roar of ATVs and off-road motorcycles combines with the peacefulness of rolling hills at Finger Lakes State Park, one of two ATV parks in the state parks system. Built in a former coal mining area, Finger Lakes’ trails and motocross track are popular with users who come for the day, but often fall under the spell of the spacious campground, leafy trees and hilly terrain. The park is also the site of the challenging 2.75-mile Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail and a 4.5-mile water trail.
Finger Lakes State Park offers basic and 30-amp and 50-amp electric campsites.
Visit the Missouri Department of Conservation's website for more information.
Visit the Missouri Department of Conservation's website for more information.
Camping is allowed anytime in designated camping areas shown on map. These may or may not have defined campsites. No amenities are provided. Seasonal closures and restrictions may apply. Groups of more than 10 campers require a special use permit. Campers are limited to 14 consecutive days in a 30-day period.
Guide
Heavily forested with a lake. Trails and camping areas in woods are setup for equestrian with good trails for hikers, bikers and horses. Camping at lake is open gravel or grass. Nice fishing lake with docks, boat ramp and vault toilet and the only one provided. Parked lakeside. Quite night with one fishing boat late morning. Get a brochure with park map at entrance as roads pass through park and private property.
Guide
I stayed one night in the RV campsite. There was only one other camper. The grass had been mowed recently so the path around the pond was easily walkable.
Not many of the RV sites had fire rings and, with all of the fresh cut grass, it would have taken a lot of raking to make a spot safe for a fire anyway.
Guide
Basic tent site, potable water was right near our site. Bathrooms were clean. There were some families staying nearby but overall was a quiet stay.
GuideGreat spot. Enjoy the sound of owls and silence. Plenty of dead/down trees for firewood. 2 bars w/Verizon.
LegendI stayed here in June on a Tuesday night. The main pull-in parking area was completely empty. Has a ton of spots, most with their own fire ring. Some have some shade. There were also other more private pull-in spots where I saw only 2 other vehicles. There’s a little pond with wildlife like rabbits and frogs. You get there after about 5 miles on a well maintained, wide gravel road. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay!
TravelerGravel roads to the campsites are well maintained. Campsites are clean and well maintained. Maps are okay, but not the best. You could easily get an RV or camper around the roads. The way I came was a little weird with some awkward turns that might be tricky for a less experienced operator. At&t gets decent service.
GuideI've passed through Missouri numerous times, and their parks are always top notch. Clean and well maintained. As with most "green" places in the spring and summer, the ticks are outrageous. This time was no exception, use spray to keep the buggers off!
This one was easy in/out, plenty of room between campsites. Most sites looked level, but some are a bit wacky. We had a wacky one, and the host was nice, and quick to reposition us to a better spot.
Guide
Campground is on a short gravel road and sites are gravel. Sites are pretty level and WiFi is good. Contactless checkin is a bit confusing from map provided. There are a lot of long term users. Bathhouses are pretty new and adequate but a pretty long walk from the transit sites. I don’t think the baths are cleaned daily.
GuideWe pulled in at the end of a long day, hoping only for a place to sleep, and were happily able to secure a quiet spot for the night. The camp host was helpful and friendly. The bathrooms and showers were clean. We camped in a van. Other campsites contained small RVs and tents. Probably not a good location for larger RVs. This looks to be a good place for families to fish, ride mountain bikes, and enjoy the ATV trails.
ScoutWe are homeless and we got a campsite for two week here and I got a special needs child. And my boy were up at the water and all I did was call then over to me and I get 3 cops at my site. When cross from me the people at that site start there car off and on all night and dog parks from 6 am to 8 am. But I get told if I am loud I get kick out. Thank you for the welcoming feel
GuideI was traveling to California and it was a good spot but only one campground per parking lot. Wasn’t really busy. I camped in the gravel lot by my car under the stars. Nothing special about the place. 2 bar LTE Verizon.
LegendThis was a good stopover site on our journey. The campground reps were kind and great to work with. The registration online was seamless. We submitted an inquiry online, they replied within a day with the invoice to confirm our site and sent us confirmation details via email. Checkin was simple. The lots felt a bit tight but no big deal since it was just a stopover. It appeared there may be permanent residents who stay so if you’re looking for that, it might be an option based on the setups and work trucks parked at a few. Everyone was friendly, quiet and seemed to keep to themselves. Nice pond onsite that you can fish. We didn’t explore the grounds much but apparently we could’ve walked and seen the horses by the resort. The only thing I didn’t love was the gravel road all the way in. Our truck and camper was covered with gravel dust. So if you had anything exposed, it’ll get a bit dusty. But again overall a nice stopover and the employees were great to work with.
ScoutQuiet peaceful place for our overnight stop, would like to have extended stay to enjoy all the amenities. Friendly staff, very clean facilities, wonderful natural location.
LegendThis is a Good Sam campground.
Good for an overnight stay. Came in late, called number & lady gave us instructions to find site. Beautiful campground.
ScoutThere are homeless people living there in tents and late night parties with fireworks and people being rude. This happened 4 of the 11 nights I have camped there and will not go back after leaving at 4am due to people on drugs freaking out on each other.
TravelerPeaceful campsites. They have added the sites in 300’s and 500’s this year. The 100’s and 200’s have been established for 3 years or so. Staff is excellent and do everything to help make sure you’re stay is enjoyable. Our site is a newer one so it’s got some final touches to be done but when I mentioned it they came right out to help. Super friendly! I will update this as we venture out to see the see entire resort soon.
ScoutThe distance from the hiway is a big plus! This is a beautiful State Park. Serene, in April. The birds and frogs are amazing!!!! Site is paved, needed just slight levelling. We will return, love it!
GuideWhen I first pulled in I kept going back further only to realize the spots were located right by the road side. I wish there would have been signs pointing them out more. It looks like I wasn’t the only one to continue on as there were tire tracks already and then turn arounds. It’s quiet and peaceful! The service is okay I have ATT and had 1-2 bars most of the time. It rained and got muddy but the road was dry rocks which was a great place for my dogs to walk without getting my car all dirty. All in all it was a good place. I was the only one there.
GuideNice area, second camping area at the end of the road. No amenities at the end of the road, but there is a toilet at the first camping area. Beautiful scenery, alot of hunters.
GuideEntrance to the park is not far off the road, but its 2 miles into the campground as you pass the swimming hole and rentals. We stayed 2 nights on a basic (no hook-ups) unlevel site with our 40' ft diesel. Now I say unlevel, if you dont have leveling Jack's and some boards you might be tipsy. We were able to get level, but to be fair for this review who may not have jacks, come prepared. We had 3 sites all were very unlevel. Our sites were private, primitive, and beautiful. We enjoyed our stay. The camp host was friendly and even delivered wood. Unfortunately the wood was went. Not his fault. If you have any atv, dirt bikes, this is the place to come. Trails all over. We were not bothered by anyone or the sounds, of course you could hear them but at dusk everyone had to be off the trails. Would return to this state park, maybe next time with an ATV.
LegendDue to a family issue we needed to make the drive home (about 1,100 miles) in a few days. Hit the road and decided we’d had enough for the day. Called to confirm a site was available for one night. Drove down a dirt road to arrive to a fairly unlevel gravel pad. Sites are crowded with a shared water hookup. Wanted to pitch our trash in the morning, but no can, dumpster, bin, etc. was available. Just expected a lot more for $50/night!
RangerWell what can I say. I had high hopes for this one. Only offers basic and electric sites in small camping are. One shower house that was ok. Very loud and not a family place to camp. Great dirt bike trails and sever lakes. You can kayak and fish. I wouldn’t recommend swimming even at the designated beach. Had one lake with kayak/canoe rentals. Could be fun for day use. Would be great for riding! All in all not a place I would camp.
TravelerThe campground was average, as were the amenities- but the activities offered were enjoyable (kayak rentals, walking trails- these were shared with dirt bikes, horses, etc.) The lake water was fine for kayaking but we definitely did not want to swim in it. The Park Ranger was unfriendly, and we read reviews of similar experiences written in the campground office guestbook when renting the kayaks.
Not likely to return.
GuideI have two dogs. They are friendly, but get rather rambunctious when they see other dogs. I prefer sites that I can keep them tucked away.
On the electric sites - sites 1-10 are in an area with lots of trees and shade, while sites 11-17 are more open, but still have a few trees for shade.
We stayed in the premium electric spot #15. It felt roomy and was close to the bathrooms. If your like me, and prefer a tucked away spot, go for #17 (no immediate neighbors to your left).
The park itself is delightful. There are hiking, biking and water trails. Hiking trail was really nice with a surprise waterfall! Because the majority of campers were out in their ATV’s, we had the hiking trail all to ourselves. The kayak/canoe loop trail is nifty as there is no need to park a car in another location.
Bathrooms were well kept. Shower house was just ok.
TravelerAs the previous reviewer stated, this is entirely primitive camping. No services at all but the grounds are neat and clean. We camped in the RV area. There were a couple of other tents and a popup and aside from the popup running his generator 24hrs a day, it was very quiet and relaxing. There's some stocked ponds to fish in and trails to explore. We rode the Katy Trail which is only 3.5 miles down the hill from here.
LegendThere are 10 or so primitive tent sites and an area that will accommodate about a dozen RV’s. There are no services here and no hook ups, but it’s free. The primitive tent sites are spread out along the main road through the conservation area, which means that in the daytime you will get road noise and dust, but its pretty quiet at night. Only a couple have picnic tables, but all seemed to have at least a level spot for the tent and a fire ring. I noticed some sites had a bit of trash in the fire rings, probably from day use or partiers. There is no trash service, so plan to pack out your trash. The best site (already taken, too bad) was set on the edge of the woods next to a fishing pond. The campers that were there let me take some pics of their site since it was so pretty. The only downside to that site was its proximity to the RV lot and their generators. There are some nice hiking trails here to explore.
ScoutWe will definitely be back.
Horse camping in Missouri offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities for equestrian enthusiasts. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse camping, adventurers can enjoy the great outdoors while ensuring their horses are well taken care of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Ashland, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Ashland, MO is Finger Lakes State Park Campground with a 3.6-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Ashland, MO?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Ashland, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
