Are you looking for a place to stay in Leonard with your horse? Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. You're sure to find the perfect site for your North Dakota horse camping excursion.
Jorgen’s Hollow Campground is located forty miles southwest of Fargo, North Dakota. Click here for a map of the Jorgen’s Hollow Campground and Trails. Jorgen’s Hollow Campground has 14 primitive campsites nestled within the oak savanna. Seven of those sites allow campers to have horses and seven sites are designated for campers without horses. Each campsite has a graveled pad, with a picnic table and fire ring. Campsites are open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis. Potable water and vaulted toilets are available. While at the campground, you can enjoy the area by hiking the Oak Leafor North Country National Scenic Trail, viewing wildlife, birding, identifying wildflowers, and many other activities. Trailheads are located in the campground. Directions from ND Highway 18: Turn west onto County Road 4, travel three miles and turn north on County Road 23. Travel north on County Road 23 for two and three quarter’s mile until you reach the campground on the east side of the road. Directions from ND Highway 27: Turn north onto County Road 4 and travel three miles, then turn east and travel one mile to County Road 23. Travel north on County Road 23 for two and three quarter’s mile until you reach the campground on the east side of the road.
Nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley, about 65 miles southeast of Jamestown, Fort Ransom State Park is a 950-acre recreation area amid rolling grasslands and mixed woods. Once the site of an 1860s military encampment, the location now offers year-round outdoor recreation, from hiking, fishing, and paddling, to bird watching, horseback riding and camping. In summer, the park rents canoes and provides shuttles to the launch point, for spending leisurely days paddling down the river. In winter, its a popular destination for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The park’s most noted event is the annual Sodbuster Days, which celebrates the farming and homesteading days of the late 1800s with arts, music, food and a rodeo.
The campground at Fort Ransom State Park offers 80 RV, tent and equestrian campsites near the banks of the Sheyenne River. Modern RV sites, with electric and water hookups, are mostly pull-through, while primitive tent sites are mostly walk-in. A few group sites, both modern and primitive, are located near the outdoor amphitheater. The main camp area features flush toilets, showers, a playground, and a dump station. A canoe launch and fishing pier are located nearby. The primitive tent sites and equestrian camp area only offers vault toilets; the latter also has horse corrals. Other amenities include a visitor center, picnic shelters, and a dog park. Campsites are $17–$25/night.
Enjoy a night under the stars on the prairie at Hankinson Hills Campground, located three miles northwest of Hankinson, North Dakota. Click here for a map of the Hankinson Hills Campground and Trail. Hankinson Hills Campground has two camping loops. One camping loop, with six campsites, allows campers to have horses and the other camping loop, with nine campsites, is designated for campers without horses. There are a total of 15 campsites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There is a large picnic shelter for day use and group events, as well as a large group fire ring with benches. The large picnic shelter is free-of-charge and open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis. While at the campground, you can enjoy the area by hiking the eight-mile loop Hankinson Hills Trail, viewing wildlife, identifying wildflowers, and many other activities. One of the trailheads for Hankinson Hills Trail is located in the campground.
$10 / night
Legend
I was lucky enough to get a spot far under the trees. It was quite private and even though it was labor day weekend, it was quiet and peaceful. Good cell service, I was able to work on Friday via my hot spot. The campground is well maintained and the trail had just been mowed. Unfortunately there are stickers and poor tuck found a number of them. We still had fun.
GuideWell maintained campground, has water and multiple vault toilets. There’s a loop for horse camping and a loop for non horse camping. Each site has a fire ring and a nice table, most spaces have trees to provide shade. Verizon works okay, not great but I had a bar or two. Can hear trains running by every so often. Only downside was the abundance of biting flies and mosquitoes.
TravelerThere are gorgeous sites well spaced and lots of shade. Trails to bike ride around. No motorized vehicles allowed so it's quiet. Road in was good gravel. Picnic tables, fire rings and pit toilets. $10 / night. Great find.
Legend
It was very early in April and still very cold so I literally had the place to myself but we saw an incredible amount of wildlife in our one day stay. Also there are bunches of trails to hike and the town is close and worth exploring. I came back again in 2024 with a bit more time but still early so had the park to myself. There is so much to do here. They have expanded the trails, dinner in town at a great restaurant, mountain biking down the Kathryn road to historic sites and a national state forest with more trails and destinations. Come early, around the ticks and mosquitoes. Maybe I will bring the canoe next time.
Legend
Nice and relatively private spots with lots of hiking nearby. Definitely headed back again
TravelerOnly 50 miles from Fargo. Place all to myself on a Sunday night. Clean nice toilets and nice camping spots.
GuideFirst time here, it was different than expected but in a good way. The ND scenery was great with the river valley. It is a small park as far as number of spots but well spaced out and very well maintained.
TravelerArrived after dark picked a site and in the morning was happily surprised to find it had some trees surrounding it. In the evening the best part was listening to the trees in the breeze. it's pretty well dispersed camping with bushes for the most part separating the sites. the toilets are clean. There's a nice four Mile easy trail that comes out of the campsite area. I visited on weekday they're only five campers when I showed up and by the time I left there were zero campers.
TravelerGreat spot for hiking, biking, canoeing and riding your horse. Friendly staff and clean sites. No water or sewer hookups.
TravelerDecent primitive campground in the Sheyenne grasslands. Decent vault toilets and water pump. NCT access there. Lots of woodpeckers to see and coyotes calling at dusk. Sheyenne river nearby.
ScoutNot sure what it’s like on weekends, but arrived on a Tuesday in August; I was the second camper to arrive. First come, first serve. Very minimalist and lovely. Potable water is available, and hiking trails are nearby. Like I said in the title, all quiet, and wonderful looking over the tall grass prairie. Abundant flowers and butterflies. Even a couple prairie chickens. What a wonderful night. Not the greatest campground ever, but in my book, really a 4.5 rather than a 4 star
TravelerNational forest campground. First come first served only with no attendant. There’s on manual pump well and two vault toilets. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring and most had nice level places to park. 3 miles of gravel road to the campground but the road was smooth and in good condition.
RangerWe spent a night there in the fall. It is well off the main road but the dirt road is passable with any rig. The sites are varied, well kept and some will fit larger rigs. It is typical forest service dry camping. There is a hiking trail that circles this small grassland about 5 or 6 miles long.
What is unique about this place is that is an original remnant of the oak/grass prairies that used to cover extensive areas where the forest met the plains. There is grazing in the grassland but it is very quiet and no light pollution. Cell service was actually pretty good.
TravelerCamped one night in late August 2020. Paid$10. Clean, quiet campground with picnic table& iron fire ring/grill at each site. Partial shade. Friendly campers. Hand pump well water. Easy trail, but didn’t see much wildlife. Lots of flies. I would stay here again. See my video review on YouTube. Riding with Stymie
GuideThis campground has the North Country Trail go right through it, and that is how we ended up camping there. Kids enjoyed the ice cream and refreshments for sale at the gift shop. We were able to get down to the river from our primitive site and cool off. While the bank its self was quite steep and muddy the water felt amazing. Firewood for sale at the gift shop and they drop it off to your site.
GuideLots of campsites here and not many of them being used this Memorial Day weekend (thank you, COVID-19). This allowed for a pretty distanced visit and relatively quiet experience in the middle of the country. If it was full, it could have been loud. Horses are also welcome here, so there are some horse noises that may be startling if not expected (clanking metal, etc). Great stargazing. Clean water and vault toilets. Great access to the NCT. Great signage. Well kept. I enjoyed my stay here.
TravelerStayed at a site in the open field near to the road. (last site available) only down side was that you got to feel the ND winds (10-30mph+) all the time..... Next time will stay on the other side of the river at their "primitive" campsites. those sites are all in the trees and secluded. Also has walk-in tent sites. Plenty of local hiking trails right from the campsite.
LegendThis is a year round multi-use state park along the forest-lined Sheyenne River and near the Sheyenne National Grasslands. There are miles of trails through all kinds of habititats from forest to prairie to riparian shores and the water trail. In winter there is great cross country skiing and snowshoeing and summer of course has camping, canoeing, hiking, and nature watching. This seems to be a big park for horse campers and they are well set up for that with corrals and designated horse campgrounds. There is a standard campground for car camping, campers and RVs with the usual amenities, then there is the so-called "primitive" campground which is for tents only, either in drive in tent campsites, or at walk-in tent sites that are very spacious and right on the river! Very nice. The "primitive" tent area has quiet rules including no use of generators, so we like that. The tent area did not have its own water source though, so you do have to walk across the river bridge to the main campground to get water. Also, while there were no problems about flooding on our trip, the sites are in a lowland area adjacent to the river floodplain so could be a concern at times of heavy rain. Other options, should you want to go for historic lodging or "glamping", there is the option to reserve a covered wagon or pioneer cabin to stay in, or a fully equipped really amazingly cool yurt with a loft that could host a large family or group. If you like hiking or canoeing or horseback riding or nature exploring, there are alot of good options here for the summer camper. Things are quieter right now as there as fewer campers due to covid, they are also a little short staffed and the grounds look a tad bit rough around the edges and in need of a bit of maintanence. Also, the park was established on the grounds on an old fort which seems to have had some historic controversy, and the main park entrance sign was burned in a recent protest event so be aware of that when you are trying to find the park. And, while staying at the park, visit the exhibits in the visitor's center to learn more about the history of the area and the old fort so you can put all this into respectful context.
TravelerShowed up on a Thursday night, and I am the sole camper in the entire place. Nicely set up, and seems well cared for. Only problem: there are cows everywhere. You go though cow pastures to get to the campground and they are just sitting at the fence line mooing. Hopefully they shut up soon so I can get some sleep.
ScoutNice clean campground and hiking trails are taken care of. The sunsets are beautiful
GuideThis is a pretty good spot. When we were there in June the campground was having a Halloween celebration and my daughter loved it. There’s good trails to walk and it’s generally quiet. Sites aren’t very private, but the people were nice. It seemed to be more of a “locals” campground.
GuideWifi is at the visitors center, there’s almost 20 miles of trails to walk on and the scenery at night is beautiful! Sodbuster Days, Halloween in June and Christmas in July is a must. Also the historical building in the area is a cool thing to see!
Legend.Built 3 years ago, Jorgen’s Hollow is a new campground that is in the Sheyenne Grasslands. Half the sites are for people with horses and half are for those without. During my 2 night stay, most sites were empty. If it fills up, there is a campground just down the roads a piece.
Sites are very different. Choose one in the shade or sun. Some have more space than others. There is a central hand pump for water. Vault restrooms are at each end. The North Country Trail goes right through camp. Hike (or ride your horse) it into the grasslands or the other way to join more trails.
There is no fee to camp here until the fall of 2018. We couldn’t pass up 2 free nights in a quiet and remote setting. Getting up early and out onto the trail in the cool morning let us relax as the day warmed up. A midnight walk let all the stars strut their stuff.
Thrre are horses and riders who camp here so be aware they added some noises to keep my dog interested. You might consider bringing your own water - the water from the pump has particulates in it. This is also a “pack it in, pack it out place” for now. Bring your trash out with you.
This place is a beautiful find!
RangerVery green park with alot of history, including a preserved farm about early white settlers. We met some people who were staying here with their horses - how fun! Wide open green spaces, lovely. We didn’t explore much of the park unfortunately. We really wished we had rented a canoe or kayak (from the park) but it was a holiday weekend so they were all gone by the time we sauntered out of the tent near noon.
Yay: basic cafe, easy canoeing, nature center, educational, easy hikes.
Nay: campsites are not private or shady, only a few are next to the water.
Surprise: the camp staff were especially great with lots of stories to entertain the preschooler and grandma!
Horse camping in North Dakota offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-maintained facilities, making it an ideal choice for equestrian enthusiasts looking to explore the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Leonard, ND?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Leonard, ND is Jorgen's Hollow Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Leonard, ND?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near Leonard, ND, with real photos and reviews from campers.
