Best Equestrian Camping near Sabina, OH

Cowan Lake State Park Campground offers one of the few horse-friendly camping areas near Sabina, Ohio, though visitors should note that dedicated horse corrals are not available on-site. The campground provides both primitive tent sites and developed RV spots with electric hookups, and campers with horses typically use the spacious sites in campground area 3, which features mature trees and ample room for horse trailers. Bathroom facilities throughout the campground are well-maintained with both toilets and showers available. The campground accommodates various camping styles including tent, RV, cabin, and glamping options. Sites are generous in size with extra space between them for hammocks and privacy, making them suitable for campers traveling with horses. Several camping loops provide different experiences with some sites offering more shade than others.

The trail system at Cowan Lake provides limited horseback riding opportunities compared to other Ohio state parks, with most horse owners trailering to nearby locations for extended rides. Lake activities complement the camping experience with boat rentals available at the marina for fishing or exploring the water. Campers often bring bicycles as the relatively level terrain is suitable for casual riding throughout the campground. The camp store stocks firewood, ice, and basic supplies, eliminating the need to leave the park during a stay. Several short hiking trails offer additional recreation options with informational placards identifying local plants and wildlife. During summer months, organized activities take place at the nature center and on the lake, providing additional entertainment for families camping with horses. The beach area is conveniently located near the tent camping section with clean facilities despite being a popular daytime destination.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Sabina, Ohio (9)

    1. Cowan Lake State Park Campground

    28 Reviews
    Wilmington, OH
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 382-1096

    "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."

    "Cowan Lake State Park is near Wilmington, Ohio and they have been making a lot of improvements to the park.  It is a great location between Cincinnati and Columbus with easy access from the highway. "

    2. East Fork State Park Campground

    65 Reviews
    Concord, OH
    40 miles
    Website
    +1 (513) 734-2730

    $29 - $30 / night

    "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. "

    "This is your standard Ohio State Park campground.  It has the usual parking, water, restrooms, camp store, and activities. 

    East Fork is rather nice as it has the lake and long trails. "

    3. Buck Creek State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Clarence J. Brown Dam and Reservoir, OH
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 322-5284

    $23 - $35 / night

    "A well manicured campground just outside Dayton, easy to get to, back in pavement site with 30A electric, picnic table and fire pit. Plenty of potable water spigots around, just not at the site."

    "I did not spend enough time here to give a thorough review, but what I will say is that this site is nice if you need a campsite for a couple nights while passing through Ohio."

    4. Pike Lake State Park Campground

    11 Reviews
    Latham, OH
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (740) 493-2212

    "The lake is smaller, but nice beach area and pedal boats are fun. We hiked the Greenbriar and CCC Trails. They are not too challenging but beautiful."

    "Ranger Review: Morsel Spork at Pike Lake State Park

    Campground Review:

    We stayed at site 67 next to the camp host. The camp site was nicely shaded with a small creek behind it."

    5. Winton Woods Campground

    23 Reviews
    Fairfield, OH
    50 miles
    Website

    "Tent/RV sites were level and had lots of Shade and trees for Hammocks. 1.7 mile paved walking trail is great for walking, running and biking. A short 18 hole Disc Golf course is close by."

    "The location is located on the lake with access to put in a kayak or canoe. The bathrooms are clean, with private combined shower/dressing stalls."

    6. Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metroparks)

    8 Reviews
    Germantown, OH
    40 miles
    Website

    $15 - $28 / night

    "This meant with two little ones we wouldn't have to constantly remind them to socially distance or put on masks.  We were alone but had plenty of park supports."

    "There's a great backpacking trail that's challenging and an easy middle meeting place for friends/family from Columbus and Cincinnati that can meet in Dayton Metroparks/Five Rivers - Germantown and take"

    7. Great Seal State Park Campground

    1 Review
    Chillicothe, OH
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (740) 663-2125

    "Equestrians, mountain bikers, and hikers seem to use this park often. Although no utilities... there is a shelter, restroom and trash recepticle. Campfires are permissible."

    8. Sycamore State Park Campground

    3 Reviews
    Brookville, OH
    43 miles
    Website

    "This park has such a variety of things to do. there’s a great disc golf course, really nice trails to hike with challenging hills and nice areas with shelters for grilling and parties and such."

    9. Korbel Campgrounds at Ohio Expo Center

    5 Reviews
    Columbus, OH
    49 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 646-3976

    $60 / night

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Sabina, OH

1 Photos of 9 Sabina Campgrounds


Equestrian Camping Reviews near Sabina, OH

205 Reviews of 9 Sabina Campgrounds


  • Dave B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 27, 2024

    Cowan Lake State Park Campground

    Large Campground

    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.

  • K
    Aug. 16, 2020

    Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metroparks)

    Twin Creek Metro Parks (Geronimo camp site)

    This is part of the Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metro Parks) and it is at the Twin Creek metro park.  This is an old boy scout camp (Camp Hook) back in the day. 

    During these COVID-19 times we wanted a place to park that wasn't the traditional Ohio State Parks camp site. We didn't want to share a common bathroom/bath house or playground area.  We picked this as the Twin Creek camp site only has 3 camp sites within the park.  Even then they are out of side from each other. You can somewhat hear the other two camp sites (rarely).  This meant with two little ones we wouldn't have to constantly remind them to socially distance or put on masks.  We were alone but had plenty of park supports. We had two great park volunteers/security stop by to make sure we had everything we need. 

    The nice thing about the Dayton metro parks is that each night in the front county camp sites they include a bundle of fire wood. This is not the small sad bundle that you often buy at gas stations or other markets.  This is a huge bundle. It is dry and cut in an easy to use manner. It is also kept in a little box so it is dry even if you do have weather while camping. If you wish to add an additional bundle of firewood the price is very reasonable at $10.00. I do this every time I camp there to support their campsites/metro parks. I have yet to use up their firewood in the box when I camp for a whole weekend. It is also nice that we don't have to put it in our cars so less clean up after camping. It also helps with the whole burn local fire wood so you are not transporting bugs. Or you don't have to cross your fingers and hope someone close by sells firewood. 

    The nice thing about their site is the additional tables made it easy for us to socially distance.  When I camp at local state parks and we only have one table it can be tricky to keep coolers, food, and people separated. We also were able to have kids do craft at one of the tables while we were preparing meals. This camp site is listed as a 10 person camp site. There is no water on site so make sure you bring all the water that you will need. 

    We also were able to hike the easy trails around the camp site. No need to put the kids in the car unless we wanted to.  Which we still did:) 

    We drove into town and discovered a covered bridge that I had missed on an earlier camping trip. (Germantown).  This town also has the Florentine which is one of the oldest inns in Ohio. It was closed while we were in town but it is well worth a stop. The town also has a community pool as well that you can buy a day pool pass. 

    The campsite does have two spots that would be neat for a wedding. You can reserve an amphitheater. 

    The campsites during peak season are $20 during week days and $28 for weekends. I still find this to be one of the best values for camping in Ohio. Especially, when you consider the level of privacy that you have on these sites.  The vault toilets are one of the best as they are always clean. We have hand sanitizer and toilet paper. We didn't have to share our vault toilet with any other family units. 

    All of these small touches really made COVID-19 camping with kids much easier. We look forward to being back at this camp site in the fall. 

    Here is the website to make a reservation https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786190&api=facilities&type=camp

  • K
    Jul. 1, 2021

    Cowan Lake State Park Campground

    Big Improvements Happening

    Cowan Lake State Park is near Wilmington, Ohio and they have been making a lot of improvements to the park.  It is a great location between Cincinnati and Columbus with easy access from the highway.  This is good if you want to meet with friends somewhat in between.  It isn't too close to the highway so you don't hear the road noise as it is a few miles away but it is an easy drive to the park. 

    They have been revamping the Nature Center to make it more accessible to folks as they have recently added a ramp. The Nature Center actually has two buildings side by side used for different purposes.  Then behind the Nature Center they have a location where several birds are located in cages.  Then next to where the birds are kept you will notice a new paw print trail that is a short but informative hike.

    The commissary has great pizza and ice cream.  We also bought our firewood and ice from them as well.  We didn't need to leave the park.  We had a few trails to pick from and picked two of the shorter ones for members in our group.  

    The cabins have been revamped as well.  They are all close to each other so if you wanted to have a family reunion or a get together this would be a great spot to do so.  At the end of the main road it will lead you to the lake.  You can use the dock to put your boat out (kayak and certain motor boats).  Folks are fishing at the lake or simply enjoying the beauty of the lake.  

    The beach is simple but that is part of the charm.  It is clean and we were able to swim on the hot days that we had while camping.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 17, 2020

    Deer Creek State Park Campground

    Small, but perfect site for us

    This was a last minute reservation and only available due to a cancellation. The campground was full for the weekend. The campground is pretty big with different types of sites. Some are smaller, close to neighbors while other have seclusion with trees. From past experience, if it rains, some of the sites do flood. We had great weather this weekend. The site we reserved had a hill right next to the passenger side/door side of your camper. If you had a big camper, it might be tight to open your slides and an awning. You most likely would not sit right outside your camper door. In fact, the fire ring is behind the site and up a small hill. We set up our ez-up in the back and out of the way, it worked for us. There was also a path that led you into the playground. Speaking of playgrounds, you will hear a lot of kids if the weather is nice. We were right across from the camp host (very nice lady) and very short walk to the bathhouse. The bathhouse had 4 flushable toilets and I think 3 showers. The showers did not have benches in the stall, only on the outside directly across. With a full campground, the bathrooms were kept very clean with the amount of people using it. We walked around and noticed a lot of bathhouses and another playground. We took a hike that led us to the lodge - it was an in and out and just under 5 miles. On our way back we stopped at the camp store which was well stocked with items you may need or not. There is a putt putt course, frisbee disc course, horse trails, dog park, nature center, golf course and more trails nearby. There are plenty of things to do if you like to keep busy or are trying to keep kids entertained. (The bees and stinkbugs were out and about while we were there.)

  • S
    Aug. 16, 2021

    Cowan Lake State Park Campground

    Cowan Lake Campground Site B09

    I've stayed here in the past and Cowan Lake does not disappoint. The B site campground is all non-electric tent camping, and far enough away from the larger RV pads that it's a quiet little campsite! Also, these sites are super close to the bathrooms on the beach, which were very clean during our stay. I was incredibly impressed, because the beach gets pretty busy during the day. The beach itself was clean (for a lakeside beach- there are geese, it's Ohio) and the lake was gorgeous! I will say, the only MILD annoyance is that some of the other campers would drive to the parking lot in front of our campsite and park there into the evening hours to fish or head down to the docks. I'm an early riser, so the headlights and car doors slamming were mildly annoying after about 10p. Not enough to make me choose a different campsite, but worth noting. We rented a tandem kayak and explored the lake, and the equipment was all in good condition. The Commisary is pretty limited but they do have a small kitchen and ice cream, as well as the basics like firewood and ice, as well as the boat rentals. Overall, one of my favorite lakeside campgrounds!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2024

    East Fork State Park Campground

    HUGE state park with many activities

    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.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 14, 2016

    Deer Creek State Park Campground

    Splish, splash

    Lots of room! Privacy, some sites have accommodations for several tents as well as full hook up for campers. Some are adjacent to the playground There are tons of things to do: Miniature golf Disc golf BMX trails Small dog park Golf course Horse camp

  • K
    May. 31, 2019

    East Fork State Park Campground

    Campground

    This is your standard Ohio State Park campground.  It has the usual parking, water, restrooms, camp store, and activities. 

    East Fork is rather nice as it has the lake and long trails.  Just be prepared if you go on hikes to get turned around.  The park is huge so not everything is in the campground area.  If you drive around to the other side and do some of the trails over there be aware that two trails use blue blazes.  They could use more blazes on the trails in general but watch out for the two blue blazes in the same area as it got us turned around. 

    This is great when you want to get away from the city but you don't want a long drive.

  • Michael L.
    Apr. 4, 2021

    Great Seal State Park Campground

    Foothills of Appalachia

    Simple and safe... Fifteen reservable sites via online or phone. Equestrians, mountain bikers, and hikers seem to use this park often. Although no utilities... there is a shelter, restroom and trash recepticle. Campfires are permissible. Hiking trails head off from this park that cover many miles. A steep hike up Sugar Loaf will wake you up in the morning.


Guide to Sabina

Horse camping in Ohio offers a unique opportunity for equestrians to enjoy the great outdoors while having their horses nearby. With various campgrounds catering to horse camping, you can find the perfect spot to relax and ride.

Equestrian campgrounds include ample amenities

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

Tips for equestrian camping near Sabina, Ohio

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Sabina, OH?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Sabina, OH is Cowan Lake State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 28 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Sabina, OH?

TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Sabina, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.