Hares Canyon Horse Camp — L.L. Stub Stewart State Park

When we came back from the shower my wife and I observed a dark shadow darting from the table around the back corner of the tent. Figured it was a raccoon or something. Half an hour later I went behind the tent to get a Pepsi, and there it was, a cat. A bobcat to be exact. I yelled at the cat for some time it wouldn't leave it sat there and stared me down. My wife and I took turns holding a light on it. Eventually I threw some gravel at it and it ran away.. I thought. We were cooking dinner about 5 minutes later and I turned around and the damn thing was behind us. We tried calling the state park the Rangers and anyone else who would listen, but they wouldn't. There was no one to call. When I dialed the park ranger I got Oregon State Park Services which was closed. Seeing Wildlife like that up close is really cool. But I'm from the country and I know what to do, kind of. A lot of people would have needed assistance, probably from people with firearms, just to get their camping gear back out of that campsite. All in all it's a nice park though showers are good and hot and clean. The Park host is always around when you need a bag of is always around when you need a bag

The top of the park shows a vast section of sky which is perfect for meteor shower watching.

We've enjoyed previous stays at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park in our tent and in one of the cozy cabins in the past.  This time, we stayed overnight in our camper van at the top of the hill in Hares Canyon Horse Camp. Experiencing several of the many long trails on horseback was an unforgettable experience. The horse camp comes complete with full hookups, a full bathroom with showers, and corrals for the horses. Friendly rangers patrol the camp regularly to make sure there are horses occupying each site.

I have been here several times and always have a good experience. During the main season when the whole place is open you can usually find a spot last min. This year with covid it's been harder to find a spot last min and they would only let you reserve 30 days in advance so planning something in advance was impossible. I bring my R-Pod trailer and every RV spot has full hook-ups. Lots to do with the Banks / Vernonia trail running through the camp that has over 15 miles of paved walking / biking trails. Weekends get busy on the trail during the summer, but still plenty of distance to use the trail safely during Covid. Camp host have always been nice.

I don’t have a horse but I still stayed here! We were in the area, struggling to find a place to camp. After 7 pm, the campground let us set up camp in an empty equestrian campsite. Unique experience!

Hares Canyon Horse Camp is one of three campgrounds in Stub Stewart State Park and unlike other horse camps which often allow the overflow of tenters and rv'ers without horses, this horse camp is equestrian only.

The Campground is set up in one loop and offers both single and double sites, ADA facilities, showers, toilets, and trash. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and a corral. There is a double corral on the double sites.

You must clean up after your own horse. Manure bin as well as shovels/brooms are provided onsite.

In mid May, the sites were very wide open.