Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area campgrounds just for you. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Oregon camping adventure.
$25 - $45 / night
"Across the road is a horse camp that the PCT goes through. There is a spur from the PCT directly into the campground for easy access. There is a beautiful view of Mt."
"Some camp sots are better situated then others, so do research before making reservation."
"There are at least four different campgrounds within Beacon Rock state park including the main camping site, an equestrian area with two spaces large enough for horse trailers, a group camp site that can"
"The climb up the rock is through a well-built trail. It can get narrow at spots and not for those who fear heights. The view at the top, however, is amazing."
$25 / night
"Great access to the river to keep cool in summer. Nice sandy beaches. Park also has a lot of sheltered picnic areas and playground.
Multi-use trail great for short runs and apparently horses."
"Close proximity to Multonomah Falls. Pros - bathrooms with electric outlets, free showers, deer come close and are fun to watch, quiet & fairly private stay."
"Driving up there the way we drive (from Vancouver) you go up through ranching/farming territory and it’s nice and green and pretty, so it’s nice getting there."
"Hiking around the lake is a great way to start and/or end you day while staying at Battle Ground Lake SP. Horses are welcome. There are cabins available also. Several sites overlook the lake."
$8 - $78 / night
"It has wonderful hiking trails. There is swimming available in the warmer months in the Clackamas River. Horse trails for equestrians and fishing!"
"A short hike will take you right to the river and there’s plenty of nice trail to explore. If stepping around occasional horse poop isn’t your thing, maybe skip the hike though."
$23 - $25 / night
"It is not too far from the Portland area, I would recommend getting last minute supplies before getting off the highway."
"Secluded, open prime real estate: horse facilities abound here, but it works for everyone."
"The drive from Carson to the campsite had quite a few large potholes, but once you get to the site, it's fantastic. Gorgeous views all around, undisturbed tent camping."
$16 / night
"Campground Review
An open, relatively unused campground next to a sleep-calling stream right in between the last forested part of Mt."
"Bonney Crossing campground is located in the Eastern most side of the Mt Hood National Forest. Our campsite provided us a quiet relaxing two nights of camping."
$25 - $27 / night
"Clackamas Lake is a great campsite. Fairly easy to find and navigate. Great for when you don't want to deal with the more crowded campgrounds."
"Great campground when nearby Timothy Lake campgrounds are full. The spot I had was large and not too close to other spots."
ScoutGreat place to camp. It has wonderful hiking trails. There is swimming available in the warmer months in the Clackamas River. Horse trails for equestrians and fishing!
TravelerClackamas Lake is a great campsite. Fairly easy to find and navigate. Great for when you don't want to deal with the more crowded campgrounds.
While the camping sites are fairly close together, the site is usually lightly occupied. While we where there we only had one neighbor but the rest of the loop was empty.
For horse riders they have some equestrian only campsites.
There was plenty of trails in which to hike or ride, and a dock to go see the lake. You can also go swimming if your into Oregon lake or pond swimming.
Clackamas Lake itself is fairly small and in many ways feels more like a large and deep marsh then a lake.
Phone and internet reception (AT&T) is spotty at best.
LegendGreat campground when nearby Timothy Lake campgrounds are full. The spot I had was large and not too close to other spots. The campground was full, so there was the early morning sounds of children playing. I was in spot 8 which looked onto Clackamas Lake. Which side note is not a "lake" but more of a marshy pond with reeds and grass around the edge. Still I was able to situate my tent to look onto the lake. This spot is in the horse section so there were corrals in each spot. Looked like a horse had camped in the spot a few days earlier cause there were large piles of fresh horse poop I had to keep my dog away from. The table/tent area was about 75 feet from my car so I had to make many trips to get all my stuff into the site. If you are extra adventurous and in shape you can walk from the campground, around Timothy Lake and back, be warned this is just over 18 miles. The trail around Timothy Lake is not strenuous, and offers amazing views of Mt Hood, and there is water about half way through, but again be ready for a long hike.
LegendThis is hands down one of my favorite campgrounds, because the spots are large, far apart from the other sites, and very quiet. It is not too far from the Portland area, I would recommend getting last minute supplies before getting off the highway. The campground is a horse campground, but I reserved on the Monday before arrival and it was still very empty so no fear about taking a spot from equestrians. The spot I had (Spot 4) was huge, plenty of room for a larger party, felt like a quarter of an acre. There were no neighbors on one side of the spot and only the water spigot on the other. All the spots in the campground had plenty of space between spots. There was lots of dead, dried out wood laying all around the site that after a couple hours of collecting I had plenty to keep a fire all weekend, and still left a pile of wood when I left. The campground is close to many trails in the area, mainly Romano Falls Trail. There are views of Mt. Hood, peeking out through the trees here and there.
Additional Stay, Different Year
-A few more trees have been knocked down due to winter storms, but this is still a great campground.
LegendThis horse campground is near Takhlakh Lake. Its a small campground with about 6 sites and is first come first serve. All the other campgrounds in the area were full, but this one was pretty empty especially since it was visible from the road. I stayed twice over the summer and both times there were sites with horses in them. It is right next to the road, but there was a large pot hole in the road so people had to slow down or risk damage to their cars. The road all the way to the campground was very bad with holes, washouts, downed trees, huge dips, I recommend paying close attention when you are driving cause stuff will sneak up on you out of no where and low clearance cars could do damage. The campground was next to the creek and had multiple horse trails leaving from the campground. There were also a ton of wildflowers each time I went, since they are so high in elevation the wildflowers are still around into August.
The drive to Takhlakh Lake is only about 8 miles and takes about 20-30 minutes. Very easy day trip to enjoy the lake but then you can leave the crowds at the lake behind.
TravelerSite was nice and private, staff was very friendly, and the grounds were pretty clean! A short hike will take you right to the river and there’s plenty of nice trail to explore. If stepping around occasional horse poop isn’t your thing, maybe skip the hike though. Plenty of horses and dogs around.
LegendA large state park located near Estacada on the banks of the Clackamas River, Milo McIver is a well-loved Oregon state park. Because it's close to Portland, it is very busy. The main campsite area is set for tents as well as RVs with electric and water hookups available. Campsites are kind of close together but well appointed with bathrooms/showers available. There is a small tent-only area also available but the sites are kind of cramped and they all spin off a common parking area with little privacy.
The park overall has lots of different open spaces for hiking, interpretive programs, disc golf, fishing, areas for horse riding, and a great overlook on the Clackamas River.
LegendThere are at least four different campgrounds within Beacon Rock state park including the main camping site, an equestrian area with two spaces large enough for horse trailers, a group camp site that can hold up to 200 people, and a small 2-tent and 5-RV space down by the boat launch (at the base of Beacon Rock). This review is for the main "Beacon Rock" campground, which has 28 sites nestled in the woods including two walk/hike-in only sites. From the main road, head north directly across from Beacon rock until you come to a parking lot on the right that's the trailhead for Hamilton Mountain, Whispering Pool and others. Just past the parking lot (which also has a nice day-use picnic area and shelter) and on the right you'll come to the entrance of Beacon Rock campground.
Sites are a good size with lots and lots of beautiful trees, though the size and privacy varies greatly depending on which site you get. Ones on the right when you first enter are smaller since they butt up next to a ridge. For the most part the sites on the inside of the loop and especially the back side (it's a one-way counter-clockwise loop) are larger. Sites are first-come, first-served, and even on Memorial Day weekend there were several still available at 5pm on Sunday. Not sure if that was a fluke or we just got lucky. The campground and day use areas were built by the CCC in the 1930s so there's some beautiful rock work here and there, but it was not built with RVs in mind, so most people had tents, though a smaller trailer or pop-up might work depending on maneuverability.
Pros: Sweet little campground with lots of beautiful trees and greenery. Still had spots available on a busy weekend.
Cons: Best for tents only or a smaller trailer. Some sites are definitely better than others.
LegendSmaller, but we were able to switch sites away from an area with two families/lots of little kids (so the area is easy for people who don't camp a lot). Beautiful river, lots of horses and fisherpeople, great trails, tall trees, lots of shade, close to Portland. Plus you can reserve sites ahead of time.
Horse camping near the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes and equestrian-friendly facilities, making it a perfect getaway for horse enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is Panther Creek Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area?
TheDyrt.com has all 19 equestrian camping locations near Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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