Bjorn S.
Legend
LegendPanther Creek Campground
In the Middle of Everything
Right by Mt. Hood, Hood River and the wind surfing, Pacific Crest Trail, huckleberry picking, Portland, Vancouver, etc.
Equestrian Camping near Hood River, OR
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Knebal Springs Campground features horse corrals and direct access to Mount Hood National Forest trails. Located near Dufur, Oregon, this primitive campground provides a rustic experience for equestrians seeking trail access. The campground accommodates both tent and RV camping with sites designed specifically for horse owners. Trails from the campground connect to extensive riding routes throughout the forest. The spots are large and far apart from other sites, creating a quiet atmosphere even when the campground is full. Picnic tables and toilet facilities are available, though the campground lacks drinking water, showers, and trash collection.
Riley Horse Campground connects to multiple trail systems including the Romano Falls Trail with views of Mount Hood through the trees. Located within Mount Hood National Forest, this campground operates seasonally from May through September. Each site includes horse corrals that can also serve as hammock supports for campers without horses. The campground provides drinking water via spigots near campsites, along with toilets and trash collection. Plenty of dead, dried wood typically lies around for campfires. Hikers can access nearby attractions including Ramona Falls. Sites are reservable and fill quickly on holidays and weekends, though midweek availability is often better. The large, spacious sites accommodate multiple tents and provide ample room for horse trailers and equipment.
Best Equestrian Campgrounds near Hood River (20)
1. Panther Creek Campground
"Hood, Hood River and the wind surfing, Pacific Crest Trail, huckleberry picking, Portland, Vancouver, etc."
"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."
from $25 - $45 / night
Check Availability2. Woodard Creek Campground — Beacon Rock State Park Campground
"Not only is the campground itself a woodland wonderland with winding paths through tall old growth forest areas, but the surrounding area of the park itself is impressive with exciting things to do around"
"We didn’t have any issues at the site, but noticed that spots RV4 and RV5 were relatively distanced from each other, while spots RV1-RV3 were pretty close to each other."
3. Knebal Springs
from $15 - $39 / night
Check Availability4. Oxbow Regional Park
"Close proximity to Multonomah Falls. Pros - bathrooms with electric outlets, free showers, deer come close and are fun to watch, quiet & fairly private stay."
"There is distance between you and other guests but if you want to meet your neighbors you can. They have ADA sites, a lake, play grounds and a welcome center."
from $25 / night
Check Availability5. Battle Ground Lake State Park Campground
"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."
6. Riley Horse Campground
"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."
from $26 / night
Check Availability7. Bonney Crossing
"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."
from $16 / night
Check Availability8. Lewis River Horse Camp — Gifford Pinchot National Forest
"We stayed here (without horses) when we couldn’t find anywhere else to stay. It was completely empty in July, probably because people think you have to be a horse to stay here."
"We stayed at this horse camp in early April because all other area campgrounds were closed until May. What a lucky find! We were the only ones there. Pit toilets were clean enough."
from $15 / night
9. Clackamas Lake
"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."
from $30 / night
Check Availability10. Tillicum Campground
"There's no cell service in the campground, but 1-2 bars of AT&T 4G is available about 3 miles from camp, (1 mile up FS Rd. 8854, near the junction of FS Rd. 8851 and FS Rd. 24)."
Drive Time
- 55 min from Portland, OR
- 1 hr 34 min from Longview, WA
- 1 hr 42 min from Salem, OR
- 2 hrs 4 min from Yakima, WA
Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Hood River, OR
5 Photos of 20 Hood River Campgrounds
Equestrian Camping Reviews near Hood River, OR
159 Reviews of 20 Hood River Campgrounds
Guinevere H.
TravelerClackamas Lake
Beautiful, if small, lake
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.
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.
Ashley B.LegendClackamas Lake
Close to Timothy Lake
Great 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.
- Ashley B.Legend
Riley Horse Campground
Hidden Gem in the west side of Mt. Hood National Forest
This 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. - Ashley B.Legend
Keenes Horse Campground
Horse Camp near Takhlakh Lake
This 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.
- Bjorn S.Legend
Oxbow Regional Park
Super Family-Friendly, Watch Out for the Horses
Smaller, 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.
Richard B.
GuideBattle Ground Lake State Park Campground
We Love This Place
We love it! For a lot of reasons. Part of the reason is it’s close, so that’s part good. 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. You do have a lot of options, in that the first time we went up there was with our hiking club, and we went up there for a hike around the calderas so it’s easy to do a day trip in a car. Part of our discovery was while we were there is that the food place is really good and very nice. The kids playground was great for the grandkids.
As far as the camping, while it’s open, for the most part you do have a limited amount of privacy in the campground. The campsite we picked was a mix of things: just far enough away from the restrooms where we don’t get all the traffic there, but close enough so it’s not too far either. We were within easy walking distance to two restrooms/showers.
One thing that always looked intriguing is they do have the cabins, so maybe one of these times we’ll rent one. Another thing that some people might like is that they do have horses and some of the trails around the lake you can have horses on, plus a separate area/campground where you can have your horses, which are fun to see.
It’s a small lake but big lake, meaning they do not allow motors on the lake, even electric motors, so it’s all floats, kayakers, etc. A lot of people grab the big inter-tubes and go with that. And of course fishing up there is generally pretty good, especially when they stock it. The trails around the lake are kind of fun also because you have a high trail (very forested) and you also have a certain amount of low trails right on the water where you could have your own spots to fish and swim.
Like most campgrounds, it has its peak season and its off-season, but you can go there year-round if you choose to. The beach area isn’t big, but that’s okay. Wherever you’re heading (from the campsites down to the water, to the playground, to the food shack) you always have different trails and options for how to get from one place to another if you want to explore. If there’s anything you forgot (groceries, fishing gear etc.) you can be in the small town of Battle Ground within 5 miles.
Tony G.TravelerHorse Camp: Cody
Nice horse camp
Camped in dispersed campsite across from campground. Walked through campground. Has decent outhouse. Watering trough for horses. picnic tables and nice fire pits with grates in every campsite. Great picket lines for horses in each site. Use caution, since there is an abundance of bear in the area. And cougar have been sighted around the area
Kelcie T.GuideKalama Horse Camp — Gifford Pinchot National Forest
One of my favorite places!
Kalama Horse Camp has always been one of my favorite places to take my horses for a camping adventure. There are several awesome trails you can take right from the campground and there is a campground trail that guides you around the whole campground area. There are several compost toilets that are available for campers and day use. Each Campsite has a firepit and picnic table. Most all of the campsite have horse corrals.
Guide to Hood River
Equestrian and tent campers alike find Hood River's camping options provide access to the region's diverse ecosystems spanning from lush forests to drier, sage-covered landscapes. Most campgrounds sit at elevations between 1,000-4,000 feet, creating variable temperatures that can drop significantly at night even during summer months. Water availability varies dramatically by season with some springs drying completely by late summer.
What to do
Hiking diverse landscapes: Access the Pacific Crest Trail directly from Panther Creek Campground where "There is a spur from the PCT directly into the campground for easy access. There is a beautiful view of Mt. Hood just a couple of miles up the trail." The PCT connection makes this location ideal for day hikers wanting mountain views without committing to backpacking.
Swimming holes: Cool off in natural waters at multiple locations. One camper at Beacon Rock State Park noted that "Beacon Rock is an incredible, tall hill in the Columbia River Gorge... The view at the top, however, is amazing." The Columbia River provides swimming opportunities, though currents can be strong in certain areas.
Fishing opportunities: Try your luck at several stocked lakes and streams in the region. At Battle Ground Lake, one visitor mentioned "Great fishing! Trout, bass, blue gill... swimming area. Store on sites. Nice hike around lake with plenty of spots to rest and fish." The volcanic lake offers good catch rates, especially after spring stocking.
What campers like
Natural features: Many campgrounds offer proximity to unique geological formations. At Clackamas Lake, campers enjoy the "Beautiful views of Columbia river!" The campground provides access to Timothy Lake where "motorized boats are not allowed and on a sunny day Mt Hood is reflected in the water."
Spacing between sites: Oxbow Regional Park offers "quiet campsite with the basic amenities," where "the outer loop sites are quiet, spacious and wooded. They are also very close to a trailhead to nice hikes and the beach." The 1,000-acre park creates a wilderness feel despite being close to Portland.
Water proximity: Many campers appreciate sites near water features. At Bonney Crossing, "The campsites are all well spaced out parallel to a nice clean looking river." Another visitor noted, "Hear and see the water from half the sites," making this a popular choice for those seeking white noise and water views.
What you should know
Seasonal challenges: Bug activity peaks in early summer at many sites. At Clackamas Lake Campground, "Mosquitoes were pretty bad in early June, as might be expected." Another camper advised, "Seriously, bring bug spray and put it on the minute you get there."
Accessibility variations: Some campgrounds require significant walking to reach sites. At Battle Ground Lake, campers should know "you have to park down below and walk to the site, the furthest ones being over a quarter mile away." This affects how much gear you can practically bring.
Noise considerations: Train noise affects some otherwise peaceful locations. At Beacon Rock's RV area, "the train runs directly behind the site multiple times an hour and is loud." Road noise can also be an issue at Oxbow where campers should "Try to get a site as close to the river as you can so you can avoid the highway noise at night."
Tips for camping with families
Kid-friendly activities: Several campgrounds offer dedicated recreation areas. Oxbow Regional Park has "recent upgrades to playgrounds are awesome for the kids and the new welcome center makes check in a breeze." This creates entertainment options beyond hiking and swimming.
Connectivity concerns: Limited cell service is common throughout the region. A camper at Tillicum Campground noted "There's no cell service in the campground, but 1-2 bars of AT&T 4G is available about 3 miles from camp." At Oxbow, campers report "No wifi and we had no phone reception. There are emergency phones installed throughout the park."
Safety precautions: Wildlife awareness is essential in certain areas. Some campgrounds like Panther Creek are in bear country where "you need to come prepared and make sure you are able to secure your items in a safe way" since dedicated bear boxes aren't available at all locations.
Tips from RVers
Site accessibility: Many forest campgrounds have limitations for larger rigs. At Riley Horse Campground, "the spots are large, far apart from the other sites," with one camper noting "the horse pens were huge and we used them to help hang our hammocks." This dual-purpose feature makes the equestrian campground suitable for non-horse campers too.
Road conditions: Access roads to some campgrounds require careful driving. At Cultus Creek Campground, "The drive from Carson to the campsite had quite a few large potholes, but once you get to the site, it's fantastic." Plan extra travel time when accessing more remote horse campgrounds near Hood River, Oregon.
Hookup availability: Limited full-hookup sites exist in the region. At Beacon Rock, the Woodward area offers "only a small number of [full hookup sites] so felt spacious and secluded." These sites tend to book quickly during peak season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian
campsite near Hood River, OR?
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Hood River, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Hood River, OR is Panther Creek Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find
equestrian camping near
Hood River, OR?
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Hood River, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 equestrian camping locations near Hood River, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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