Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in John Day is the way to go. Finding a place to camp in Oregon with your horse is easier than ever. Find our top-rated horse campsites from other campers like you. Plan the perfect trip in minutes.
Strawberry Campground is located at the edge of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Set amongst ponderosa pine in a beautifully wooded area, the campground is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to hike, hunt, fish or simply relax. Strawberry Basin Trailhead is located at the campground. Strawberry Basin Trail #375 connects to other trails in the wilderness allowing for day hiking or backpacking trips.
$15 / night
The Slide Horse Camp is a wonderful campground for horse enthusiasts, the campground offers sites with horse stalls and corrals. Just up the road from the campground is the Slide Connector Trail #386, this trail is a great starting point for horse riders heading into the wilderness. The campground sets amongst pondersa pines and is one mile fromStrawberry Campground and the Strawberry Basin Trailhead.
Welch Creek Campground has long been a favorite gathering spot for family reunion camp-outs and group hunting trips. The campground's open area and easy parking access make it ideal for such events. It features 6 campsties an accessible vault toilet, and 4 stall recreational stock corral. There is no potable water or garbage service, so please pack your garbage home. Local attractions include hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, sight-seeing, photography and a trailhead for the Desolation OHV trail system. Olive Lake, where there is fishing, boating, and swimming is about 13 miles to the east along Forest Road 10.
This campground sits along the Wild and Scenic North Fork John Day River at the junction of the Blue Mountain and Elkhorn Scenic Byways. It features 20 campsites, 3 accessible toilet facilities, and stock handling facilities. There is no potable water or garbage service, so please pack your garbage home. This campground serves as the eastern access point to the North Fork John Day Wilderness via North Fork John Day River Trail #3022. The area offers hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, berry and mushroom picking, sight-seeing, and photography opportunities. In spring and fall you can see the salmon spawning. Special state fishing regulations apply. If you like to drive, you can pick up the Ukiah-Granite Roadside Geology auto tour brochure from the camp host or the Ranger District.
This campground serves as the eastern portal into the North Fork John Day Wilderness and offers hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, sight-seeing, and photography. Berries and mushrooms can be found in season. If you like to drive, you can pick up the Ukiah-Granite Roadside Geology auto tour brochure from the camp host or the Ranger District office. if you are interested in history, there are numerous remnants of mining left from the turn of the century, Remember, historic objects, even if they look like trash, are protected by law and may not be removed.
The campground is set amidst a lodgepole pine forest, with over half of the sites in the shade. The perennial North Fork John Day River runs adjacent to the campground where you can see spawning steelhead and chinook salmon in spring and fall. In the surrounding forests live coyotes, deer, elk, wolves, bear, and cougar, plus a myriad of small animal species.
The historic mining town of Granite is 9 miles south. State of Oregon Parks has a restored dredge that can be toured in the town of Sumpter, 22 miles south. Olive Lake is 21 miles south and west of the campground, and offers fishing , crawfishing, swimming, motorized boating (no wake allowed) and nearby trails for hiking/horseback riding (horses are not allowed in the campground). The lake-turned-reservior was constructed as part of a hydroelectric system to support gold mining activities in the northern Blue Mountain Region in the early 1900's. Historically, water from the lake flowed through a wooden pipeline for 9 miles to the Fremont Powerhouse, where it was used to produce electricity for mines and towns.__The Powerhouse is approximately 14 miles south and west of the NFJD Campground on the same road that accesses Olive Lake.
$25 / night
This fairly secluded campground is near the end of Forest Road 5506 along the Wild and Scenic North Fork John Day River. It features 8 campsites and 2 accessible toilets. There is no potable water or garbage service, so please pack your garbage home. Large vehicles, trailers, and low clearance vehicles are not recommended due to poor access road and limited turnaround capability. This campground offers fishing, swimming, non-motorized boating, hiking, OHV riding, horseback riding, sight-seeing, and photography. Water levels are low in mid to late summer, which can impede use of boats. The campground also provides good access for big game hunting. Near Oriental Creek is the start of the River Trail #3043 , an OHV trail accessing the southern end of 100 miles of trail. Three miles down the closed portion of Road 5506 is entry to the North Fork John Day Wilderness with access to the North Fork John Day River Trail #3022 , Big Creek Trail #3151 and Corral Creek Trail #3009.
Traveler
Nice sites with lots of separation and easy access to a trailhead. Multiple vault toilets available as well as water taps that I don’t think are potable but good enough to rinse dishes. We got caught in rain, sleet, snow, and graupel all in one day but that’s hardly the campground’s fault. If you can get up the sketchy and rough road, it’s a beautiful site.
TravelerOff the beaten path, but we'll worth it! Dropped 20 degrees from the hot valley floor. Around 8 spots, first come, but a few other spots on the way up, for dispersed. Right along strawberry creek, beautiful, quiet. Trails to explore, wildlife to see.
Guide
Pretty nice park, bathrooms and showers a mile away. Did not stay here we moved on
Legend
After a long day of driving we came up on this campground and got lucky finding two spaces available during hunting season!
Level pull through site, clean pit toilet.
Enjoyed a walk down to the river. Peaceful overnight!
GuideWe just stopped for the night and it worked well. I checked in late and it was a little confusing. Had a hard time getting the PIN to access the bathroom. Site had what we needed and was very quiet.
GuideGreat place! A creek, bumpy gravel Road might not work for sedan always, but worth a try. Tons of hiking, including a closer one to strawberry lake with stunning views and a waterfall further if you want. No cell service for me, but bathrooms and a small amount of first come first serve sites. Others earlier along the road if these fill up
Traveler
This area is on your up to strawberry campground, its nice and clean and quite! Slide horse has areas for your horses. It's gorgeous and the creek is just a few feet to go get water for animals and your fire pits and to put your feet in. Looking forward to coming back soon!
Legend
This is basically a little RV park adjacent to a museum and playground. Points for character. It’s off the main drag and there are not a lot of choices in the area. Big lawn is well watered. However, I can’t get behind the prices. $14 just to pitch a tent is steep. Bathrooms are filthy, shower (behind a ragged shower curtain) is not worth paying for.
LegendWe had reserved a site here and upon arrival, pulled in among all the large RVs, where our campervan was dwarfed. Spaces were all level and gravel with full hook-ups (20/30/50 amp). Large picnic table but difficult to determine which one was ours as the sites are close together with no privacy between them. The sites in the row we were in were all pull-throughs and the John Day River was just beyond the road which was nice.
The most welcoming part of the park was the sign on our site otherwise it was dismal (the overcast weather didn’t help). We later heard from someone that there had recently been some thefts at the park.
The bathhouse is accessed by walking through a grassy area and was pretty basic but clean. We chose this campground based on the reviews and I realize our opinion may be in the minority but we just didn’t get a good vibe here. If we had a large RV, we might have felt differently. We stayed for about 45 minutes debating what to do but in the end, left and found a space at the state park about eight miles away that better suited our needs.
TravelerStayed there late summer. Had the place to myself. Easy turn around. creek is clear and very cold. There are picnic tables.
ScoutRight beside a cow pasture, so that’s cool. Not to hard to level, but kind of tight on some corners for my 30’ motor home.
RangerShaded pull through and easy back in sites. Good value. Stream running next to the sites. Close to town. It is next to the fairgrounds, but very quit when no events. Good place to spend the night while traveling through
GuideSelf service kiosk, 30$ a night full hook ups. Pull throughs and back in sites. Showers and bathrooms are clean and across a grass area (see photo)
TravelerThis is a FCFS, primitive campground with nice spacious sites and some with river views. There are 4 equestrian sites. There was a camp host during our stay but he was only there one of the 3 nights we stayed. The North Fork John Day trail departs from the campground and it is possible to make a loop using the Crane Creek trail if the river crossing is possible.
TravelerReally nice small campground. It’s accessed from a nine or ten mile dirt road, a bit of a challenge to navigate the last mile. There was a beautiful creek running through the campsite and great large pine trees. Clean bathrooms. We camped there on a Monday night and the campground was probably two thirds full.
GuideThis was a great little campground for getting away from the Memorial Day crowds. Over the weekend we stayed, there were only 2 or 3 other campers as well.
Just south of Prairie City, this was a good location to explore the surrounding Strawberry Mountain wilderness and John Day Fossil Beds. As the road turns to a forest road, it’s gets a bit adventurous, but we just kicked it into 4 wheel drive and had no trouble getting there. We picked a site next to the creek in the back and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We even got a visit from a few deer every night around dinner time. They kept their distance but still came within 20 feet to check us out.
From the campground, you can take the trails to the lake, which was a fun hike. The vault toilets were clean and the Ranger came around every day to check in. The only thing I would change is the temperature. We didn’t realize it was still so chilly at the end of May and we’re thankful for our extra layers and warmer sleeping bags we packed just in case.
Tips for camping here:
*I had my 9 year old nephew with me for this trip and was thankful I brought our bikes and games. Since the campground wasn’t busy, there weren’t other kiddos for him to play with so we needed some fun stuff to do between hikes and outings.
*There’s a steep drop off next to some sites that goes right into the creek. Keep an eye on kiddos or pick a site farther away from the creek if you’re worried about that.
*The campground was a bit dusty so bring stuff to wash up when needed.
*Lots of wildlife in the area so make sure to keep your food and other items locked up so the critters don’t get into it.
*Bring your own firewood, as there isn’t a camp host to buy it from.
Guide
When we pulled into this site while on a scouting expedition, it looked really spooky to me! Trees were all creepy looking. Tons of shade. Only two spots had lots of sun and one of those two was overgrown with grass and weeds. There was even a RIP sign there which made it more creepy.
Guidea couple tent spots. sub-par for tents, not scenic. but clean, bathrooms, fresh water. rv hook ups, some nice shade and a play area for kids. in the town of prairie city, with good coffee
GuideI was lured to Strawberry Campground by it's accessibility to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. I'd been planning my trip for months! But, the drive to Strawberry Campground proved a bit difficult. It started with approximately 6 miles of gravel road...no problem. Then the road became a forest road...no problem. Then it began raining. It looked as though the area had experienced rain recently. The road was slick. The ruts and holes in the road began to increase. When I was about 2 miles away from Strawberry Campground, I turned around. I just didn't trust my Mazda 3 to make it without bottoming out or getting a flat tire. If I had been with someone, I might have tried to make it; but, as a solo camper, it didn't seem worth the risk.
Would I go again? Yes...but, only in a high clearance vehicle.
GuideLocated where desert meets the forest. This lovely area provides thrills for all. Bring your ATV'S, hiking boots, and fishing polls because this area has it all!
Oregon offers a fantastic experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to both riders and their equine companions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near John Day, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near John Day, OR is Strawberry Campground with a 3.8-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near John Day, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near John Day, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
