2 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Wild Mare Horse Campground accommodates equestrian campers near Bandon on the Oregon Coast, sitting approximately 20 miles north of Bandon near North Bend. The campground provides drinking water, trash facilities, and toilets, making it suitable for both tent and RV camping. Sites include picnic tables and fire rings. Designed with horse enthusiasts in mind, Wild Mare offers big-rig friendly access and is open year-round for equestrian use.
Trail access connects riders to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, known for its diverse riding terrain. The campground serves as a convenient base for exploring nearby horse-friendly trails through coastal forests and dunes. For horse owners seeking additional options, Bullards Beach State Park Campground, located just north of Bandon, provides horse camping facilities with beach access and multiple loops for different camping preferences. While Bullards does not feature dedicated horse corrals, the park does offer extensive multi-use trails and is situated within 4.5 miles of beach that can be explored. Sites throughout the region are reservable, ensuring secure placement for those traveling with horse trailers and equestrian equipment.
"We love this park near Bandon. Great beach access and walking noir dog loved it. Horse camps and corrals. Hiking, biking and e equestrian trails. Boat launch."
"Another excellent Oregon state park. Nice rangers. Proximity to beautiful Bandon."
Available next weekend
from $22 - $83 / night
"The breach access is a one lane curvy road kind of scary to drive down. The camp host was very helpful. We visited the historic Hughes house that is on the park grounds."
"During a beautiful sunny April weekend along the Oregon Coast, campsites are difficult to find."
Available next weekend
from $26 - $100 / night
"This a more peaceful spot, without immediate engine noise but with plenty of room for human and horse at each site. It's a nice size to get to know a few neighbors - but not too many. "
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $22 / night
"The Boundary Campground located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon is a great place to go for a quite getaway. It is located on Bear Creek Road. "
"A small drive out of Wallowa and a gorgeous spot with well maintained facilities. Right next to the rolling wonderful Bear Creek Trail."
TravelerLovely, clean, private sites. Quiet. Friendly caretakers who were always busy! Far enough away from big metro centers that, even as the weekend approached, it wasn’t very busy (this was October, though). Thanks for a lovely 3 nights.
RangerPaved streets and sites. Mostly level. Good restrooms with flush toilets, sinks and hot showers (included in price). Close to lighthouse... Can park close by and walk to it... even on Tuesday when giftshop is closed. Campground under tree canopy... sites very private and very dark and quiet at night. Would stay again...
TravelerWe stayed in site B31 which was right next to a trail that led to the beach that's a little more than a mile. Staff was friendly and it was the cleanest bathrooms I've seen in a state park
ScoutLovely campground. Walking distance to the beach, you can hear the roar of the surf all night. Spotless bathrooms and showers, friendly helpful staff. A multitude of trails. Raccoons, turkeys, foxes, and ground squirrels in abundance.
TravelerI camped at Bullards Beach State Park Campground in August 2026 with my daughter. We pitched our tent in site A25. I became familiar with A-Loop. I only drove through the other two loops. B-Loop looked similar with sites for tents and RVs. C-Loop looked like it is better suited for RVs.
PROS & CONS
First of all, the staff I interacted with were all wonderful. The weather was unseasonably cool, but we still enjoyed our week at the campground. The biggest draw in my opinion is that the Pacific Ocean is only a short trek away.
Camping on the outside curve of A-Loop was nice because it was relatively calm and quiet, even on the weekend. Everyone respected quiet hours at this campground, more so than at any other campground I’ve stayed at. The sites have electric hookups and a water spigot, as well as a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood is sold at the entrance to the campground for $7 per bundle. Payment is card-only. Firewood bundles can also be purchased at McKay's in Bandon. Another option is a place named Frontier Unlimited just south of Bandon on the west side of highway 101. The firewood at Frontier Unlimited is in a gravel parking lot right before the Ocean Spray Cranberries facility. Unfortunately, they were sold out when we were there in late August.
There aren’t many trees in the Bullards Beach campground, but most of the sites in A-Loop at least had bushes surrounding them. I brought a hammock, but I couldn’t use it because there was only one tree in our campsite. I couldn't even find a good s'mores stick. As I walked around A-Loop, I didn’t see any sites that had more than one sturdy tree. There may be some sites in B-Loop with more trees. C-Loop has sparse vegetation, which is why it looked better suited for RVs.
The A-Loop restroom was kept cleaner than most public restrooms I’ve ever used. Besides the outstanding cleanliness, the restrooms are typical of Oregon state park campgrounds. The main drawback of the restroom is that there are no paper towels, only inadequate hand dryers. And the faucets just had cold water, although I found one faucet that could produce lukewarm water if I was patient. Another shortcoming is that the two stalls in the men’s bathroom are cramped. The campground is huge so I expected the bathrooms to have more than two small stalls. Also, there are no hooks in the men’s bathroom. At least there is a bench and there are metal trays above the three sinks. There is however a private, spacious handicap bathroom with a large counter, sink, bench, toilet and shower. I took a shower in there and man the water was hot! It was actually a bit too hot to bear.
BEACHES
From the campground entrance, the walk to Bullards Beach is about 1.25 miles down a mostly paved path. Along the way there is a string of parking lots with picnic tables and barbeques for day use. There is even a horseshoe pit near the middle of the day use area. It costs $10 a day to park in the lots. At the end of the parking lots there is a small sand dune, and beyond that is Bullards Beach. When we crested the dune, we found that the beach was mostly deserted. That could have been due to the foggy, windy weather, but it seemed like most of the tourists congregate at Bandon Beach. Regardless of the weather, I recommend visiting the historic Coquille River Lighthouse at the south end of Bullards Beach. I saw that the B-Loop has its own path to Bullards Beach called Pearl’s Trail. I didn’t notice it until we were leaving, so I don't know what it's like.
Besides Bullards Beach and Bandon Beach, which is a short drive south, we explored Seven Devils State Recreation Site 7 miles to the north. Also, at the south end of Bandon we checked out Tish-A-Tang Beach, which is 5.5 miles from the campground. One day we drove 30 miles south to Port Orford to see the desolate Cape Blanco Lighthouse and the little beaches below it. The lighthouse is cool but the weather wasn't conducive to hanging out at the beach down below, so we skipped that. I had been out there before, but I forgot that there are no public restrooms at Cape Blanco Lighthouse. I suggest making a pitstop in Port Orford before heading out to the second-most westerly point in the contiguous United States.
SUMMARY
Bullards Beach Campground is a peaceful, clean and comfortable place to “glamp” on the rugged southern Oregon Coast. The campground is home to a few wild turkeys and an abundance of lively birds. As for mammalian wildlife, the chipmunks were ever-present, we caught glimpses of rabbits, one evening a small bat flitted by, and we encountered a family of thieving raccoons. (I learned to store our food very securely). The Pacific weather can be capricious, but on the other hand there are very few insects. There were no mosquitoes, but I saw an occasional butterfly, moth, and flying termite. I just wish there were more trees in the campground so I could relax in my hammock. What I remember about the Cape Blanco State Park Campground (31 miles to the south) is that it's in a forest of Sitka spruce trees. But I would rather camp at Bullards Beach because it’s more sheltered from the stormy weather coming off the Pacific and there are more wide-open stretches of beach close by. I look forward to staying there again.
RangerThere are some seriously awesome campsites at Blanco, many sites seem to have a little network of trails behind them, some have secret areas for tents and hammocks. Very very windy early August, the bigger issue was the plumbing, we had porta potties since the bathrooms were closed, and the porta potty had not been recently serviced the day we got there. Not ideal, not a dealbreaker though.
ScoutSite was clean and had nice ground coverage for privacy. Spaces were far enough apart as well. Bathrooms and showers were kept clean too. Would stay again
ScoutHad so much fun, my family and I did a full family camp, had 4 spots reserved and it was no issue whatsoever. The bathrooms and showers were down for one day and they had them running the very next morning. Love this place, wish I could live here.
GuideThis spot was peaceful, quiet with friendly camp hosts and clean bathrooms/showers. Despite being more expensive RV spots, I would return to tent camp.
The trails nearby were nice, we enjoyed a nearly empty beach and walking to the nearby pioneer cemetery, lighthouse, and Hughes House.
Wild Mare Horse Campground is situated 20 miles north of Bandon in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The campground has 8 sites designed for equestrian use, each with picnic tables and fire rings. Non-equestrian campers can use the facilities when space is available, though primary purpose remains horse camping. Access is via Bear Creek Road which connects to coastal Highway 101.
Equestrian trail riding: Horse riders access trails directly from Wild Mare Horse Campground into the Oregon Dunes. The campground serves as a dedicated base for horse owners. One camper noted, "This a more peaceful spot, without immediate engine noise but with plenty of room for human and horse at each site."
Beach exploration: Located 0.75 miles from Bullards Beach State Park Campground, the trail through dunes leads to expansive coastline. A camper shared, "We decided to stay here because you can hike from the campground through the dunes and to the beach. It was a beautiful .75 mile hike to a gorgeous beach."
Lighthouse visits: Cape Blanco Lighthouse, oldest on the Oregon coast, offers tours 9am-3:30pm Thursday-Monday. "The lighthouse is the oldest on the Oregon coast and you can get a tour of it," reports one visitor who enjoyed exploring this historic structure.
Private camping spots: Bullards Beach provides natural buffers between sites. "Great camping location with lots of private spots with lots of trees and greenery. They have bathrooms and showers if needed. Close to beach and nice to walk around campgrounds with 3 camping areas," writes one camper.
Beach access options: Cape Blanco State Park Campground offers multiple beach access points from campground trails. "The Coastal Trail runs through camp and you can follow it North for a half mile through the trees while listening to the ocean waves," explains a frequent visitor.
Clean facilities: Campground maintenance receives positive reviews. "Very clean campground with beautiful beach within walking distance. Clean bathrooms and showers! Will definitely return," notes a Bullards Beach camper.
Wildlife viewing: Wild turkeys are common at Bullards Beach. Morning walks provide opportunities to spot coastal birds. The dunes habitat supports diverse wildlife.
Seasonal crowding: Summer months bring higher occupancy at all area campgrounds. Many sites require advance planning during peak season. Cape Blanco operates on first-come basis except for cabins.
Weather considerations: Coastal winds affect Boundary Campground and surrounding areas year-round. One visitor advised, "Be prepared for cold weather and misty air." Morning fog frequently blankets coastal campsites, clearing by midday.
Non-equestrian concerns: Recent changes at Wild Mare Horse Camp have created conflicts. A frustrated horse owner reported, "This is a horse camp, for people who have horses, NOT a car camp. It's not fair that car campers are taking reservation spots away from horse campers."
Dump station availability: Cape Blanco's dump station remains closed for repairs. "The dump station is closed because it's broken and they've been trying to secure funding to replace it. You will need to plan on using the dump station at the state park north or south of this park."
Beach day planning: Pack extra clothes for children visiting Bullards Beach. "The campground itself was quiet and populated with wild turkeys. We were there off season, so we had no problem finding a site day of," notes one family.
Cabin options: Cape Blanco State Park offers reservable cabins ideal for families with young children. "The tent sites were great, but the cabins looked fabulous. The sites here really have a large amount of privacy compared to others on the coast," shares a family camper.
Nature activities: Collect huckleberries around Cape Blanco campsites in late summer. "Breakfast included huckleberries collected around my site," mentions one camper, providing a natural foraging activity.
Accessibility notes: Most trails from campgrounds to beaches involve moderate hiking. Paths typically range from 0.5-1 mile and may include dune crossings.
Site selection: At Bullards Beach, A-loop provides most privacy for larger rigs. "A loop is the best loop of A-B-C loops for privacy. The walk to beach is about a mile but a fun walk with a great beach to walk on," advises one RVer.
Connectivity considerations: Cell service varies dramatically between campgrounds. "Cell signal on Verizon was really low speed and mostly useable. But ATT was good with 5-7Mbs without using our outside antenna and cell booster, 10-20mbs when using it," reports one RVer at Bullards Beach.
Seasonal planning: Winter camping offers quiet experience but requires full hookup sites. October-April visitors should prepare for significant rain, with monthly averages of 5-10 inches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Bandon, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Bandon, OR is Bullards Beach State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 64 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Bandon, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Bandon, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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