Best Equestrian Camping near Tillamook, OR

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.

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!

We had the campground to our self midweek.  This is a wonderful campground far enough off the beaten path and being listed has a horse camp most likely keeps the crowds down.  While this is a horse campground, only 8 of the sites are for horse campers, a small tent/RV camping loop of 3 sites is also available, but the parking pads are small so don't think most RVs will fit in the spots.  Each campsite has a picnic table and metal fire ring.  Nice flat ground for your tent with plenty of shade from the large trees.  Campground has a hand pump for water.  Dish wash stations are through out the campground for pouring out you dish water.  The horse camp sites all have corrals for the horses.  Nice hiking trail starts at the tent camping area, "Big Tree Trail" will take you past some monster sized trees.  This will be a campground we return to the next time we visit Oregon

One of our favorite Oregon SPs. In the middle of a mountainous forest with lots of hiking, paved path & mtb biking, disc golf, horse trails and more. Well maintained full hookup sites with 50amp, most 63' long. The park has recently renewed trail signage.

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.

This campground is huge. Two levels of full hookups. And a loop with corals for horses. Miles of horse trails, bike trails, hiking trails.

Only sites for camping with horses.

Mixedfeeling about this place, the trails are great however owners don't clean up after there horses that go on the trail. Beautiful area secluded lots of trees

Coordinates 45.230277,-123.777780. Across street from Horse Trailhead about half way up Mt Hebo. A good flat spot with nice trails around. Too much trash and glass left at the site though.

Campground Review: Something for everyone! 

Top reasons I love this campground:

• So easy to get to from anywhere in northwestern Oregon; especially the Portland area 
• Open year-round 
• 18-hole disc golf course 
• Great hiking and biking trails 
• Full hook-ups, cabins, equestrian sites, and walk-in tent sites

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, occasionally I get to test products. At this campground, I tested Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier and the Liquid I.V. Sleep night time drink mix. I really liked both products. They are portable, have natural ingredients, taste good and I found them to be effective! Additionally, Liquid I.V. has an incredible social justice cause donating millions of their products to people around the world who are in need of proper hydration. I love that this is a company AND products I feel good about! 

Pros: 

• Portable 
• Natural ingredients (vitamins, electrolytes, potassium, sodium, glucose) 
• Rapid absorption 
• IT WORKS!! 
• Amazing cause 

**Cons: **

• It’s pricey 
• I wish the Sleep night time drink mix came in another flavor without lavender
• Contains more sugar than I would like 

Overall, I give the product 4.5 stars

This campground was so beautiful and clean! All of the campsites are nestled among big fir trees. The campsites have picnic tables and fire pits. We used the day use area this time but soon we plan on taking a trip up with our horses and riding the trails. I definitely plan on returning to this Campground

This is a great spot for group camping! The upper area encircles a large open are perfect for games and running around. There is a nice disk golf course and a lot of large paths for waking and biking. Tons of hiking trails and close to Vernonia. The restrooms are clean. There are several ADA sites, cabins, tent soots and even horse sites.

This is Nehalem Falls Campground, site T3. It's one of six walk-in tent sites at this campground in the Tillamook National Forest. You park the car about 50 feet away and bring your gear in. The campground also has about ten car camping sites and two group sites (the only ones that can be reserved). The tent sites are very private and right on the Nehalem River which is warm enough to swim in.

This State Park has a hiker/biker area due to it's location on the Willamette Valley Bikeway. There is no potable water, so you must plan to pack enough water for the night and the next morning or filter Willamette River water.

There is also a campground for horseback riders specifically for those who want to ride their horses in the park.

The area is pretty with lots of trails and paved paths. There are opportunities for fishing also.

Wow, what a hidden gem of a campsite. While primarily a horse-friendly campsite, there are few RV/tent sites, but definitely not friendly for larger RVs. My 2001 Tacoma with a RTT was perfect, but I don’t think the sites are built for large-ish RVs. The scenery around the campground was gorgeous, the bathrooms were clean, there were trails one could take to explore around, and the road in was in great condition. Overall, I highly recommend this site. There were even water dump spots for kitchen water.

Just a short drive from the western suburbs this place seems to be popular with families with small kids or those that really don't want to commit to a bigger adventure.  Good amenities but overall uninteresting considering the vast array of options in this part of the state.  I could see this a s quick weekend family trip but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there if I had more time.  Good access to biking and some OK hiking.  Lots of options for horses, RVs, as well as tents.  THere were cabins but I was not able to peak inside.

Note that the walk-in sites are closed until spring '21 for 'tree thinning'.

We've stayed here many times and keep coming back.  Sites are always clean and hosts we've interacted with were always helpful and friendly.  The Dairy Creek West loop has more shaded and privacy for most of the sites if thats what you are seeking, while the East loop is more open and affords a more social experience for those who like the chance to interact with their neighbors a bit more.

Aside from the sites, the park has many hiking trails of varying length, access to the Banks-Vernonia State Trail, several disc golf courses, cabins, a horse camp, a day use picnic/event area and a hike-in camp area.

Local astronomy groups often host star gazing events when the night sky is clear for various meteor showers or other astronomical events of interest.

We were rolling around west of Portland in our camper van thinking about dispersed camping in the Tillamook. We decided late in the pm it wasn’t the super safest idea so we went to LL STUB. It’s an all star campground for a reason. Beautiful site and park with the best rangers and camp hosts making the whole experience pleasant. It’s clean and there is a great hilltop for stargazing and tons of running and mountain bike trails. Can’t comment on bathrooms as we were self contained. We stayed in a full hook up space. Quiet at night. Would definitely drive down from seattle to stay here in the future. Bravo!! We got a last minute spot through some serious finagling but I DO NOT recommend that strategy. This is a popular place without a lot of alternatives nearby. Book ahead.

Agreed, the secret’s out. 80% full on the last Friday (9/14) of the season. Was featured on a TV show about 3 years ago and a popular camping book gives it a scenic rating of 10/10, though I wouldn’t go quite that high. The friendly, professional camp host told me not to write a review-“don’t do that, it’s too busy already!” So I told him I’d also write reviews of some other good campgrounds in the area, so look for-Beaver Eddy (recently closed for logging, though didn’t look like a permanent close + one roadside site was open), Cook Creek (designated dispersed sites), Henry Rierson Spruce Run (larger, more open, right off both road and Nehalem River, with good hikes right there) and Morrison Eddy (my favorite). A Tillamook State Forest Recreation Guide will show you the way. But Nehalem Falls would always work because it has the right mix of fantastic tree cover, decent vegetation between spots, a walk-in campsite area, and being right off the small but self-important Nehalem Falls, set in a picturesque curvy rock valley replete with swimming holes. The whole Nehalem River valley is gorgeous, with minimal traffic noise.

As we had been here before, it was an easy drive in on US-26 to the campground (CG). What we didn’t do was read our 2019 review on whether we needed to stop at the park building that sits down the hill from the main road. The way it looks from the road, there isn't any RV parking, but as we rolled past the exit, we saw there actually was RV parking. The next road happened to be our loop, Daisy Creek, so we went ahead and backed into our site, 52, with FHUs. The pad starts with asphalt and then goes to gravel, where you actually park the rig. After setting up, we walked down to the park building, and the rangers had just opened their check-in windows. Since we were pre-registered, we could have printed out our confirmation email and placed that on the dashboard. However, they gave us a rearview mirror tag so we wouldn't have to print off our confirmation. The water and sewer hookups were in the middle of the site, with electric being at the back of the pad. The water pressure was not very good at around 35 psi. We had a clear shot to the north sky for Starlink, but it's doubtful we’d get a southern sky shot from this site due to the mature trees. We got 3 bars LTE on Verizon. There is a good variety of sites for RVs, large and small. There are also tent sites to include a walk-in tent area near the main building where you register. Since we were here last time, they now have an off-leash fenced dog area. What makes this CG so special is the multitude of hiking, biking, and horse trails. They even have a disc golf course within the park. The CG is close to Portland, but you'd never know you were that close to a major city.

Campground Review: Brooke Creek Hike-in Camp

Brooke Creek Hike-in Camp is one of 3 campgrounds within Stub Stewart State Park, and the only one that really feels like you’re actually camping out in the woods – because you are.

The tent only hike in camp isn’t a long haul from the parking area at the welcome center – it’s about ¼ mile and the trail into the campground is mostly gravel. There are carts available for hike in campers to use at the campground trailhead if needed. Note that if you’re using a cart, that the walk in is uphill.

The campground area is wooded and each site has a picnic table. There are pit toilets and a water point. There are not fire pits in the sites—the fire pit areas are shared in central places in the campground. Some of the sites have a lot more privacy than others. I was camping in an unusually warm mid-week in May so the campground was mostly empty.

I chose Site 1 because it had a good place for my hammock. If the campground had been full, I’d have picked a site a lot further in since the first few sites are right along the single trail that all campers/hikers would be using.  Some of the sites can be reserved in advance, and some are always open for walk ups.

The self-registration is at the campground, NOT at the trailhead, so you’ll have to hike in, register, and then return your camping receipt to your car. If you’re paying with cash, bring your money on the first hike in. You can also pay with your credit card number.

There are lots of trails directly accessible from the campground including the Banks-Vernonia Bike Trail as well as other hiking, biking and equestrian trails. I had a nice run on the Bumping Knots Loop.

Product Review: The PRIMUS LITE+ Backpacking Stove

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I sometimes get to test and evaluate quality products from amazing sponsors. On this camping trip, I tested out the Primus LITE+ backpacking stove. https://primus.us/products/eta-lite-7?variant=38436885010

I’ve been in the market for a backpacking stove for awhile, looking for a lightweight and simple to setup option, so I was excited to get to test out the Primus LITE+. I opted for the .5L pot because I often camp solo (there is also a PRIMUS LITE XL version with a 1L pot available), Also, you can purchase the XL pot separately as an accessory which will give me more options when camping with a partner.

Here are my opinions on the PRIMUS LITE+ after using it for one camping trip to make dinner and breakfast:

PROS:

Boils Fast: The PRIMUS LITE+ stove is incredible at the most basic things it needs to be good for: boiling water fast! In under 2 minutes start to finish you can assemble the stove and bring your water to a boil. Plus, fast boiling means you aren’t using a lot of fuel.

Size/Weight: The whole stove system packs into itself and is about the size of a large mug including the fuel canister. I can fit the entire thing into the side pocket of my backpack. With the canister it weighs about a pound.

Pot Versatility: The pot that comes with the PRIMUS LITE+ locks to the stove giving it a good wind shield, and allowing you to hang the pot to boil if you don’t have even terrain. The XL pot which is sold separately also attached to the same setup.  If you aren’t backpacking and want to use another pan or pot, there are small pegs which screw into the stove top to allow you to use any cooking set up. The pegs are stored in the handle of the stove so you don’t lose them.

Accessories: I haven’t gotten it yet, but the LITE+ has a coffee press attachment so you can brew a cup straight in the pot. Always a bonus when a simple attachment means one less thing to carry for your perfect camping setup.

CONS:

Fuel Canister:  The smaller canisters needed if you want to pack your fuel into the kit  aren’t as readily available at places like Target or Walmart where I can more easily pick up my camping fuel when I’m on the road to camp. If I want to pack it all in to the pot, I’ll need to shop in advance at REI or a specialty outdoor store that carries the smaller canisters.

Insulation: The insulated sleeve on the pot makes it easy to hold and to drink from, but after just a couple of uses it was already getting pretty dirty with coffee and soup debris. It isn’t as easy to keep clean, and since the handle is actually part of the insulation sleeve, you can’t effectively use the pot without it.

It’s Small: Being small is one of the benefits of the stove, but the .5L mug/pot is smaller than I anticipated. While it’s perfect for a solo trip, you’ll want the 1L pot if you’re cooking for more than one.

Overall, Primus LITE+ is a great stove that’s efficient. I’d opt for the bigger size if I were to buy it again, since it would be more versatile with only a little added weight and easier to fit the more readily available fuel cartridge.

The campground is the newest in Oregon as of this time. As such, the trees are still immature and very exposed. I’m pretty sure we had one of the nicest spaces in the park. There are two large loops, this one had trees and shade - really hot that weekend. Large level grave pad for parking and pitching a tent, as there was not really grass for the tent.

The upper loop was very exposed and it was more like an open meadow on a hillside.

There’s lots to do with playgrounds for younger kids and frisbee golf for all. Many hiking trails to explore. Perfect for newer campers as it has wide roads, large back in spaces, and level lots. I wish it had a river or creek as water always adds a little something to three trips.

Nice washrooms and showers with lots of hot water.

About 20 min drive into Vernonia where there are plenty of quirky little stores and history to explore.