## Overview

 Riley Campground is an equestrian facility located northwest of Oregon\'s majestic Mt. Hood. Horse corrals are tucked into the forest near the campsites, and several horseback riding trails can be accessed from the campground. A variety of recreational and sightseeing opportunities are available for visitors to enjoy.
## Recreation

 Several hiking, biking and horseback riding trails can be accessed from the campground, including the 5.3-mile Cast Creek Trail, which was reconstructed in 1998 and leads from the campground to the Zigzag Mountain Trail. Combined with the nearby 4.9-mile Horseshoe Ridge Trail and part of the Zigzag Mountain Trail, visitors can make a nearly 14-mile excursion. The Sandy River Trail follows the river and stretches about 3 miles. Fishing is available in nearby Lost Creek, as well as the Sandy River, which is not far from the campground. Anglers can expect a variety of trout, salmon and whitefish. The rivers are popular for fly fishing. Scenic drives and picnicking are also popular activities.
## Facilities

 The campground offers single-family equestrian campsites. Most of the sites are equipped with horse corrals or cross rail hitching posts, tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Horse owners are responsible for cleaning up after their horses. The campsites are intended for equestrians, but may be used by others. McNeil Campground (1/4 mile away) and Lost Creek (1 \_\_?\_\_\_\_ miles away) are good alternative sites for those without horses. McNeil does not accept reservations. Horse corrals or hitching racks are provided at the sites.
## Natural Features

 The campground is situated in the Old Maid Flat geologic area of Mt. Hood National Forest at an elevation of about 2,100 feet. It sits alongside Lost Creek and is near the Sandy Wild and Scenic River. A variety of wildlife makes its home in the area. 
## Nearby Attractions

 A deviation from the road coming into the campground (Forest Road 1825), will lead to a trailhead for spectacular Ramona Falls, on the Sandy River. The 7.1-mile, moderately difficult trail leads to cascading waterfalls and is one of the most popular hikes in Mt. Hood National Forest.

Riley Horse Campground

Secluded, open prime real estate:  horse facilities abound here, but it works for everyone.  About 60% full on a popular August Saturday, so come on over especially if you can't find space elsewhere (but hey, McNeil is bound to have some openings).  A guide book said that it's exclusively for horse owners only on holidays, and a sign in the campground said holidays AND weekends, but now you're getting information from another source, with pics to boot.  Lots of shade and popular trails for both humans and horses.  Gesticulate those spurs a little.  GEAR REVIEW:  Cairn Picky Bar Moroccan Your World... nice change of pace here with the sweet curry taste of the Moroccan. This has a fuller, nicely complex flavor, with protein and carbs and waves of different ingredients, but the consistency wasn't as sludge-like as, say, a Clif Bar.  It was that nice balance of substantial without being heavy.  We get something chewy, friendly and bite-into-y.  Buddy up.      

Ranger Review: Cairn Picky Bar at Lost Creek

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.

Hidden Gem in the west side of Mt. Hood National Forest

Overall I loved the campsite the horse pens were huge and we used them to help hang our hammocks. There is a bunch hiking trails nearby including Ramona falls up the road. It was a quiet site and the neighbors were all very respectful. The sites are close together which is one of the downfalls and when we were there, the bugs were crazy and it felt like we were being attacked.