Best Equestrian Camping in Oregon

[ PROS ]

• We came during offseason (November) and camped at this State Park for 3 nights. Man, it was so amazing. It was super quiet and empty so we felt like we had the entire park to ourselves.

• A family of deer visited us every single morning/night during our stay. We definitely didn't try to interact with them, but they were comfortable to roam right around our site which was a really magical experience

• Nehalem Bay is such a beautiful area and the State Park is nestled in lots of beautiful, lush greenery. There are lots of birds, plants, and other wildlife to observe. We loved hearing coyotes yapping in evenings from the campground.

• It's very peaceful and serene here. It's right by the beach and an easy walk to the coast. We also got to visit Manzanita for a little day trip and had lunch out there. Such a cute little coastal town worth checking out.

• Free hot showers and really nice restrooms. I'm starting to realize that Oregon State Parks are SOOO much superior to California State Parks. The amenities at all the Oregon campgrounds I've visited are wonderful. We definitely got spoiled by camping in Oregon that it will be hard going back home to California

• Very close to stores, restaurants, and gas stations if you need to pick up supplies.

[ CONS ]

• While it was a beautiful campground, the sites are rather small and close together. We obviously didn't experience this campground when it's crowded, but I can imagine how packed it would feel.

I've camped at several state parks in Oregon and Cape Blanco is my favorite!  It is situated above a beautiful beach with an access road straight from the campground.  The sites are spacious and trees provide a good amount of privacy between the sites.  There is a wooded trail that leads to the nearby historic lighthouse where you can enjoy amazing views up and down the coast.  There are bathrooms with hot showers onsite, which is a plus after enjoying time at the beach. The campground offers RV hookups, but note the dump station was not in service during our visit in June 2021. This campground also has a horse camp with newer corrals, bathroom and miles of equestrian trails.  We stayed in one of the cute rustic cabins for half of our stay and in our camper van for the remainder.  Looking forward to future stays at Cape Blanco State Park!

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.

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.

This is a little hidden gem as it is not well marked on maps or along highway 101. There are only about 5 campsites(not including the possible equestrian site on the other side of the parking lot), and they are not equally level, spacious, or private, but it is taken care of by a full time host and you are close to the beach and dunes. Be prepared for a hike through deep shifting sand dunes to get to the beach. And watch out for horse poo as this is a busy horse path the local stable takes to the beach. Expect some dust from the gravel road and lot. While here I took advantage of the rental stable and got to ride on the beach; pretty cool experience!

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.