Best Equestrian Camping near Pittsburgh, PA
Looking for the best horse camping near Pittsburgh? Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. These scenic and easy-to-reach Pittsburgh campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Best Equestrian Sites Near Pittsburgh, PA (4)
1. Beaver Creek State Park Campground
Negley, Ohio17 Reviews•38 Photos•61 SavesCampground Closed for Renovation: The campground on Leslie Road will be completely unavailable during renovations beginning October 20, 2019. NOTE: A one-lane bridge on Echo Dell Road CANNOT accommodate vehicles with trailers or RVs. You must approach the Park Office, Wildlife Education Center, Gaston's Mill, and Pioneer Village from the south if you are traveling in a large vehicle.
- Pets
- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- ADA Access
$18 - $50 / night
2. Group Camping and Cabins — Moraine State Park
Prospect, Pennsylvania9 Reviews•5 Photos•46 SavesFrom the website:
Primitive tenting not allowed, only group camping as described below. Backpacking site (shelter) with permit.
Update 9/14/2020: All state park day-use and overnight lodging facilities are open according to standard seasons and hours. Group cabin camps remain closed for 2020.
Modern Cabins
Eleven modern cabins are available for rent year round. These cabins sleep six people and have:
Two bedrooms Bathroom with shower Kitchen Dining/living area Electric heat Dock on Lake Arthur during the summer seasonRenters must provide:
Linens Towels Cookware TablewarePlay equipment for children is in a central area.
This activity or structure is ADA accessible.
Dogs are permitted in Cabins #7 and #11 for a fee.
Moraine State Park Cabin Map (PDF)
GPS DD: Lat. 40.96586 Long. -80.11389 No Camping
Camping is prohibited in the park. Private campgrounds nearby offer camping. Information is available at the park office. Backpacking
The Link Road Overnight Shelter on the North Country National Scenic Trail is available to backpackers by reservation only. Organized Group Tenting
There are two tent camping areas available for organized groups:
Muskrat Cove Five PointsThese rustic camps have:
Restrooms Picnic tables Cooking grills Water, but no showersAdvance reservations are required. To reserve a group tent campsite, call 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), Monday to Saturday, 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. except on the Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day holidays.
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- ADA Access
- Group
3. Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Valley View, Ohio11 Reviews•28 Photos•56 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Phone Service
- RVs
- Tents
4. Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Valley View, Ohio7 Reviews•2 Photos•11 SavesSites 25, 27, 29, 31 & 32 are electric.
- Pets
- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Reservable
- ADA Access
- RVs
Recent Equestrian Reviews in Pittsburgh
44 Reviews of 4 Pittsburgh Campgrounds
Aaron B.
Guide
Beaver Creek State Park Campground
Warm Days, Cool Nights--No Frills Camping
When you pull into Beaver Creek Family Campground you pretty much have two choices: either you go left into multiple Pine tree sites or right into two cabins and more RV friendly open sites. A few of the RV sites have electric, but no water for their tanks. I suggest the pine sites for any tent or hammock campers. I stayed in one of the first set of 3 pine sites numbered 43, 44, and 45. There is some brush and cover between these sites, but each has a pull in parking pad. If 45 was occupied with a RV, 44 would not be as nice as it was. Backing into 44 and 45 would be tricky as well. To be fair any larger RV that came in better know how to get through tight quarters.
The back area of each of those 3 sites looked best to get even ground for a tent. My buddy hung his hammock between the tree to the left of the picnic bench and to a tree back and left in the picture of site 44. Site was fairly clean, but be sure to move the pine tree duff away from the fire pits to be safe.
Probably the nicest pit toilets I have experienced and while we didn't use, it the sun shower building would give anyone privacy if they had packed a portable shower. Lots of trails to choose from and the pioneer village in the state park gives you many options to spend the day. Had some luck fishing at the Canoe/Kayak area in the South East area of the park close to the Group Camp Sites.
Betsy W.Guide
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Free for 14 days and great!!
Paved, free, self register, FF, pit toilet, cell service 3 bars. Only negative to some maybe gunfire at nearby range during day. Fernwood state forest.
Teri A.
Scout
Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Peace and quiet with level pads.
Perfect for our little Scamp trailer. Only 5 big electric sites, no showers or potable water. As a result it was so peaceful! We loved our rainy stay. There are some lovely hiking trails around the lake and spillway. But lately there has been no swimming because of blue green algae.
- DDiego D.Scout
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Great last minute stay
Thunderstorm had filled all hotels so I looked fora free campground. Set up my site and stayed in my wagon due to storms. It was very peaceful.
Adam S.
TravelerBeaver Creek State Park Campground
Smaller state park
Small quiet state park. Nice trails and very big sites on the one side.
- GGreg K.Guide
Group Camping and Cabins — Moraine State Park
Limited camping
Moraine State Park doesn't allow camping within the park and there is no campground affiated with park. The one exception is along the North Country Trail, there are 2 rustic shelters that must be reserved through the park office. There are several private campgrounds in the area
- Joe W.Scout
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Close to nature
Very well kept, completely free 1st come campground just outside the very small town of Bloomingdale, OH. Pit toilets and no source of safe, clean water anymore. Very quiet everytime I've camped there, many times btw. Great, quiet, close to nature experience.
- DDonald F.Traveler
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Great 🆓 camping!
Self-register with cards located at pit latrine building. 14 days every 30. No problem getting 40' skoolie in and parked in mostly level spots. Camp fire rings and picnic tables at most sites. 🚱 hand pump available, grey water pits and trash cans available. Here late April through early May. 22 total sites, never more than 4 people camping here, including us.
- TTheresa R.Scout
Beaver Creek State Park Campground
A perfect one night trip
The sites that were around us had a perfect view of the Beaver Creek Valley. Our site was more in the corner with trees and brush blocking the view but we still enjoyed our site. Check in was easy since you can go right to your site and they have your trip details already pin to you campsite post. We stayed during the week so we didn’t share the campground with that many people. The campground was mixture of large sites and some small sites. The smaller sites were near the playground. We were thoroughly impressed by this campground, even if it was a smaller state park. We only stayed a night but we had a really nice and relaxing time at the state park. We were able to check out two of there trails but they have a quite a few trails. They had the pioneer village which was cute and interesting to walk through. Overall, a perfect low stress one night trip.
Jennifer K.
RangerBeaver Creek State Park Campground
Crowded and noisy
If you like peace and quiet this is not the place. No privacy. Dogs barking constantly, cars driving up and down the road constantly...kids screaming and running up and down the road especially young ones that definitely need adult supervision. Most of the sites are small and too close together. Not much room to maneuver a trailer into the narrow uneven pads. The rest of the site was full of rocks, cigarette butts and bottle caps. Came for a relaxing weekend and so far just been annoyed by rude people. Drinking water available but rvs are not allowed to fill tanks. Vault toilets. Full at&t reception. Quiet time 10pm-7am
- AAlex S.Scout
Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Ohio website (and several others) need updating...
We picked this campground because of it's proximity to an event we were doing and because it had showers. There are showers...but they look as if they've been boarded up for several years and are definitely NOT functional - they are also down by the lake and not actually at the campground. We ran a mud run and ended up having to wash mud off in the lake before going back to our tent. Prior to reserving I did try calling the park office but was never able to get a hold of anyone - there was also no one working the check in station when we arrived and our neighbors who had been at the campground for 2 days prior to us said they hadn't seen anyone at the station since they arrived either.
They also advertise a water filling station but neglected to mention that it is non-potable water so if thats something you're looking for then keep that in mind.
The majority of the campsites are also so hilly that you can't put a tent up on a flat spot. We ended up sliding downhill all night because the space we rented was on a hill (and you can't tell in the photos they provide online).
The one redeeming quality was the bathrooms do look new and kept clean
Overall not thrilled with the campground. Very tightly packed spaces and majority are on a hill. No working showers or potable water.
If you're looking for a place for a camper then it would probably be fine since the parking spaces were pretty flat but for a tent I would look elsewhere
William Y.TravelerJefferson Lake State Park Campground
Beautiful couple of evenings
Enjoyed fairly level pads, very clean vault toilets, beautiful grounds and walking trails.
Career E.ScoutHidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Free / quite / clean / not very private
Wasn't very primitive and the gun range is so close all,you hear all day aware guns but beautiful site 22 is at the end and away from others more than the other sites
Darrel and Mary W.GuideBeaver Creek State Park Campground
Finally out, nice weekend
I’ve always loved this quite, small campground. It’s been closed over the last 2 seasons due to the Ash bore, but the future is bright for this area.
Be sure to take in the Pioneer Village
- jjaysha L.Traveler
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Relaxing BUT you can hear gunshots all day until 11pm
Gun range 5 mins away or so. Bees are ridiculous.(they love sugar) oh yeah, Harvest Spiders all over the place so be cautious. Bathrooms are disgusting but they have toilet paper 🤷🏻♀️.
Normal Camping Bugs also. So bring big spray. Picnic Tables ,Fire pits,paved.
Clean after yourself! Trash near the campsite.
Jacqueline F.GuideHidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Free for a reason?
We needed a place to crash after traveling all day and knew it was going to be a quick turnaround so we stumbled upon this campsite. It served its purpose as it allowed us to rest for the night. However, I didn’t feel very safe! All through the night there were sketchy cars and trucks in and out of the campground. The noise level was high all throughout the night. We got lucky and landed a level site, but most of the sites are extremely unlevel. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded (other than the people coming and going), but the sites are very close together. Didn’t use the restroom facilities as we had our own, but they looked very unkept from the outside.
- KKimberlyGuide
Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Quiet and Beautiful
This smaller campground has a mix of equestrian sites and tent/RV sites. There are no showers, but the vault toilets were cleaned thoroughly ever morning. You need to be careful when booking, especially if you are trying to pitch a tent, as some sites are quite sloped. Our site was huge and right next to the water spigot.
Kellie A.TravelerJefferson Lake State Park Campground
Quiet and Comfortable
Not a huge campground, but as a result it was very quiet.
Some sites are small and very sloped. Others have lots of room to spread out. Highly recommend the one we booked! Very clean pit toilets and the campground overall was well maintained. Fire pits have a nice grate to flip over and cook on (this varied highly bw Ohio campgrounds).
Nice hiking trails and the lake is nice. Lots of geese and the expected goose poop. Plenty of solitude.
Overall this is a pretty spot to relax and enjoy some time outdoors.
Danielle S.RangerHidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Can't beat free, but caveats abound.
This tiny gem of a campground is actually quite decent. Each site is furnished with a small fire ring and picnic table. The fire rings do not have a grill grate. The pit toilets in the restroom are "fragrant" when you enter the women's side of the building but not so terribly that they can't be used. My friend did gag upon entering the men's room. There are designated wastewater areas to dump grey water, but you'll have to bring your own water for drinking, washing, etc. There are no electric hookups.
As others have mentioned, there is a gun range nearby and you can hear occasional firing. Helicopter traffic at night was a slight distraction from the otherwise quiet night I spent here.
There is an easy orange-blazed trail behind site 10 but as of this writing, a there are several downed trees blocking the trail a good distance in.
I'd definitely stay again.
5/3/2021 Edited to add:. Well, our second stay here is decidedly less positive. We are at site 9 this time. No fire ring here. The women's bathroom is filthy and it made me gag (there is feces all over one toilet seat and the other smells so bad that I just peed in the woods). It's turkey season so lots of noise in the woods.
- EEddieScout
Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Nice campground. Limited amenities.
Only 5 electric sites. Very clean pit toilets. Well maintained campground. A few equine sites. Only 2 electric eq sites. Electric is a little far behind pad. We almost needed extension cord. All water full up towers only have those spigots that are not threaded. Had to hold hose over spigot about 20 min to fill 35 gal. We were later told by staff the maintenance building had a threaded spigot. AT&T 5g with 3 bars. Not very many restaurants or grocery nearby. Better make sure you have what you need bf you travel. Bridge out in Bergholtz (sp) had a backroad detour. But overall great smaller campground.
KatieGuideBeaver Creek State Park Campground
Pretty State Park with Small Family Campground and Horseman Campground
I live near by to this state park and have spent much time exploring the entirety of it.
The trails are all nice, nothing too strenuous, and each have something unique compared to the others in the park. During the spring the Salamander trail is filled with thousands of Trilliums, a truly majestic experience. Lots of flowing water to enjoy throughout the park, some are off the trails but never hard to reach. A good park to enjoy with family and friends because you can fish, kayak, bike, skate, hike, horseback, and picnic. In addition, there are numerous historical cabins, locks, shelters, and a water run mill to sight-see. Then for those in search of a bit of spookiness, Gretchen’s Lock is notoriously a haunted location with certainly eerie vibes.
The family campground is small, but the park as a whole is not far from civilization so if any supplies are needed it is not a far endeavor.
I do not horseback, so I cannot comment on that campground, but many of the trails are friendly for horses to travel.
OH! And if you are there on the weekends the Wildlife Center is a must! The staff are so nice, it is by donation to visit so is in everyone’s price range. An astounding display of animals and nature information! You can even hold the snakes and see a bee hive in action.
- Theresa Tittle R.Traveler
Jefferson Lake State Park Campground
Quiet little campground
Tucked away in southeastern Ohio is a gem of a park for camping, hiking and horse camping. Clean water, restrooms, playground, sand volleyball and basketball court. Dump station and 18 miles of multi use trails! Small lake for wading with the kiddos, fishing near the dam or skip rocks in the creek. But be sure to pack a picnic and relax and enjoy! Only a few electric sites available. Mostly flat shaded sites most perfect for tents or trailers.
- Joe F.Guide
Beaver Creek State Park Campground
Tent camped here
Very nice park . Scenic on way in . Lots were decent size , not real private but our tent set up gave us privacy. We creek walked and hiked. Nice little campground , don’t have any info for rv’ers but for primitive it’s nice. The nature building was open on Saturday and Sunday and was great for our little ones
- MMatthew D.Traveler
Group Camping and Cabins — Moraine State Park
No Camping
"Camping is prohibited in the park." (That is directly off the DCNR website.)
I am not reviewing Moraine State Park (which is awesome). I am reviewing the CAMPING options at Moraine State Park. Which brings me back to the DNCR website. It says "No Camping" and "Camping is prohibited in the park. Private campgrounds nearby offer camping."
It DOES list cabins, group tenting, and a backpacking shelter, which is available by reservation only.
But this park is not where somebody looking for CAMPING would want to be.
- Justin T.Traveler
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Relaxing camping
It is a very well maintenance campsite most have fire pits a lot of level ground for tent camping pull in parking spots for RVs and campers a bathroom on site and two different trails to hike fishing minutes away the gun rage is also near (the gunshots don’t bother me) must register when you arrive at the box attached to the bathroom building can’t beat it for FREE
Jim L.RangerGroup Camping and Cabins — Moraine State Park
Great park but no rv sites
This is a great place just of interstate 79. Been going there since I was a kid. In fact my family used to own property near by. This park has an awesome trail system for walking or biking
- Karen W.Scout
Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest
Looking for a free camp this one is it
All paved sites with picnic tables. Most have fire rings. All free but you must fill out a registration card. There are pit toilets and a water pump. The ranger comes by everyday to collect registration cards.
Guide to Pittsburgh
Horse camping in Pennsylvania offers a unique opportunity for equestrians to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the company of their horses. With a variety of campgrounds featuring horse-friendly amenities, riders can find the perfect spot to set up camp.
Tips for equestrian camping near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Consider staying at Moraine State Park, which provides access to trails and rustic shelters for group tenting, making it a great base for horseback riding adventures.
Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like electric hookups
- At Beaver Creek State Park Campground, you’ll find electric hookups available for RVs, ensuring that you have the necessary power for your horse camping needs.
Campers appreciate these amenities for horses
- Hidden Hollow Campground — Fernwood State Forest is well-kept and offers a peaceful environment, perfect for those looking to enjoy nature with their horses while having access to essential facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Pittsburgh, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Pittsburgh, PA is Beaver Creek State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Pittsburgh, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Pittsburgh, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.