Best Equestrian Camping near York, PA

We stayed at this campground during the COVID pandemic so not much was open at the campground. But from the looks of it they have a small mini golf area, nice size basketball court and a good size building for activities. This campground has horse stalls and rings if you would like to bring your own horses. There were a few families that brought their horses and they were right across from our site. Kids loved being able to see them and get close and even pet them!

This campground is minutes from town and is practically on the battlefield.

Some reviewers have confused nearby State Parks with the actual State Forest, resulting in inaccurate information. Despite their proximity, Caledonia and Pine Grove Furnace State Parks are NOT considered State Forest land, and have completely different amenities, availability, and regulations.

Michaux State Forest sites fall in to 4 categories:

1. Designated motorized sites, which require a free online permit and are open April 2 until the 3rd Sunday after Thanksgiving

2. Designated motorized parking lot sites, which require the same free online permit but are open year-round

3. Primitive backpacking sites, open year-round (no permit required, should be at least 1 mi from a trailhead, and only 1 night per site allowed)

4. Primitive Cabins, which are on State Forest land but are managed by and booked through the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

None of the sites available in Michaux have:

-electric or water hookups. If you used/saw one, you were in a State Park, not Forest.

-drinking water available at sites (some have a creek or springhouse, which must be treated first)

-restrooms (a very small number of sites have outhouses within 1/4 mi or so, but don't count on it)

All designated sites have some sort of fire ring, whether stones or metal.

Some, but not all, designated sites have picnic tables.

Cell service varies greatly. Some sites will have none without a decent drive or hike, while others have 4 bars.

Fires are not permitted at all from March 1 to May 25, and are also banned when fire danger is deemed too high.

Alcohol is permitted, except in picnic areas.

Designated motorized parking lot sites also serve as equestrian sites, and horse camping is allowed here. Teaberry has a few hitching posts and a two step mounting block available.

Pets are allowed as long as they are under control at all times and are not disturbing others. If your dog's recall is anything but perfect, they haven't earned the privilege. Use a leash or long line; remember that if your out-of-control dog gets into a fight with an aggressive but leashed dog, the fault is yours. It's not worth two sets of vet bills.

This is my go-to local place for camping and hiking alike. Michaux sits on the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and though they are scarcely more than foothills here compared to their majesty in more well-known areas like TN, NC, and VA, it is a place of peace and beauty all the same. Like much of the state, it's a young mixed deciduous and coniferous forest, with some open and sparsely wooded prairie/meadow sections.

Spent a weekend at Gettysburg. We camped at Artillery Ridge Campground, which served as an artillery storage/staging area for the Union during the battle. Behind the campsite we stayed at, we learned connected to Stangler Farm, which served as a hospital for the wounded. Literally right outside the entrance of the campgrounds is where the battlefield starts. So close to history. We have been to Gettysburg before, but going with the kids again being older, we all had a greater appreciation of the sacrifice of this 3-day battle. We did Park Ranger tours to learn about the 1st shot and how the war started to stand in the footsteps of General Buford at Senitary Ridge in the cupola overseeing the battlefield. Later in the day we took a horse carriage ride through the battlefields, Picketts Charge and the peach orchard with a private guide to learn every ounce of the battlefield and the major players to learn about the 3 days of fighting that took place to how the civilians of Gettysburg were impacted. The three day battle claimed over 50,000 lives and we toured the town of Gettysburg to learn how the community had to deal with the aftermath of the masses who perished, the smell which went on for over 30 miles and limited resources such as clean water. It's amazing to see how history was so preserved but right across the street from battlefields where so many died stands fast food restaurants, and hotels. A little surreal. Would definitely recommend a ride out to Gettysburg and this campground, which is right next to the battlefields. Clean facilities. If you are into horses, this is the place for you! Though sites are not very private, everyone is very respectful, and you are not on top of each other. Quiet hours are observed, which is nice too. Store has a great variety of souviners, treats, and emergency camping items. You can't get any closer to history than here. Would definitely recommend if you are looking to visit Gettysburg.

This is a wonderful little campsite primarily catering the seasonal RVer. With that said they do have primitive camping spots next to the putt putt course and water only tent sits at the upper feild. There are also water/electric sites in a loop behind the honeymooner cabins, and they have teh best shade and set up for hammock camping.

The ferry here is real, and has been in operation for the last 100+ years

There is a small goat petting zoo, with very friendly pigmy goats and the camp is extremely pet friendly as long as they are on a leash.

There is the typical camp store, and in addition there is the icecream store next to the river. Across the street is a local winery with the best views of the river around.

The campsite fills quickly on the weekends, kayakers and fishers, and motorboats use this as the weekend home and mini family vacation spots.

The showers are located in the RV section of the campground, so you will have to walk a bit if you are tent camping.

There are horse stable available as well on site.

 We had a great family camping weekend at Starlight and will definitely return in the future. Yes, it is quite hilly throughout the campground, but the individual sites are very level to park the camper with almost no blocks needed. 

We had two sites this trip with water and electric, but they do have quite a few full hook-up sites. Overall the sites were large, with trees between, providing additional privacy. Except for the Plateau sites, which have the amazing view, the rest of the campground had a great tree cover! Too often private campgrounds attempt to squeeze as many sites as possible and end up with campers on top of their neighbors, but at Starlight, the sites felt very secluded. Water pressure and electric were both great throughout the stay. There is no internet, but we had good cell phone service. 

The employees in the camp store are amazing and go out of their way to make you feel welcome! I felt everyone went above and beyond to help me from the reservation process through check-in. The camp store is well stocked and also serves hand-dipped ice cream. 

Starlight is a nice campground to relax or explore central Pennsylvania.

Amazing location surrounded by the national park. The grounds are nice and shaded, and you don’t feel crowded. The only issue is there is a lot of construction at the moment. No pool, no mini golf, and a lot of sites are closed. The good news is they expect all work don’t by the summer and it looks like it’s going to be really nice. A pool, mini golf, pavilion, and premium sites are being constructed.

I also want to say that we lost water one morning, and by the time I called in they had already fixed it. The customer service here is excellent, some of the best I’ve experienced.

Nice pull through site for out 21ft popup. Site was pretty level. Pool , mini golf and live music were great. Also amazing location to the battlefield and all the tourist attractions. My family and I will be coming back again for another stay.

Great campground within walking distance of Gettysburg

Mid size park with all amenities, some sites can be tight for bigger rigs.Even has room for your horse.Your surrounded by Civil War history,Downtown Gettysburg is great,great vacation

This is a great campground - quiet.  The stream around the perimeter was very nice.  We had a primitive site for tents, but wish we had gotten one with water and electricity.  There were portapotties that were clean when we got there, but they didn't dump out after the weekend.  We were right across from them, so we could smell them.   In laws stayed at a full RV site which was only a short walk for us to get to them.  Both sites were nice, but again, I wish we could have gotten a site with hookups closer to them to make the family camping experience more enjoyable.  

The pool was quite refreshing, the store was nice, but quaint.  The mini golf was very very basic, but the fact that it was free made up for it.  It was about a five minute drive to the downtown area which was wonderful to walk around when we got there.  Also a couple of blocks from the battlefield which was really cool.  We had a couple of day drives to lancaster while we were there.  

Because we left most days, it didn't bother us that they only had activities during the weekends.  That might be an issue for some.  We also brought our dog and they had special bins and supplies installed for poop bags.  

One of the evenings, we had a large rainstorm and they filled in all the deep puddles and holes in the driving roads with crushed stone.  They are on top of that upkeep making it easier for those hauling campers to not have any surprises on their way out.  

All in all, I would definitely stay here again.