Are you looking for a place to stay in Smithfield with your horse? Camping with horses is a beautiful way to experience nature. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Famous for its brilliant Caribbean-aqua blue waters, Bear Lake Utah camping is an otherworldly oasis nestled between the Utah and Idaho border. Vast and extensive soft sand beaches attract visitors from all over the world, who come to fish, boat, camp, and recreate in the outdoors.
Aside from lake itself, off-roading and exploring the mountain trails are another popular activity. There’s a number rental locations nearby which can lend out their OHV (Off-Highway-Vehicles) to traverse the area’s various geographic oddities for a reasonable rate.
Speaking of the geography, Bear Lake State park is extremely organized and easy to navigate. In fact, there are three districts of the park meant for different types of recreation. First is the State Marina, located on the west side of Bear Lake. North end of Garden City, one mile north of the US 89 and SR 30 Junction. Second, is Rendezvous Beach, on the southwest curve of Bear Lake. Roughly 2 miles NW from Laketown on SR-30 from the CIsco Road and SR 30 Junction.
And finally, The Park’s Eastside Areas- Eastside of Bear Lake, including First Point, South Eden, Cisco Beach, Rainbow Cove, and North Eden. Distances vary from four miles to 13 miles on Cisco Road from Laketown and the Cisco Road SR 30 Intersection.
$25 - $45 / night
North Fork Park is a 2600-acre camping and outdoor gem located in Liberty, Utah on the eastern side of the Wasatch Mountain Range. North Fork Park has four qualities that set it apart from many other Dark Sky Parks: urban adjacency, intense focus on wildlife, an extensive outreach program, and innovative public art incorporating dark skies themes. The combination of these characteristics results in a unique dark sky experience for the approximately 2.2 million people living along the adjacent Wasatch Front.
$30 - $40 / night
A Small Campground located near ATV & Offroading trails.
Paris Springs Campground is situated in scenic Paris Canyon, about five miles from Paris, Idaho. It is about 20 miles from Bear Lake, at an elevation of 6,600 feet. The campground gives Bear Lake visitors the opportunity to camp in a quiet area with lush vegetation.
Paris Creek runs alongside the campground, after bubbling up from Paris Spring, which can be accessed from a 300-yard trail within the site. Campers enjoy hiking and fishing along the creek.
A mixed conifer and aspen forest covers the campground and much of Paris Canyon. Plentiful shade can be found throughout most of the campground. Summer wildflowers dot the landscape.
The Highline Trail, part of the National Trail System, can be accessed nearby. It is the premier trail of the Montpelier Ranger District, stretching 55 miles along the backbone of the Bear River Range. The trail is enjoyed by hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, motorcyclists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts from around the world. Paris Ice Cave is also not far from the campground. Self-guided tours of the cave offer a look into an unusual cavern filled with ice year-round. The cave is not developed but a footpath leads through it. Beautiful Bear Lake State Park is about 20 miles away, with boating, water skiing, fishing and swimming. Bear Lake's Raspberry Days festival occurs annually the first weekend in August, with a parade, fireworks, craft booths and a rodeo.
$100 / night
Malad Summit Guard Station is located 14 miles north of Malad, Idaho on Malad Pass just off I-15. The rustic one-room cabin is in a forested setting in narrow Mill Creek Drainage, and offers a secluded retreat on fenced acreage surrounded by scenic high country views. The original guard station was established in 1908, but was replaced by the existing cabin in 1934. The cabin is accessible by car when there is no snow. Guests should be prepared in snowy conditions to ski, snowshoe or snowmobile half a mile from the plowed road to reach the cabin. The guard station offers many amenities for a comfortable stay, but fewer conveniences are available in winter.
The surrounding area offers a variety of recreational activities. Trails are provided for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and off-road vehicles (Idaho OHV safety message).Anglers can fish for small brook trout in Mill Creek. Hunting for game and game birds is another popular pastime.
The surrounding area offers a variety of recreational activities. Trails are provided for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and off-road vehicles (Idaho OHV safety message).Anglers can fish for small brook trout in Mill Creek. Hunting for game and game birds is another popular pastime.
The rustic single-room cabin is tucked into a deciduous and conifer forest at an elevation of around 6,000 feet. Mill Creek meanders through the site. The front porch invites guests to sit and enjoy views of the forest and possible wildlife sightings. Black bears, wolves, elk, moose, mule deer, bison, grizzly bears, mountain lions and pronghorn are some of the species native to the area (bear safety tips).
For facility specific information, please call (208) 236-7500.
$60 / night
Scout
Plenty of spots for rv/campers and tent campers. Had my own quiet spot with a great view of the stars. Enough Verizon reception to FaceTime with the family.
Guide
Lots of families camping here. Close to town and lots of day use area. Campsites pretty close together but lots of grass and trees. Clean bathrooms and pretty neighborhood for walking
Scout
Tons of land, tons of campsites.. but most are "occupied" by empty trailers with no other vehicles or people around. There's empty cars parked on top of fire pits, no tents or any sort of life nearby. Felt strange.
This road is rough and very bumpy. Didn't feel comfortable "taking over" a campsite with things already parked there. Wouldn't recommend coming here.
GuideEnded up driving this road up to Idaho to find a bigger spot and some solitude. Took the dirt road for about 30 minutes and got the most perfect spot. Nobody was near us and the view was amazing. We went at the beginning of June, it was a bit chilly some mornings and at night, so come prepared.
Guide
We found a FF site right by the creek, close to the cold canyon waterfall trail head. The water levels were high so the creek was running pretty fast which made it loud but honestly it drowned out any noise from neighbors a it was perfect. Love the hikes, love the shade, just an awesome camp site.
Toilets flush! Just gotta bring a light
Close enough to drive to town for anything you might have forgotten.
RangerNot very far from Brigham City at all. Easy to find and some roads are a little rough in the campgrounds. At least 30 established campsites with fire pits and lots of shade. A lot of hiking and star gazing available. No Services whatsoever except I have T-Mobile and I have great reception with the JeXstream mobile hotspot extender. No Creeks or water but a beautiful place if you bring everything you need. Didn't hear any shots but shooting is allowed, and you might encounter people on ATVs or staying up late partying but you live with what you can find!
Guide
We did not have reservations and with two long back to back travel days heading home, we needed an easy place to land close to the interstate. $60 for one night electric and water which we did not need for our teardrop, but all sites were the same price which included park fees.
Very nice staff and host found us a spot with which even had a limited view of the lake. Site was brand new with pull through that would easily accommodate a larger rig. Had a nice pavilion type cover over the picnic table, fire ring, and restrooms and showers were new in the section we were staying in.
As sun went down the mosquitos started to swarm and chased us inside. Haven't experienced that level of bugginess outside of several of the swamps we camped at in the southeast. Middle of the night a skunk visited our campsite and hung around for quite a while. Traffic noise from I-15 was excessive.
Don't let the pictures fool you. Views were ok in most directions but what I did not show was the large commercial storage yard used by the park service which was directly next door to our campsite. Fee's should have been much lower given the location but we did not have reservations and were fortunate to get a site.
If camping in a traditional RV this is an ok option, and it is cheaper than some of the commercial campgrounds nearby. Would stay here again if we needed an easy overnight stopover as the location is terrific.
GuideThis is a nice quiet place. Near city limits where there is places to buy groceries, gas, or go out to a restaurant. They have about 20 spots with electrical outlets. It would be good to call and ask if you can stay, where it is a fairgrounds.
TravelerLots of spaces here. Big pull-in spots for camper rigs. And some small side pull outs for sedans who don’t mind walk-in tent spots.
TravelerGot in late around 2100. Plenty of spots available in the back without electric. I did get a spot right next to the lake. Has picnic table, firepit, and charcoal grill available. I camped out of the back of my truck. There is a road that runs on the north side of the ground that can be loud from passing traffic, otherwise quiet. Handicap accessible bathrooms and showers, plenty of hot water!
GuideAbsolutely beautiful location off highway 89. A popular place especially for ohv-ers. Lots of places to park but most of them seemed to be “claimed” (tents or trailers with no vehicles) for the upcoming weekend. That is the only reason for the loss of one star. We were there on a Thursday night just for and one night stop-and-go, so any of those claimed spots we could have used had they not been there.
There is a creek that flows back and forth around the area, we had that for our soundtrack as we slept.
At about mile 2 from the turn-off, there is a cattle guard and clear signs that the road is public but the land is not. It is possible that there is another cattle guard further up and more dispersed passed it as we saw more rvs head up and not turn around and come back, but we did not investigate that.
Well worth the trip in the search for a spot though. It was an amazing stay.
ScoutI have grown up camping in the Franklin Basin area. It is the perfect location for anyone looking for places to hike or ride. There are many different places to visit throughout the area such as the "Plane Crash" site, Beaver Creek, old logging trails, and more. If your looking for a place to just get out in the dirt and relax, this is the place.
GuideWe’ve stayed here three times and each about the same. Full hook ups were nice. Clean bathrooms with free showers were a plus. The only downside was road noise from the nearby freeway and lots of bugs, probably due to the lake. But for a travel through stopover it was fine.
GuideTwo loops that we saw, the first has no hook ups and the second has power and water at each site. There’s a little paved slab with a picnic table and covering, each site has a fire pit and charcoal grill. $30 for no hook ups $40 for hookups, got in around 8pm and no $30 sites left. There are toilets and showers for each loop. Really close to the highway so be prepared for that noise, and there’s a train that goes by every so often.
Guide
Location is out about 7 miles out of town but has beach access which is great for families with kids.
It gets really windy from one moment to the next.
The water is absolutely beautiful! Can’t wait to come back again.
Don’t use address provided on their website. It’ll take you to Marina.
GuideReally beautiful spot. Pretty good campground.
TravelerWe absolutely loved this campground. So many cool spots available. No reservations, but we had no problem at all finding a spot. The managers were great to talked to. Many cool hikes in the area.
Scoutgot in well past dark but found a great little camping spot near the south entrance. super cold!!!
Traveler
It has a big camp site, big enough to fit a big family. Enough parking for all vehicles. Would totally recommend coming here.
GuideThis park is beautiful. Arrived around 2pm on a Friday and stayed at Cutler Flats. Didn't look at the other campgrounds so can't speak to them in particular. Drove up and down the loop and most were available at that time. All but one site was taken by night time. Stayed in site 12 which was a great spot. It's next to the bathroom, but didn't notice any smell. Felt pretty private, lots of trees and brush between sites. This spot in particular had a large open space with beautiful views of the mountains. Great spot if you need solar. Sun was on us more than other spots that were tucked into the trees. Lots of beautiful hiking trails where we only passed one other party. Would love to come back.
GuideStayed here on a road trip across the west. Easy late check-in, quiet (mostly RVs), and hot showers. Perfect for a night in the Logan area — it’s located within a neighborhood on a lake. Felt much safer than other rustic options nearby. Would stay again if I were passing through. There are a couple cabins for rent (which you can see in my photo). There are features located near the bathrooms sharing historical info, where I enjoyed learning the history of this area that is the Cache Valley. We enjoyed our morning coffee with a beautiful view!
GuideNice campground close to beautiful trails, with private and group sites available. Close to Pineview reservoir and the small town of Eden. Good shady spots with picnic tables.
ScoutNice facilities, paved pull-thru and back in spots. I checked in around 8 pm and found no one at the entrance booths but there are provisions to leave a cash payment in an envelope and drop into a slot. The traffic noise from I-15 is quite present. It's very distracting and probably the loudest I've experienced. On the bright side, it is easy to access being right off the exit.
LegendThe address we put into our GPS took us to the Marina so we drove further along the lake to Rendezvous Beach area where we checked in at the gate house with no problems. We then proceeded to the Birch campground(CG) FHU site 55, which was a pull through. The CG map shows there are 4 CGs(Willow, Birch, Cottonwood,& Big Creek). Big Creek is the oldest with a lot more shade trees than the other listed CGs. The CGs run in sequence along the south end of the lake. The sites are well spaced with a nice little covered patio with the picnic table. The beach is about 100 yards away and we had a sliver of lake view. We were surprised that dogs are not allowed on the park beaches. There was a fire ban that included charcoal grills(propane okay). We had great water pressure, used 15’ sewer hose, and received about 30 OTA channels. We had a clear shot to the southern sky, but didn’t need/use our satellite. We got 4 bars on Verizon. We where not sure what to expect when we decided to come to Bear Lake SP but we sure were not expecting it to be dog restrictive. Dogs are not allowed by the lake/beach or in day use areas so we were limited to walking them around the campground. We also were not expecting a tourist trap, sunning beach, and crowded with families during the week(Mon- Thur) late in August. There were plenty of CG workers but they did not keep up with the trash laying about. Our fire pit, which we couldn’t use, had trash in it to include a pair of kids underwear. We did enjoy going to Montpelier and visiting the Oregon/California Trail Center and Butch Cassidy Museum. One and done for us.
GuideWe live so close we’re at this park all the time. Spent a weekend camping with friends. Got lucky and lined up the three spots in a row right by the creek (last three before the trail up to the falls). Was a great time with good people. Bathrooms were clean and camp host was nice and helpful.
GuideI've camped here several times since I was a child. It's nice that there is a river that runs nearby. There are about 50 campsites on a first come first served basis. The road gets narrower as you drive up the canyon and the campsites are spread out along the way over about 5+ miles. I wouldn't recommend going too far in with a big trailer. Fires are allowed only part of the year. The forest service puts flags in the fire pits when it gets too dry. There are hiking trails (such as leathams hollow) and a few rock climbing routes as well. Lots of people go four wheeling and motorcycling as well.
TravelerThis campground has been a friends and family favorite for many years.
My husband and I recently took our toddler and infant here and had a blast. They found joy in simply throwing pebbles in the creek and making mud. Before we had kids, we would bike and hike along the different trails. There’s a short waterfall hike, but also a long hike that will take you up to Ben Lomond Peak & cut across to Willard Peak. Go when there’s no smoke and you’ll have breathtaking views (I’d say May & June are your best bet).
Back to camping: there’s a tiny-creek front, meadow, shaded and unshaded, and a specific area for if you bring horses. You choose what you want.
You can reserve a spot (we did this and were very grateful since we had to keep leaving and coming back). We had service this last time too in July 2021 for the first time (T-Mobile). Hubby was able to work remotely just fine.
Utah offers a fantastic experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to equestrian needs amidst stunning landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Smithfield, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Smithfield, UT is Bear Lake State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 15 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Smithfield, UT?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Smithfield, UT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
