Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Bellingham. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Finding a place to camp in Washington with your horse is easier than ever. With our help, you'll find the best Washington equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
Cedar: Located at the north end of the park close to the lake and cabins. The Cedar campsites have a total of 15 campsites (4 double sites) most suited for tents, campers or van camping.
Maple Creek:
The Maple Creek Campsite is in the central area of the park close to the lake, playground and fields. With 47 campsites with varied accommodations you can choose rustic sites to sites with electricity and water.
Red Mountain: This unique campground facility is designed for people who like to take their horses camping with them. Tucked into the woods on the edge of a large meadow at the foot of Red Mountain. It is a beautiful location with trails and open fields to ride in and access to adjacent forest roads and trails. Red Mountain has 2 stables for overnight accommodations for your horses while you camp.
Group Camp: This facility is designed for large groups with 33 sites (water and electric hookups). Located at the south end of the park, a large picnic shelter with fireplace, picnic tables, serving counters, stovetops, picnic tables, fire pits and flanked by large open fields on two sides. This area can accommodate tents, RV's or vehicles with trailers. Popular with clubs, churches and large family gatherings.
$19 - $32 / night
Reserve your RV site, Dispersed tent camping, or Luxury Glamping tent vacation today! Quiet country location, gorgeous views of Mount Baker, horses pastured next door, eagles overhead. Trails in forest for your enjoyment. Close to North Cascades for Hiking, Big Lake for Water sports, Disc Golf, Walker Valley off road ATV park, and close to downtown Mount Vernon for amenities. One hour north of Seattle, one hour south of Vancouver, BC.
RV parking on long flat driveway can accommodate large size rigs. Full Hookup available (30/50 Amp power, Potable water, Guest Wi-Fi, septic available for extra fee). Dogs welcome on leash or fenced at all times. Includes use of communal area to cook, outdoor washup sink, and access to fire pit with wood for purchase, free kindling and firestarters. We are a strictly non smoking site, except inside your rig.
Glamping tent in the forest is 16 x 24 ft, with pillow top queen bed, kitchenette with refrigerator/microwave/drinking water/dishes, comfy seating and 8 foot covered deck. Access to full bathroom, cooking facility, communal fire pit, BBQ, Wi-Fi and power to tent, woodstove in tent. Not suitable for small children, and no pets allowed in tent.
Sorry, we cannot accommodate same day bookings, we do not allow in-car camping, 13 day maximum, no long term stays available.
$55 - $180 / night
Recreation alert: CLOSED DNR has temporarily closed the Harry Osborne State Forest in Skagit County to motor vehicle access after years of vandalism, garbage dumping, and other public safety issues. Parking at the Les Hilde Trailhead will be closed through July 1 and camping will not be allowed through the end of the year, though the forest remains open for walk-in dispersed recreation.
A Discover Pass is required for access to Harry Osborne State Forest.
Maple Grove Campsites are located on Baker Lake Trail. This is a wonderful family hike for all seasons with its low elevation and level grade. Stands of giant old growth trees draped in lichen and covered in moss are some of the highlights along this trail. Baker Lake Trail is the only trail on Mt. Baker Ranger District open for stock and llama use year round. It can also be accessed at the north via Baker River Trail 606. This trail leads into a majestic stand of Douglas fir that regrew after Mt. Baker erupted and started a forest fire in 1843. You can still see the burned snags of the cedar trees that once dominated the area. From south to north, the trail contours the eastern shoreline of Baker Lake, offering glimpses of Mt. Baker. All along the trail spot western trillium, twinflower, foamflower, coralroot and twisted stalk.
$20 - $60 / night
Baker Lake Horse camp is a dispersed campsite along the north-east side of Baker Lake. Baker lake camping is situated in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Baker River valley southwest of North Cascades National Park and is fed by the Baker River along with numerous smaller
AS OF 10/11/2023 - THE CAMPGROUND IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
Due to a developing electrical issues, the RV and other power hookups are no longer safely operational. We are working on a plan and will post updates here as we know them. Sorry for the inconvenience. The dumpsite will remain open for now
$20 - $25 / night
Traveler
Very nice campground,! Very nice campsite! And very clean restrooms ! And has a family restroom/shower room which makes it very nice! We love it are returning
TravelerWe live about a 20 min drive from silver lake. We go often , sometimes to just go hike around the trails and have lunch, we also take day trips to the lake there and go kayaking and ALWAYS have fun there nice big lake and fun for the kiddos too! Easy boat launch access! And we do camp there a couple times a year we love the camp site layouts and availability
Guide
Langley is a great little town. I don’t know why they haven’t done more to develop the campground- all sites are first-come-first served. They did repair the electrical system this year and just reopened. It’s at the fairgrounds on the edge of town, there’s a largely unlandscaped grass field with electrical boxes & (some) water connections. There is a dump out on site and potable water. There are accessible bathrooms and showers nearby. The campground is on a hill above the horse barn and arena, very convenient to the town of Langley, which is delightful. No camp host available, nobody you can call for assistance. Because the campground just reopened, we were the only ones camped most of the 6 days we were here. I love Langley but they are not as tourist-driven as many towns which have campgrounds like this.
Scout
Really nice farm with a great mountain view. Quiet rural setting but close to town (Mt. Vernon) if you need anything or just want to explore the farmer's market, as we did. Woodland trail on the 10+ acres was a real plus for our two dogs. Hosts were helpful and responsive. All around a great weekend. Thank you.
LegendGreat campground. Love the lake. Easy access for our kayak. Beautiful lake for fishing as well. The cleanest restrooms and showers that I have ever experienced camping. We have been here three times now. No sewer, but the dump area is quiet and efficient. Beautiful woods and hiking available as well. We will be back.
ScoutWent solo camping loved it
ScoutIf you are there even 5 min past the 10 day limit even though you are obviously packing up the manager will give you a specific time to be gone by or ahe will call the police in an attempt to have you tresspased then call the cops 40mins before that time and on the 9th day she called the police to do a welfare check even though everyone was up and moving around obviously ok. 😡 Never again and i may not even go to their crappy carnival they try to call a fair either.
ScoutFIrst time here. Beautiful, serene and peaceful. Only disagreement involved a chipmunk. We just decided to agree to disagree. :) Had wonderful neighbors. Lake swimming area is walkable via a trail that runs behind the sites.
Scout
Update. Stockwater has been gaited off due to vandalism and trash dumping. You may utilize trails to walk your horses down to the water. This is primarily a horse/hiking camp. There is not access for motorized Vehicles on the mountain Any longer. There are 2 manure pits, a vault toilet, some fire pits, and a group covered table area. This is dry camping with no potable water or garbage.
Note that this is a working forest and may have heavy log truck traffic at times...the gates will be locked otherwise.
ScoutWe stayed here two week and loved it.. hated to leave!
Host was very friendly and accommodating . The grounds are well kept. Nice fire pit and Beer Garden area and a great view with mountains and trees surrounding you.
Traveler
Great rest site. It is quiet and they offer a lot of camping/tenting opportunities around the place.
Owners have done a great job of keeping it up and offering wonderful and adventuresome trails to hike or ride for all levels of experience.
A definite place worth checking out, provided you can book early enough...
Scout
Spent one night at Lizard Lake. Only 4 campsites there and all really close to each other. All the sites had a fire ring, bench and a flat area to set up your tent. The hike up is pretty easy but the only water source is from the lakes which is not the cleanest water so bring a good filter.
Once you get a spot it is very easy to go to the other lookouts that are not far from the lakes.
GuideIt is an open fairground with rv hookups.
TravelerRecently redone sites,, with new bbq/fire pits. New gravel around the site. We had a great time, most of the sites are very big with lots of room some more private than others but over-all I'd rate a 7/10 for privacy. Very shaded spots too. The walk to the lake isn't bad. Bathroom facilities were okay, showers were not working and one was out of T.p. the whole time. The grounds are great for kids to play, lots of fields, and creeks to explore, and perfect for family bike riding or skate boarding.
Ranger
Took the site to the farthest north. STUNNING sunset views of Baker and (if you get into the water) Shuksan. Bunch of flat sites, great fire-rings, and even an old dock if you have a boat. No running water, but... there’s a lake right there!
Hiked the whole Baker Lake Trail and from what we saw, this was the best site!
ScoutGreat place to bring your LQ (any size rig) and camp with your horses. There are a few non-equestrians, but we need to keep this a place for equestrians because we are losing more and more campsites. Trails are well maintained and extensive.
No water or electric at the camp, but you can drive down to a creek and pump or collect water for your horses. You will be boondocking.
High-line poles are available to high-tie your horses. We set up a portable corral and were fine. Picnic tables and fire rings are also available.
No manure pile or wheel barrow. There is a vault toilet and I got cell service on my phone.
GuideSeems like these sites are quite popular. However, I went during the middle of the week, on a slightly rainy day, at the end of August and was the only person there.
If you're like me and not from Washington, remember to get a discovery pass (~$10 per day) if you're parking at the Baker Lake Trailhead. The hike in to Maple Grove is approx. three and a half miles. Don't be surprised if you run into some folks on horseback.
The trail is relatively flat and goes through some beautiful old growth forest. We got a spot right by the lake that was flat and soft. All of the sites had fire pits and seemed pretty dispersed. There were also bear boxes. The vault toilets were some of the cleanest I'd seen.
As you can see from some of the photos, there's a dock that you could boat up to that doubles as a great place see Mt. baker.
RangerCampground Review: Maple Grove campground (boat-in or hike-in)
3.5 stars
I have a love and hate relationship with Maple Grove campground and in my experience it has all depended on the season in which I have visited the lake. I love the campgrounds along the lake and amazing views of Mount Baker, just hate the unbearably busy fishing and camping crowds, biting flies and mosquitos summer brings.
I have been to Baker Lake three (3) times in the last three (3) years to camp and have only been able to actually camp on the lake two (2) of those three (3) trips. September has been my golden month on the lake as far as luck in finding a camping site. We no longer even bother heading up to Baker Lake or any of the surrounding campgrounds in July or August unless we are there to fish and/or already have a reservation. We once made the trip up mid-July for our anniversary and found out upon arriving in town it was the opening weekend of sockeye salmon fishing season and I have never seen so more boats packed onto a lake except at Sea Fair! It was crazy! No camping available, not even on the side NF / FS roads.
When you do have the chance to make the journey to Baker Lake’s Maple Grove campground, you will find a small campground tucked in a serene maple grove shading the shoreline of the lake. You have two (2) options to access the campground;
Once you start the hike the first real point of interest you come across is the bridge at Anderson Creek at 1.5 miles down the trail, followed by Anderson Creek Campground at 2 miles. Continue on another 2 miles and you will reach the spur for the Maple Grove campground.
Maple Grove campground has a wooden boat dock but depending on water levels I’ve seen it completely beached or floating alone in the water, you’ve been warned.
Maple Grove Campground hosts six (6) official, semi-private campsites that you’ll find free on a first come first serve basis. No need to bring the dehydrated meals or bear canister (unless you backpacked) because there are bear boxes located at almost every site to store food and scented items. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit and grill. We found at least one topless toilet located near the camp with a nice view of the forest, rumor has there are more. There is no running water on this side of the lake so bring your water filter to head to the local creeks with.
If you do have the pleasure of hiking in to Maple Grove Campground or chose to explore the surrounding area, take the time to check out the forest as it is full of huge, old growth trees, some trees still showing the evidence of old lumbar scars. If you continue hiking past Maple Grove there are two (2) more campgrounds further north along the lake; Swift Creek and Noisy Creek.
The real pleasure of staying at the Maple Grove Campground or any of the boat-in/hike-in campsites along this side of the lake, are the majestic views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksun rising up above Baker Lake. You can literally sit on the dock all day soaking up those epic views.
Warning: I have heard rumors that the boat-in/ hike-in camps along Baker Lake can get rowdy and loud with large group parties in the summer months. We haven’t had this experience personally but have heard tales of this happening and seen reports of this on WTA.
GuideNot too far from the trail at baker lake. Quiet and peaceful.
ScoutThese campgrounds are about a 4 mile hike in from the trailhead. Plenty of wild berries, flowers, and ferns along the way. We had fun just relaxing under the Big Leaf Maple trees. Each campground has a flat tent site. Some also have fire pits with grills and picnic tables, but not all. There is a pit toilet and urine diverter on site. There are also a couple bear boxes to share, as bear (and deer!) roam this area. The lake is lovely, though it was a bit too cold in June to swim. There is a small floating dock on the lake. Spectacular views of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan - be sure to watch the sunset. Boaters frequent this lake so there is a bit of motor noise, but this doesn't bother me. Dog-friendly campsite. This made for a very relaxing overnight backpacking trip!
Travelerthis campsite is one of my favorites. Its located right next to the lake, there are spots for tent camping as well as RV camping and for years we book an RV site but pitch our tents there because you can fit 3 tents on one site. There is a little shop open on the dock for any essentials you might need or have forgotten. There is great fishing, boats you can rents, life jackets you can borrow.. it’s all great. My family goes every year.
ScoutThis campground is a little primitive in its layout but fits the needs well. A bit of a distance to the restrooms/shower. There is a close Port-o-let.
It is located in an historic Fairgrounds with lots of charm...and bunnies! Good sunshine in summer. Not much shade.
Nicest things are the close proximity to Langley, a very quaint town with great coffee! The marina and beach are very accessible. There are good restaurants, a grocery with deli, pubs and winery.
ScoutA good one or two night backpacking experience. There is no overnight parking at the top lot that is half way up the trail, so you have to park on Chuckanut drive. First half is steep and extremely busy but second half is quiet.
There are only a few spots so it’s good to get there early !!
ScoutVery quiet and the view isawesome ☺
Guide
The lake is great and the views can't be beat! Head up in the spring to catch the amazing display of wildflowers.
LegendThere are lots of camping options at Baker Lake and they all have beautiful views and similar amenities.
If you are fishing or have a boat, Horse Camp doesn't have a boat launch but there is one at the campground nearby, Shannon Creek.
Horse camping in Washington offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds, equestrians can find the perfect spot to relax and ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Bellingham, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Bellingham, WA is Silver Lake Park with a 4.9-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Bellingham, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Bellingham, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
