Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Covington? Finding a place to stay in Washington while traveling with your horse is easy. Search horse campsites and discover top-rated spots, as reviewed by other campers.
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service roads is allowed where there is adequate space to safely park completely off the roadway and not on any vegetation. Whether car camping or backpacking, choose an existing campsite on bare or compacted soil. Unless signed as an area where a fee is required, dispersed camping is free. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed campgrounds and areas posted closed or no camping. Some designated Wilderness areas have additional restrictions. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities and local restrictions, please contact the nearest ranger district office.
Rules for Dispersed Camping These rules apply to car camping and backpacking
You may camp in a dispersed area in an individual Ranger District for up to 14 days within a 30-day period. After 14 days, you must move to another Ranger District or off the National Forest until the 30 days has elapsed.
Do not blaze new roads to campsites, create new campsites, clear ground, cut or harm vegetation or construct a trail.
Do not drive beyond constructed physical barriers, such as berms or gates.
Do not drive through streams or wetlands to access a camp.
If campfires are legal in your location and you choose to have a campfire, pick a site with an existing fire pit. Do not create new fire pits. Make sure your campfire is always attended and is dead out and cold to the touch before you leave your site. Fires may be restricted or banned based on the fire danger rating.
Follow Leave No Trace principles and come prepared to “Pack it in. Pack it out.” Pack all trash home. Dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner. In high use locations, areas above tree line and snow-covered areas it is not possible to bury human waste in a sanitary manner. It will need to be packed out and disposed of at home using a wag bag, blue bag, portable toilet or another Leave No Trace approved method.
Do not block roads or gates.
Keep food and scented items secure from wildlife by keeping a clean camp and store items in your vehicle or use a wildlife resistant storage canister.
Failure to follow regulations can lead to legal consequences. Additional Forest rules and links to report crimes can be found on our Law Enforcement page.
$35 / night
BEAR WARNING: bears frequent this area, make sure to store food and garbage properly
This walk-in campground on Cooper Lake offers 22 tent-only sites.
$14 / night
The Sahara Creek DNR Horse Camp, maintained by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, lies just a stone's throw from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The camp provides great access to the state-managed Elbe Hills and Tahoma State Forests through the Nicholson Horse Trail System. Campground has 20 campsites, picnic tables, hitching rails, and vault toilets.
The Nicholson Horse Trail System has been maintained especially for equestrian use, with wide trails and sturdy bridges providing safe, enjoyable passage for all.
$30 / night
Collins is a quiet campground located along the shore of the Duckabush River. Several of the campsites are near the river. There are 16 campsites, 10 that will accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. Six of the campsites are tent sites with spurs for parking.Warning: River contains swift water, rapids, and waterfalls. River is not floatable. Use extreme caution in or near the water.
White: Single-track trail Yellow: Two-track trail Purple: 4x4 trail
Corral Pass is set in a beautiful alpine setting with several hiking trails within walking distance. The Rainier View Trail provides scenic overlooks while the Greenwater Lakes Trail accesses the Norse Peak Wilderness. Noble Knob Trail is nearby and open to mountain bikes. The steep, narrow winding FS road 1174 that accesses the campground is not recommended for trailers or RVs.
Traveler
Nice area by a creek, very peaceful and quiet during the day, a ton of people around and lots of passerby’s. As soon as it got dark, someone decided to sneak around my campsite with a flashlight and stand outside my tent for some time. Packed up quick and zoomed out of there, very uncomfortable and would not recommend for solo campers.
GuideVery cool spot with new generation trees growing out of old generation stumps, close to river for water, very popular spot so found a lot of trash but loved the sites and hiking trails nearby
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.
GuideA lit if the spots are on the smaller side, so we had a bit of trouble finding one that could fit our motorhome, but it was worth it. The place is beautiful. Super dark at night, and besides the sound from the interstate and cars driving up and down, it's quite. Even with the noise, it's peaceful and perfect for a little getaway. We have Verizon and have decent service, even with crappy weather.
ScoutSo dark I couldnt even see my own hand in front of my face! I loved it. Quiet enough, could hear gentle highway hum but cant see anything but trees n nature. Earplugs ftw. Some bugs but nothing major. Plenty of spots along the road. U dont need to go all the way to coords. Just pick a spot along road n park. Some wild raspberries at our spot :) firepit nice, a little trash but not much. Thats the cost of free. Spot is free, the cost is picking up a few pieces of trash. Seems fair to me!
Scout
The bathrooms were filthy Quiet hours were not enforced The place is falling apart and looks decrepit: from fences to bathrooms The only dirt roads and sites(no gravel or asphalt anywhere) make everything filthy Site boundaries are practically impossible to determine as a number is the only way to see, no side lines Our site did not even have a picnic table
GuideWent up at the end of 4th of July weekend. Found a great spot but it was apparent that the group before us used everywhere to go to the bathroom and covered it with paper towels. PRO TIP: make the hole first for when you need it and you want have any excuse not to use it! PLEASE LEAVE NO TRACE! Other wise we really enjoyed a quick night away in our van.
ScoutHad an amazing time staying at this campground with our family.
We brought our RV, but you can tent, or rent a Yurt or Igloo. Horses are welcome too! The new owners are doing a great job turning the property around. There is a large recent renovated cabin that fits up to 20 people you can stay as well.
There is a bar & cafe open as well on the weekend with amazing views. Highly recommend.
TravelerYou can hear the road from most camping spots. When we arrived at our site there was garbage all over the place in a fire pit so we cleaned it up.
There was a nice long trail that took us to the river. That was nice. Cleaning up sucked because the floor got muddy.
Lots of mosquitoes.
Lots of camping spots. We left Friday evening and most spots were taken.
GuideThis spot was truly beautiful. Green as far as the eye can see, with a creek by that provides the perfect white noise to fall asleep to. The road is fairly accessible, though there are some fairly large potholes that could damage smaller vehicles, and the road could become muddy after raining. On weekends you might have to drive pretty far down the road to find an unclaimed spot, but I didn't have a hard time on a Tuesday night. There was some trash, including broken glass in firepits and a few beer cans spotted in the woods, but for the most part it was clean! The sites further down the road are definitely cleaner. No bathrooms, so plan on dropping the kids off at the pool before visiting. Seeing as there is water nearby, there are plenty of mosquitoes. Bring some bug spray! There are towns within 15 minutes of the road.
GuideMy friend slept in her vehicle(end of the road) and I camped next to the river. There were no other tent campers on this day; many RVs and campers on the way to the river. I highly recommend for peace and solitude.
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.
GuideThis is my second time. It is free good spaces to camp with a lot for trees. I always sleep on my car but people camp on tents on the forest. Dogs welcome
GuideI travel and work remotely so I’m always looking for free places that have cell reception and this place hits the jackpot. I’ve come in twice on a Saturday afternoon and have been able to find an open spot with my 18 ft travel trailer, I have Verizon and have 2-3 bars of service, it is very close to the interstate so you’ll hear a constant hum of cars but it’s very nice to feel like you have your own slice of the mossy old growth forest.
Scout
It's more of a place to park then a full on campground. It has water and 30 amp power at all spots with access to a dump station. You are limited to 7 nights per month. It's right next to the fairgrounds so you have all the sounds that come with that. A great place if you are one of the vendors for an event at the fairgrounds. It was $35 a night. If you reserve your spot online there is an $8 fee to do that. The power pedestals is set up for 2 rv's per pole so it might be on the wrong side so you need to run an extra cord or hose. Not a problem if your set up for it.
Scout
This a a free camp ground if you have a Wa “Discover Pass” it is a shady campground not great for solar. It is a pleasant campground but can be noisy at times as there is a shooting range not to far away.
ScoutNice open sites with space for multiple vehicles or trailers. Easy access to ORV trails. Expect lots of noise from off-road vehicles and music.
GuideI stayed at one of these sites on Tinkham road while hiking a section of the PCT. Get there early to get the better sites. Plenty down the road though if all of the initial sites are full. Pretty wooded sites, some you can pull down into. Unfortunately, most sites are pretty trashed. Still a pretty area and a good location.
Scout
It's nice to find sites but most RV parts enforce the 10 yrsl anfld younger RVs only allowed. That's discrimination!
GuideLove this place, the view from the bridge makes for some amazing photographs and it’s so well hidden, one of my favorite places.
ScoutThe campsites aren’t bad. There in heavy wooded areas. If you get here early enough you can get a good secluded site on an offshoot, but most sites are just right off the road. Some sites are really close together with like 50 yards.
GuideNot sure why it says $30, this place is free WITH your Discover Pass, 7 day limit in a 30 day period.
Vault toilets are pretty clean.
There is NO trash here, pack it in, pack it out. Keep it clean. Lots of horses here which is enjoyable. An ADA trail is level for walking the dog.
Shooting range is close by, doesn’t bother me but it’s pretty noisy. Can hear some highway noise, but again, hasn’t bothered me
I depend 100% on solar. There is deep shade in all camp spots, I chose a fairly sunny spot, but it wasn’t enough to charge my batteries. Just a heads up.
Will return if visiting rainier again :)
Guide
Cooper Lake is absolutely stunning and admittedly the campsites are situated pretty well for views and privacy but there are definitely Pros and Cons to this campground.
Pros:
Right on the lake and if not you get a very private site walking distance to water
Great hiking trail
Lake access 24/7
Lot's of big shade trees
No internal combustion motors
Vault toilets in good shape
Dumpsters
Cons:
Extremely busy (and LOUD) day use area
Steep hill and trails to all the sites - pack light and even then it is A LOT of work getting into your site
$18 for a walk in site...? eh a little steep for me
Did I mention the loud day use area with lots of screaming kids?
No bear boxes by the lake so you also have to trek your cooler/dry goods up the hill every night to not attract wildlife.
All in All this was a solid 3.5 stars. There were pros to out weight the cons but in the end if I am going to walk that far to haul my stuff into a site I want it to be pretty remote/serene OR be a little cheaper.
GuideNice secluded camp site. Pros: privacy, river access, sunny. Cons: trash and glass scattered throughout the site. Freeway noise is very loud
TravelerThis is near the Tinkham Campground. Plenty of dispersed sites with fire pits. Some sites are close together however if you keep going down the road you'll find plenty of quiet and private places. They also are redoing the roads as I'm here so little to no potholes.
GuideTraveling from Seattle, we stumbled upon this campground. Kind of confusing to find, it’s called “RV2” and you follow the signs to it in the fairground parking lot. More for RVs and not so much tents, we ended up sleeping in the car. Didn’t utilize the showers, but there was a port a pot for us to use. Camp host was nice, $25 for the night. Racetrack is loud but was expected
Traveler
We got an awesome river spot with our brand new set up. It rained but was a beautiful and oh so green area to camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Covington, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Covington, WA is Tolt MacDonald Park, WA with a 4.3-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Covington, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 equestrian camping locations near Covington, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
