Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Dayton? Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Washington campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
Located along the Tucannon River and bordering the Wooten State Wildlife area, the Tucannon Campground has several ponds nearby, managed by the Washington Department of Wildlife. These ponds are stocked with trout, offering excellent fishing opportunities for the entire family. This campground is heavily used from the opening weekend of fishing season, in early spring, through the fall hunting seasons. Tucannon is open for camping year around and is easily accessed by paved roads directly leading to the campground. Please call the Pomeroy Ranger District for current conditions. A fee of $8.00 per night with a $5.00 extra vehicle fee is charged from March 1 through October 31st each year. From November 1st through February there is no fee charged. Please Leave-No-Trace.
Godman Guard Station, built in the 1930s, sits just outside the impressive Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. The complex is adjacent to a historic Civilian Conservation Corps campground. Horseback riding and hiking trails into the wilderness are easily accessed from the cabin. Horses are permitted in the area, however, due to sanitary reasons, horses are not allowed near the guard station. Horses may be tied to the barns hitching rails located about 200 yards up the hill. The barn cannot be used by renters, just the hitching rails and feed bunks. Winter access is by snowmobile, snowshoes or cross country skis. A groomed snowmobile trail passes right by the cabin.
Guests will delight in viewing scenery along Skyline Drive Road and the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. During the summer months, horseback riding or hiking in the wilderness are popular pastimes. Many trails descend into the rugged river canyons and offer fishing opportunities. Check with the appropriate state Department of Fish and Wildlife for regulations. The Godman Trailhead can be accessed from the cabin. In winter, campers enjoy snowmobiling on groomed trails, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Godman Guard Station is perched above the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness at an elevation of 5,600 feet. From a barn about 100 yards up the hill from the cabin, expansive views of the wilderness can be seen. The wilderness includes nearly 180,000 acres of rugged basaltic ridges, steep canyons, rushing rivers and their tributaries and abundant wildlife. Rocky Mountain Elk, bighorn sheep, white-tailed and mule deer, black bears, cougars, coyotes and pine martens inhabit the region.
The cabin is 28 miles or a one-hour drive from Dayton. Groceries and fuel are available. The Tucannon Last Resort Store is also about an hour's drive away.
For Reservation Changes & Cancellation Fees, please see Rules & Reservation Policies.
$60 - $75 / night
Panjab Campground offers opportunities for hunting, hiking, swimming and bicycling. Just beyond the campground is the trailhead for Rattlesnake Trail #3129 that accesses Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. This campground is located along Tucannon Springs River; which is a favorite area for mushrooming, hiking, and just relaxing listening to nature. . No camping with stock at Panjab Campground. Stock facilities are available 3 miles up Forest Service Road 4713 at Panjab Trailhead. Please Leave-No-Trace.
$8 / night
This recreation area is part of Lower Granite Lake
Scout
How much is the tent area from September 15. To 18 morning two people
Scout
Very nice campground for the area. Come here all the time. First come first serve, there is a nice little river that runs near the campground as well.
Scout
I didn’t know we had a good campground near us. The cabin is pretty cheap and was able to fit my entire family including uncles and aunts and grandparents etc.
GuideEven after the holiday the camping area was very clean.
ScoutWe have tented here several times over the years while motorbike camping, this time was in our 5th with the bikes in garage. We stayed in the Birch Loop with water and hydro hook up. Nice mature shade trees with good clearance. Short walk to a great beach. Staff were great to deal with. Short drive for Costco and such. Great location for a motorbike base camp. So many great roads…especially the Spiral Highway and Snake River. When the jet boats are out playing which seemed mainly on the weekend it could be annoying to some but we really didn't notice it. Birch loop is well shielded from the river by mature trees. Happy Camping. Oh, and don't park on the grass.
GuideOverall a nice park. Some things seem to be in disrepair like broken water pumps, branches down everywhere, a lot of sick trees, etc. Nice beach for swimming and launching kayaks. No real view of the water from the campsites but easy access via walking trail. Lewis and Clark center was pretty sparse but the video was interesting. Campers were all very respectful and it was very relaxing. I would camp here again. Site #15 in the A loop definitely had the best view of the water.
GuideVery nice state park on the snake river. Lots of shade, full hook ups.
TravelerWe stayed in a tent site..there was grass & the sites were very spacious. Staff was so kind & the park was very clean.
ScoutGreat campsites
LegendPROS:
*The campground is very shady which is great when it's 102 degrees (record breaking year).
*The sites are pretty level and easy in and out.
*They irrigate so there is lush grass everywhere.
*Lots of biking in park and nearby along the riverfront.
*Very nice Lewis and Clark Discovery Center
*Aspen and Birch Loops DO have RV hookups. Cottonwood Loop does not.
*Access to the Snake River, with marina close by
*Disc golf course
*Close to town
CONS: *NO early checkin. 2:00 is it. They say they need the time to water and clean. They were nice about it. *Bathhouses are DESPERATELY in need of updating and the one in Cottonwood Loop mens room smelled of urine. *Can't really see the river from the campground
It was very smoky when we were there due to fires across the river in Oregon, so we cut our visit short. We will return when air quality returns though.
Guide
Tucannon is a place I’ve been coming to since I was a kid. Absolutely love the area. Quiet and away from others.
GuideFree during the off season but don't get stuck with a dead car battery. Can get really cold and no phone service and very few people pass by.
GuideCamping right on the Snake River with Lewis & Clark Discovery Center. Lots of sites, water restrooms, showers, and fire pits. No hookups.
ScoutGreat camping spot. No RV hookups, but fresh water, restrooms, and showers. Next to river but lots of shrubs. Can walk down trail to access river bank.
TravelerSuper helpful staff gave us a sweet campsite. Lots of wildlife around and we were camped close to the trailhead. Great hiking and views of the river and canyon. Definitely going back.
GuideWe stayed in Birch Loop for 2 nights. This was our maiden voyage so we opted for something close to a city as we were still setting up our camper coming out of winter.
Our spot was plenty long enough, but not as wide as I would have liked. There are two big trees on passenger side that prevent setting up a comfy patio. That said, the fire pit area is perfect size.
The center of the loop is for groups, so noise is centralized. Other than that, good space between sites and all are pretty level and paved.
The hiking trails are great with lots of options for easy hikes by the water or tougher ones up the mountain. Either way, you can’t go wrong. The noise on the river from jet boats was mild as it is only end of March.
Great Verizon coverage at site and on trails.
Guide
Loved this place as a kid, it’s still amazing easy to find good parking. Has bathrooms,
GuideNot a place to camp
RangerVery family friendly place and the trail is wheelchair accessible. Great trek along the river. Watch for rattlesnakes in the area!
TravelerOverall, a nice state park campground, but a little too close to the city. The bathrooms were decent, with free showers. We arrived around 6pm and the weather was weird, light rain then hail, but it stopped after about an hour. We started to settle in and then a group of maybe 30 teenage boys with a handful of “leaders” arrived around dark taking up 4 spots near us. The kids were rowdy throwing firecrackers until midnight. The leaders did absolutely nothing to stop them and neither did the campground. Luckily they slept and then all took off early around 8am after morning prayers. In hindsight, nothing against the campground other than close proximity to each other and the city and the camp host didn’t break up the “fun”
ScoutAwesome camp ground right on the river. We saw lots of different wild life. The only down side is a out of state fishing license is kind of expensive.
ScoutGood spot, first come first serve right off the main road so you can get some traffic noise, good trees for hammocks
GuideI'm not sure what the other reviewer is talking about regarding a lake, as this ridge is at 6000' above sea level and there's no lake there. Granted, it's been a few years since I've camped here, but there's no lake.
We camped here for a free a few times. The Forest Service added some improvements and tacked on an $8 per night fee - still a bargain. The campground is on a road, but the road gets very little use at night.
We've hiked in the area, and it's a real treat. There are springs, and there is nothing better on a hot day than the cold water coming out of a spring. During one visit, The Hubs brought his telescope & spent a chilly night stargazing. The southern end of the camping area has an unobstructed 240(ish) degree view of the sky, facing south. The nearest town is too far & too small to create any loom, so on a moonless night it's incredibly dark here.
Expect this campground to be very busy during hunting season.
ScoutVery dry with little tree coverage. Loads of people and every campsite was full. Lakes are great for fishing with kiddos. Cannot ride dirtbikes or 4 wheelers in the campsite or on the road unless street legal. If you go up higher towards the horse corrals it isn't as dry and tends to be less crowded.
ScoutSo, I should start by saying that we didn't end up camping here, as it's a first-come, first-serve camping site. It was about a two hour drive from Walla Walla, and we didn't get there in time to find an open camp site. We did drive around the entire camp site and walk around, and it was beautiful. Suitable for both RV and tent camping. I'd just like to warn potential campers that the GPS gave us the wrong directions and took us on this very backwoods road that was pretty much not a road and the side of a mountain. There is a real road going to this campsite!
GuideThis must have been automatically generated somehow. This is a TEMPORARY fair that has a TEMPORARY campground on site. I've never camped during the event, but just want to warn people who may want to stay here that it's not what you expect. I'm sure the camping is just fine for a FESTIVAL, but it doesn't really have a place on The Dyrt imho.
ScoutWas a very clean campground! Space between campers were great!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Dayton, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Dayton, WA is Tucannon Campground with a 3.5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Dayton, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Dayton, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
