Best Equestrian Camping near Hamilton, WA

Great 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.

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.

Seems 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.

Campground 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;

1. Hike in via Baker Lake Trail 610 (stock and leashed pets allowed). From the Mt. Baker Ranger District office in Sedro-Woolley, WA follow State Route 20 east for 16 miles to milepost 82. Turn left (north) on the Baker Lake Highway (Forest Service Road 11). Continue for 14 miles to the Baker Dam Road and turn right. Drive past the Puget Sound Energy Kulshan Campground and across the Upper Baker Dam. After crossing the dam, turn left on FS Road 1107. Follow road 1107 for 1 mile and look for the trailhead and parking area on the left side of the road. You will need an America the Beautiful pass or a NorthWest Forest Pass to park at the trailhead. Register your group at the trailhead and get ready to hit the trail.

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.

2. Boat in. When boating in you have a number of over-night parking lot options to park your vehicle in during the summer season, granted you can find parking. In the off-season you can park over-night at either Kulshan boat launch or Panorama Point boat launch which are open year round. 

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.

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.

Along Thunder-creek trail Junction is tucked away about 10 miles in. While the hike is relatively easy-moderate while passing through the other camps, once you get pass camp Tricouni you have 2.2 miles until camp Junction and it’s a strenuous hike up the mountain for about a mile. There are 3 campsites to choose from in Junction. Get there relatively early because there are only 2 with a view of the glacier, the third is nice and private and tucked away but you won’t see the mountain from the site. The pit toilet is tucked away in some trees to your left of the campsites with plenty of privacy and scenery. Junction great spot for camping or to break for lunch and take in the gorgeous views. I will add if you choose to visit during a warmer time bring bug spray and get a fire going ASAP to keep them at bay until the night air comes in.