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Kalama Horse Camp Campground accommodates equestrians with seasonal operations from May through November. Located near Cougar, Washington, the campground provides access to trail systems while maintaining a rustic, primitive camping experience for those traveling with horses. The drive-in and walk-in sites accept both tents and RVs without reservations, operating on a first-come, first-served basis. Facilities include vault toilets and trash collection, though drinking water is not available on site. Many trails in the surrounding area allow riding with moderate terrain and scenic views through forest landscapes. The campground maintains picnic tables at each site, creating comfortable gathering areas after a day of riding.
Trail access from Kalama Horse Camp connects riders to multiple routes through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Horse owners should bring their own water supply for both themselves and their animals as no drinking water is provided at the campground. The surrounding terrain offers varied riding experiences through old-growth forests with elevation changes suitable for most experience levels. The forest service manages the campground with particular attention to keeping the trails well maintained for equestrian use. While the campground does not feature built horse corrals, adequate space exists for portable corrals or highlines. Vehicles with horse trailers can maneuver through the campground with reasonable clearance, though larger rigs may find some areas challenging. Campers should plan to pack out manure or scatter it well away from campsites and water sources according to backcountry horse camping guidelines.
"Driving up there the way we drive (from Vancouver) you go up through ranching/farming territory and it’s nice and green and pretty, so it’s nice getting there."
"Hiking around the lake is a great way to start and/or end you day while staying at Battle Ground Lake SP. Horses are welcome. There are cabins available also. Several sites overlook the lake."
from $12 - $87 / night
Check Availability"Clean and generally friendly, the Jantzen Beach RV Park is right inside of Portland (at the northern end, close to Vancouver, Washington)."
"Jantzen Beach RV Park feels like a real-world stop straight out of a Subway Surfers World Tour—a lively, convenient, and colorful place where travelers pause, recharge, and enjoy the surroundings before"
from $40 / night
Check Availability"Close proximity to Multonomah Falls. Pros - bathrooms with electric outlets, free showers, deer come close and are fun to watch, quiet & fairly private stay."
"There is distance between you and other guests but if you want to meet your neighbors you can. They have ADA sites, a lake, play grounds and a welcome center."
from $25 / night
Check Availability"Had a beautiful spot with a short trail to the creek. Has some very clean pit toilets through the camp ground. Its a horse camp, to be mindful of the horses."
"There are 8 walk in sites and one drive up site, all first come first serve discovery pass required. Some sites are larger than others, but in ours we were able to fit two 6ptents and one 2p tent."
"Discover pass required Merrill Lake, just outside of Cougar, WA feels very remote, despite its relatively close proximity to the Portland/Vancouver area."
"The upper area encircles a large open are perfect for games and running around. There is a nice disk golf course and a lot of large paths for waking and biking."
"And a loop with corals for horses. Miles of horse trails, bike trails, hiking trails."
from $32 - $57 / night
Check Availability"I love Seaquest for their beautiful campsites and the proximity to a wonderful forest to bathe in."
"I gave this park a high rating primarily because of its location."
from $12 - $87 / night
Check Availability"Across the road is a horse camp that the PCT goes through. There is a spur from the PCT directly into the campground for easy access. There is a beautiful view of Mt."
"Some camp sots are better situated then others, so do research before making reservation."
from $25 - $45 / night
Check Availability"Kalama Horse Camp has always been one of my favorite places to take my horses for a camping adventure."
"This is primarily a spot where you go to park your horse trailer and go from there! However it’s “first come first served”. Has few amenities, pit toilets.... clean and composting."
from $23 / night
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ScoutGreat place to camp. It has wonderful hiking trails. There is swimming available in the warmer months in the Clackamas River. Horse trails for equestrians and fishing!
LegendHares Canyon Horse Camp is one of three campgrounds in Stub Stewart State Park and unlike other horse camps which often allow the overflow of tenters and rv'ers without horses, this horse camp is equestrian only.
The Campground is set up in one loop and offers both single and double sites, ADA facilities, showers, toilets, and trash. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and a corral. There is a double corral on the double sites.
You must clean up after your own horse. Manure bin as well as shovels/brooms are provided onsite.
In mid May, the sites were very wide open.
GuideI don’t have a horse but I still stayed here! We were in the area, struggling to find a place to camp. After 7 pm, the campground let us set up camp in an empty equestrian campsite. Unique experience!
LegendThis is hands down one of my favorite campgrounds, because the spots are large, far apart from the other sites, and very quiet. It is not too far from the Portland area, I would recommend getting last minute supplies before getting off the highway. The campground is a horse campground, but I reserved on the Monday before arrival and it was still very empty so no fear about taking a spot from equestrians. The spot I had (Spot 4) was huge, plenty of room for a larger party, felt like a quarter of an acre. There were no neighbors on one side of the spot and only the water spigot on the other. All the spots in the campground had plenty of space between spots. There was lots of dead, dried out wood laying all around the site that after a couple hours of collecting I had plenty to keep a fire all weekend, and still left a pile of wood when I left. The campground is close to many trails in the area, mainly Romano Falls Trail. There are views of Mt. Hood, peeking out through the trees here and there.
Additional Stay, Different Year
-A few more trees have been knocked down due to winter storms, but this is still a great campground.
TravelerSite was nice and private, staff was very friendly, and the grounds were pretty clean! A short hike will take you right to the river and there’s plenty of nice trail to explore. If stepping around occasional horse poop isn’t your thing, maybe skip the hike though. Plenty of horses and dogs around.
LegendSmaller, but we were able to switch sites away from an area with two families/lots of little kids (so the area is easy for people who don't camp a lot). Beautiful river, lots of horses and fisherpeople, great trails, tall trees, lots of shade, close to Portland. Plus you can reserve sites ahead of time.
GuideWe love it! For a lot of reasons. Part of the reason is it’s close, so that’s part good. Driving up there the way we drive (from Vancouver) you go up through ranching/farming territory and it’s nice and green and pretty, so it’s nice getting there. You do have a lot of options, in that the first time we went up there was with our hiking club, and we went up there for a hike around the calderas so it’s easy to do a day trip in a car. Part of our discovery was while we were there is that the food place is really good and very nice. The kids playground was great for the grandkids.
As far as the camping, while it’s open, for the most part you do have a limited amount of privacy in the campground. The campsite we picked was a mix of things: just far enough away from the restrooms where we don’t get all the traffic there, but close enough so it’s not too far either. We were within easy walking distance to two restrooms/showers.
One thing that always looked intriguing is they do have the cabins, so maybe one of these times we’ll rent one. Another thing that some people might like is that they do have horses and some of the trails around the lake you can have horses on, plus a separate area/campground where you can have your horses, which are fun to see.
It’s a small lake but big lake, meaning they do not allow motors on the lake, even electric motors, so it’s all floats, kayakers, etc. A lot of people grab the big inter-tubes and go with that. And of course fishing up there is generally pretty good, especially when they stock it. The trails around the lake are kind of fun also because you have a high trail (very forested) and you also have a certain amount of low trails right on the water where you could have your own spots to fish and swim.
Like most campgrounds, it has its peak season and its off-season, but you can go there year-round if you choose to. The beach area isn’t big, but that’s okay. Wherever you’re heading (from the campsites down to the water, to the playground, to the food shack) you always have different trails and options for how to get from one place to another if you want to explore. If there’s anything you forgot (groceries, fishing gear etc.) you can be in the small town of Battle Ground within 5 miles.
GuideI love Seaquest for their beautiful campsites and the proximity to a wonderful forest to bathe in. But don't go for the RV sites, which are laid out in a parking lot setting with no real distance from neighbors and not surrounded by trees. Unless that's your jam. It was definitely not ours, tent camping alongside some friends with a trailer who liked nothing more than to hang out at said trailer, and walk through the campground to look at other.. trailers. I don't think they even stepped foot in the 7+ miles of forest trails which is a few steps away. If you can step away from the hookups and get a real campsite off the RV pad, it is a stunning experience. Each site is surrounded by trees, creating privacy and serenity. Another great option is the yurts. We stayed in Yurt 2 (the only pet friendly yurt) and loved it.
For those with RV's, trailers, campers - look into the regular sites because I think some of them even have hookups and can accommodate most sizes. Just steer clear of RV sites T1-T16.
LegendThis is a great spot for group camping! The upper area encircles a large open are perfect for games and running around. There is a nice disk golf course and a lot of large paths for waking and biking. Tons of hiking trails and close to Vernonia. The restrooms are clean. There are several ADA sites, cabins, tent soots and even horse sites.
Kalama Horse Camp offers multiple equestrian trails with direct forest access for riders. Located 12 miles east of Heisson, Washington at an elevation of 2,100 feet, this equestrian-focused campground experiences mild summer temperatures averaging 75°F and frequent morning mist. The primitive campsites don't include drinking water, so visitors must bring supplies for themselves and their horses when traveling through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest terrain.
Trail riding at Panther Creek: Access the Pacific Crest Trail from camp with multiple stream crossings. "There are several places to access the creek and play in the cold, shallow water. The stones in the stream are a rainbow of metamorphic rock," notes Lawrence F. about Panther Creek Campground.
Disc golf competition: Challenge yourself on tournament-quality courses near Estacada. "Home of the annual Beaver State Fling, a PDGA sanctioned National Tour event, Milo McIver is an excellent host for the international players that come to the Pacific Northwest for a chance to win the tournament," explains Steve C. about the disc golf opportunities at Milo McIver State Park.
Volcanic formation hikes: Climb unique geological features with rewarding summit views. "Beacon rock is believed to be the core of a volcano that blew off and landed near the columbia river. The two mile hike takes you back and forth up the rock until you reach the summit at over 600 feet," shares Steve C. about the distinctive landmark at Beacon Rock State Park.
Wildlife viewing: Spot native birds along riverside trails with binoculars. "The lake is the real attraction here. Great for paddle boarding or kayaking," notes Kathy B. about the peaceful waters at Merrill Lake Campground.
Private forest campsites: Enjoy secluded spots under mature trees with minimal neighbor noise. "This is a campground on one of the roads leading to Mt. Saint Helen's. It was a decent sized campground with RV spots, tent spots, group spots, and walk-in spots," describes Ashley B. about Seaquest State Park.
Walk-in tent camping: Experience more solitude with short hikes to your site. "The tent only hike in camp isn't a long haul from the parking area at the welcome center – it's about ¼ mile and the trail into the campground is mostly gravel. There are carts available for hike in campers to use at the campground trailhead if needed," explains Stephanie Z. about L.L. Stub Stewart State Park.
Clean facilities: Find well-maintained bathrooms and hot showers after dusty trail rides. "The showers were hot, the pressure was good and the overall impact of this was game changing!!!" Crystal C. shares about her experience at Beacon Rock State Park.
Boat-in camping: Discover unique island sites only accessible by water. "We love camping on the island, as you can only get to it via boat so it is not overly populated. There are no fire pits but you can burn. No potable water, so bring your own," mentions Fatima H. about Government Island State Recreation Area.
Reservation requirements: Many equestrian campgrounds near Heisson require advance booking during peak summer months. "Sites are first-come, first-served, and even on Memorial Day weekend there were several still available at 5pm on Sunday. Not sure if that was a fluke or we just got lucky," reports Corinna B. about Beacon Rock State Park Campground.
Cell service limitations: Prepare for minimal connectivity in forest camping areas. "No cell service with T-Mobile but it still works! Free WiFi in the day use area," notes Jess W. about Seaquest State Park.
Water supply concerns: Bring sufficient water for both people and horses. "Sites are a good size with lots and lots of beautiful trees, though the size and privacy varies greatly depending on which site you get," explains Corinna B. about Beacon Rock's varied accommodations.
Weather variability: Summer conditions can change quickly with afternoon thunderstorms common. "My husband and I have stayed here twice and both times it has rained. Which is fine but we find it very humorous (and actually really enjoy camping in the rain)," shares Jenny R. about L.L. Stub Stewart State Park.
Playground access: Choose campgrounds with dedicated children's play areas. "My kids loved the addition of a playground. Many parks dont have this and it kept them entertained for hours," explains Mary C. about the family-friendly amenities at Seaquest State Park Campground.
Junior Ranger programs: Participate in educational activities led by park staff. "At night the campground had a great Junior Ranger program with a very enthusiastic park ranger that kept the almost 50 people/kids entertained. She was great at engaging all the kids and teaching them about the park," Ashley B. recommends about family programming at Seaquest.
Shallow stream play: Find safe water access points for kids to explore. "Sites were basically fitted with tables and fire rings while common spigots were located in several locations around camp for those needing water," notes Crystal C. about resource availability at Beacon Rock.
Yurt options: Book alternative shelters for easier family camping. "Loved the yurt village, which is in its own area on the other side of the campground from the regular sites. Yurts and restrooms were clean," Rachel shares about accommodation options at Seaquest State Park.
Site accessibility: Verify campground roads can accommodate your trailer size before booking horse campgrounds near Heisson. "We stayed in the RV area of Beacon Rock. There are 5 sites with hook ups. Sites 1-3 are very close together with 4 & 5 slightly more spread out," advises Becky S. about the limited spacing at some locations.
Low water pressure: Bring additional water tanks for horse washing stations. "The water pressure was not very good at around 35 psi," reports MickandKarla W. about utility connections at L.L. Stub Stewart Memorial State Park.
Train noise awareness: Some campgrounds experience railroad disruptions throughout night. "What we didn't know was the train runs directly behind the site multiple times an hour and is loud," warns Becky S. about an unexpected disturbance at Beacon Rock's RV area.
Dump station availability: Plan waste management for multi-day equestrian camping trips. "Dump station included in fee which was $40/night. If not camping here, it is $5 to dump," notes Carol about the facilities at Seaquest State Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Heisson, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Heisson, WA is Battle Ground Lake State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 41 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Heisson, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 30 equestrian camping locations near Heisson, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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