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Best Equestrian Camping near Stevenson, WA

207 Reviews

Knebal Springs Campground provides equestrian-specific amenities for horse campers, featuring dedicated horse corrals in a forested setting near Dufur, Oregon. Located within reasonable driving distance from Stevenson, Washington, the campground accommodates both tent and RV camping alongside equestrian facilities. The horse corrals are well-maintained and provide secure containment for horses while camping. Campsites include picnic tables and fire rings, with vault toilets available for campers. The campground maintains a no-pet policy, which helps create a quieter environment for horses. Sites remain relatively secluded with natural spacing between them, offering a more peaceful camping experience for riders and their horses.

The campground connects directly to several riding trails through the surrounding forest, providing excellent access for day rides from camp. Located in the Mt. Hood National Forest area, riders can access varied terrain and scenic viewpoints. Trail conditions generally remain well-maintained throughout the riding season, with some routes offering views of Mt. Hood on clear days. Riders appreciate the forested setting that provides natural shade for horses during summer months. The campground typically operates seasonally, with best riding conditions from late spring through early fall when trails are dry and accessible. Horse owners should bring their own water buckets and feed storage containers as water is limited to what's available at shared spigots. Trailer parking accommodates standard-size rigs at most sites, though backing into some spaces may require careful navigation due to the forested setting.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Stevenson, Washington (20)

    1. Panther Creek Campground

    20 Reviews
    Carson, WA
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (541) 338-7869

    $25 - $45 / night

    "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."

    2. Beacon Rock State Park Campground

    20 Reviews
    North Bonneville, WA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 427-8265

    "Beacon Rock is an incredible, tall hill in the Columbia River Gorge and a Washington State Park. The climb up the rock is through a well-built trail."

    "There are at least four different campgrounds within Beacon Rock state park including the main camping site, an equestrian area with two spaces large enough for horse trailers, a group camp site that can"

    3. Oxbow Regional Park

    38 Reviews
    Corbett, OR
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (503) 797-1850

    $25 / night

    "Great access to the river to keep cool in summer. Nice sandy beaches. Park also has a lot of sheltered picnic areas and playground.
    Multi-use trail great for short runs and apparently horses."

    "Close proximity to Multonomah Falls. Pros - bathrooms with electric outlets, free showers, deer come close and are fun to watch, quiet & fairly private stay."

    4. Battle Ground Lake State Park Campground

    40 Reviews
    Heisson, WA
    30 miles
    Website

    "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."

    5. Milo McIver State Park Campground

    43 Reviews
    Estacada, OR
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (503) 630-7150

    $8 - $78 / night

    "It has wonderful hiking trails. There is swimming available in the warmer months in the Clackamas River. Horse trails for equestrians and fishing!"

    "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."

    6. Riley Horse Campground

    3 Reviews
    Rhododendron, OR
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (503) 630-5721

    $23 - $25 / night

    "It is not too far from the Portland area, I would recommend getting last minute supplies before getting off the highway."

    "Secluded, open prime real estate: horse facilities abound here, but it works for everyone."

    7. Jantzen Beach RV Park

    39 Reviews
    Vancouver, WA
    39 miles
    Website
    +1 (503) 289-7626

    $40 / night

    "The park's location is very convenient, with easy access to downtown Portland and nearby attractions."

    "Clean and generally friendly, the Jantzen Beach RV Park is right inside of Portland (at the northern end, close to Vancouver, Washington)."

    8. Gifford Pinchot National Forest Cultus Creek Campground

    1 Review
    Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 395-3400

    "The drive from Carson to the campsite had quite a few large potholes, but once you get to the site, it's fantastic. Gorgeous views all around, undisturbed tent camping."

    9. Knebal Springs

    2 Reviews
    Government Camp, OR
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (541) 386-6366

    $15 - $39 / night

    10. Merrill Lake Campground

    6 Reviews
    Cougar, WA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 577-2025

    "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."

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Stevenson, WA

6 Photos of 20 Stevenson Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Stevenson, WA

207 Reviews of 20 Stevenson Campgrounds

  • Kathy C.
    Jun. 5, 2018

    Milo McIver State Park Campground

    Awesome place with activities for all!

    Great 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!

  • Ashley B.
    May. 24, 2018

    Clackamas Lake

    Close to Timothy Lake

    Great campground when nearby Timothy Lake campgrounds are full. The spot I had was large and not too close to other spots. The campground was full, so there was the early morning sounds of children playing. I was in spot 8 which looked onto Clackamas Lake. Which side note is not a "lake" but more of a marshy pond with reeds and grass around the edge. Still I was able to situate my tent to look onto the lake. This spot is in the horse section so there were corrals in each spot. Looked like a horse had camped in the spot a few days earlier cause there were large piles of fresh horse poop I had to keep my dog away from. The table/tent area was about 75 feet from my car so I had to make many trips to get all my stuff into the site. If you are extra adventurous and in shape you can walk from the campground, around Timothy Lake and back, be warned this is just over 18 miles. The trail around Timothy Lake is not strenuous, and offers amazing views of Mt Hood, and there is water about half way through, but again be ready for a long hike.

  • L
    Jun. 28, 2020

    Panther Creek Campground

    Great Spot

    We have stayed here a couple of times now, both by accident when our intended destinations were full. The sites are pretty well spread out in a double loop with 3 double pit toilets and 2 hand pumps for water. 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.

    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. Hood just a couple of miles up the trail. Further up the road is a short hike to some beautiful falls. The road continues for a long way, eventually looping up to Cougar, making for a lot to do in the area. Camas is a short drive for most supplies though for spirits you'll have to go to Stevenson about 30 minutes away. Overall an accessible and pleasant place to camp.

  • Guinevere H.
    Aug. 24, 2016

    Clackamas Lake

    Beautiful, if small, lake

    Clackamas Lake is a great campsite. Fairly easy to find and navigate. Great for when you don't want to deal with the more crowded campgrounds.

    While the camping sites are fairly close together, the site is usually lightly occupied. While we where there we only had one neighbor but the rest of the loop was empty.

    For horse riders they have some equestrian only campsites.

    There was plenty of trails in which to hike or ride, and a dock to go see the lake. You can also go swimming if your into Oregon lake or pond swimming.

    Clackamas Lake itself is fairly small and in many ways feels more like a large and deep marsh then a lake.

    Phone and internet reception (AT&T) is spotty at best.

  • Ashley B.
    May. 24, 2018

    Riley Horse Campground

    Hidden Gem in the west side of Mt. Hood National Forest

    This 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.

  • Ashley B.
    Oct. 28, 2020

    Keenes Horse Campground

    Horse Camp near Takhlakh Lake

    This horse campground is near Takhlakh Lake.  Its a small campground with about 6 sites and is first come first serve.  All the other campgrounds in the area were full, but this one was pretty empty especially since it was visible from the road.  I stayed twice over the summer and both times there were sites with horses in them.  It is right next to the road, but there was a large pot hole in the road so people had to slow down or risk damage to their cars.  The road all the way to the campground was very bad with holes, washouts, downed trees, huge dips, I recommend paying close attention when you are driving cause stuff will sneak up on you out of no where and low clearance cars could do damage.  The campground was next to the creek and had multiple horse trails leaving from the campground.   There were also a ton of wildflowers each time I went, since they are so high in elevation the wildflowers are still around into August.

    The drive to Takhlakh Lake is only about 8 miles and takes about 20-30 minutes.  Very easy day trip to enjoy the lake but then you can leave the crowds at the lake behind.

  • Cody T.
    Sep. 12, 2021

    Milo McIver State Park Campground

    Loved it!

    Site 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.

  • Brian C.
    Aug. 27, 2018

    Beacon Rock State Park Campground

    Nice campground near incredible rock

    Beacon Rock is an incredible, tall hill in the Columbia River Gorge and a Washington State Park. The climb up the rock is through a well-built trail. It can get narrow at spots and not for those who fear heights. The view at the top, however, is amazing. Easy day-use area and there is also a popular campsite nearby with hiking trails.

    Camp sites are kind of small, with most in forested areas. A few are slightly more exposed and some are split-level, in that you park up top and walk a few steps down to your camp site. Bathrooms and water on-site. It is close to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington and very popular and busy.

  • Corinna B.
    May. 31, 2018

    Beacon Rock State Park Campground

    Nice Small, Green State Campground

    There are at least four different campgrounds within Beacon Rock state park including the main camping site, an equestrian area with two spaces large enough for horse trailers, a group camp site that can hold up to 200 people, and a small 2-tent and 5-RV space down by the boat launch (at the base of Beacon Rock). This review is for the main "Beacon Rock" campground, which has 28 sites nestled in the woods including two walk/hike-in only sites. From the main road, head north directly across from Beacon rock until you come to a parking lot on the right that's the trailhead for Hamilton Mountain, Whispering Pool and others. Just past the parking lot (which also has a nice day-use picnic area and shelter) and on the right you'll come to the entrance of Beacon Rock campground.

    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. Ones on the right when you first enter are smaller since they butt up next to a ridge. For the most part the sites on the inside of the loop and especially the back side (it's a one-way counter-clockwise loop) are larger. 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. The campground and day use areas were built by the CCC in the 1930s so there's some beautiful rock work here and there, but it was not built with RVs in mind, so most people had tents, though a smaller trailer or pop-up might work depending on maneuverability.

    Pros: Sweet little campground with lots of beautiful trees and greenery. Still had spots available on a busy weekend.

    Cons: Best for tents only or a smaller trailer. Some sites are definitely better than others.

Guide to Stevenson

Horse camping in Washington offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities, making it a favorite among equestrian enthusiasts. With numerous campgrounds catering specifically to horse campers, you can enjoy the great outdoors while ensuring your equine companions are well taken care of.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like corrals and trails

  • At Kalama Horse Camp Campground, you'll find spacious sites with horse corrals and easy access to numerous trails right from the campground.
  • Riley Horse Campground features large horse pens and is conveniently located near popular hiking trails, including Ramona Falls.
  • Panther Creek Campground offers a woodsy atmosphere with plenty of privacy between sites, making it ideal for horse camping.

Equestrian campers like these nearby activities

  • Enjoy the scenic trails at Kalama Horse Camp Campground, where you can explore the beautiful surroundings on horseback.
  • Riley Horse Campground provides access to various hiking trails, perfect for both riders and hikers alike.
  • Experience the tranquility of nature at Merrill Lake Campground, where you can enjoy fishing and kayaking in addition to horseback riding.

Tips for equestrian camping near Stevenson, Washington

  • Always check for available horse corrals and ensure they meet your needs before booking at Kalama Horse Camp Campground.
  • Bring your own firewood and supplies, as some campgrounds like Merrill Lake Campground do not provide firewood or have limited amenities.
  • Be prepared for varying levels of privacy at sites like Riley Horse Campground, where sites are spacious but can be close together during peak seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Stevenson, WA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Stevenson, WA is Panther Creek Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 20 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Stevenson, WA?

TheDyrt.com has all 20 equestrian camping locations near Stevenson, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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