28 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Soda Springs provides equestrian camping in a designated horse camp separate from the main camping area in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near White Pass. Situated along the Cowlitz Trail, this primitive campground offers access to backcountry riding routes through dense forest terrain. The campground features vault toilets and campsites suitable for horse trailers, though high clearance or 4WD vehicles may be needed during certain seasons when access roads experience flooding. No drinking water is available on site, so riders must bring sufficient water for themselves and their horses. Trails remain snow-covered until late May most years, with some visitors reporting deep snow blocking vehicle access to the horse camp as late as May 23rd.
Trail riders can explore numerous routes from Soda Springs, including connections to higher elevation viewpoints with vistas of nearby peaks. The Packwood Lake area, accessible via a 4-mile trail that permits horses, offers additional riding opportunities. Bethel Ridge OHV Camping provides alternative equestrian camping options with more open terrain suitable for trailer parking and horse containment. Both locations experience seasonal limitations, with higher elevations becoming inaccessible during winter months. Riders should check trail conditions before traveling to the area, as spring melt creates variable conditions and some routes may require stream crossings that become difficult during high water periods. The sprawling camp areas offer quiet and private sites for horse camping with ample space between neighboring campers.
"Lake access. Trail access. Pristine wilderness. Horse trails. Hunting. Fishing. Scenery. I would rather not tell you about it and keep it to myself."
"There was a woodsy area behind the site where kids could play. The bathrooms are fancy out houses no place to wash hands. Lots of bugs in the evening."
from $24 - $48 / night
Check Availability"23 May 2020 - you can drive to the "Y" intersection for the camp grounds and horse camp, but the snow was so deep that walking is the only option."
"Cowlitz Trail is here. Horse camping and trail in separate area. There are two sites before the main area that are more secluded but require a 4WD vehicle to get to."
"Amazing camp site with a good amount of lakeside camps. Staying in site 41 to 44 guarantees amazing sunrise and sunset views. The lake water is crystal clear. Excellent location if you enjoy hiking."
"nice tall shade trees and beautiful access to the lake. trails are around and a large beach to relax on. sites are large and trees are close enough to hang a hammock. note: road to get here is entirely"
from $25 - $45 / night
Check Availability"Large sites, some with access to the River. Highway noise was pretty loud in some of the upper sites. Bathrooms (pit toilets) were very clean and the camp host was lovely! Nice recreation area nearby."
"Had a great time next to the river."
from $27 - $54 / night
Check Availability"The hike is beautiful and the lake at the end is stunning. It was a great place to start gaze"
"This place is the best because the only way to get to the camping spots at Packwood Lake is to hike in or the use of ATV’s."
"They also have horse tie ups and an elevated ramp for easier mounting of horses. For a free campground this is one of the nicest ones I’ve been to. Picnic tables and a fire ring at every camp site."
"If you have a trailer there is not much room to turn around. Lots of roads and trails to explore in the area and the river runs right next to the campground."
"Ahtanum Meadow Campground offers some mountainous dirt biking trails which make for some awesome daytime activities."
RangerVery nice! Horse camp but sites 21-30 are for non equestrian campers. Sites are wooded between and large with table, firepits/grill combo, and level wooded spaces. 2 clean, well stocked pit toilets are available. Water faucets available at several locations. WA discover pass but free otherwise. It is patrolled regularly.
TravelerWe decided to try out our new Jeep toad as well as invite son/family with his new travel trailer to Yakima Sportsman. There was a bit of reluctance to book on rumors of homeless issues, but we went ahead and I'm glad we did. Other than a couple homeless cars in the day use area, we had no problems in the RV/Travel Trailer camping areas. In fact, we really had no issues anywhere as we walked all over the place. We took the grandkids fishing in the small pond on site. Drove to Sarge Hubbard Park and walked to river to fish, caught a nice trout and set it free. There was a homeless camp across the river from our fishing spot but again it had no impact on our stay. All in all, a very nice get away!
TravelerThe campground itself is wide and quaint with decent privacy, a creek, and also has equestrian site options. Pit bathrooms are decently clean. Neighboring ranch land's cows will walk right through your campsite unbothered though, so be aware.
RangerThis went from a four star stay to one star in the blink of an eye. There is a shooting range directly behind this campground, and the horse trails lead right past it. On August 8th 2026 around 2PM, someone’s horse was shot while they were riding less than a half a mile away from camp and when they called 911, animal control came but police would NOT come even to investigate. This was reckless use of a firearm, animal endangerment, and honestly should be a felony. There is no way to accidentally be shooting at the trails from the shooting range, you have to DECIDE to do that. Police are absolutely useless, and now I know especially in this area the cops don’t give a damn about anyone’s safety.
You can hear shooting nearby all day and all night despite the posted hours at the range. Although it’s a free stay with a discover pass, I will NOT EVER stay here again and would not recommend this place to anyone with horses.
TravelerPerfectly fine, especially considering the low low price of $0. Sites no closer together (honestly, more spacious than) the average KoA I’ve paid $60-$90 to pop up a tent in.
I chose a spot closer to the road than the lake, but if I’d arrived before 7:45 other spots would have been available, I’d imagine.
TravelerThe description and reviews do match this site. This is a large swap lake with dispersed camping. It was a fun adventure getting to site but be warned this is not a RV or car site, you will need a 4x4 to access the site.
RangerHowever you camp, tent or RV, there is a site for you here. Taidnapam is the second Tacoma Power park where I have camped. There are two sides to this campground--the older side which are sites 1-52 are a mix of full hook-ups and partial hook-ups. The newer, larger loop is almost all full hook-ups with a few exceptions that are partial. There are tent spots in-between the two sides. They also have 2 group sites--one with 22 spots of full and partial hook-ups and one primitive group site. We stayed in site 9 with full hook-ups on the older loop. This loop is one big circle with a dividing road so it's kind of like two loops. The rest rooms and playground was in the middle of the first loop. My site had a short trail right to the restrooms/playground area. The playground was pretty awesome! On the far end of the second loop, there is a trail that takes you to the day-use area where there is a second fantastic playground. There was also a sprinkler system there, but we didn't know how to make it work. This area is right next to the river/east end of Riffe Lake. There are no swimming areas however because the lake has lowered over the years. We did ask if there were any swimming areas nearby or a way to get down to the water and they did have a list in the office. We checked out a few of the closer places, but since I have a 4 years old, I did not feel that any of the places were safe enough for her to get down to the water and I did not want to drive miles to get to the next park. One of the fun things about this park are the gnomes up in the trees! I didn't find out until the night before we left, but I guess you can do like a scavenger hunt type of thing to find all the gnomes.
GuideEveryone is all close together. But it’s free. They have bathroom porta potty.
ScoutThis is a really pretty site. The camping and beach access is great. We saw bald eagles and very low flying cargo planes. There is some kind of RC flying area on the north side of the site.
There is road noise, but that is going to depend on where you camp. There are sites right next to the road and sites a few hundred yards away. There are"homeless" camps here. They didn't bother us, but you can tell that not everyone here is a recreational camper.
It is large enough that we got our class A with trailer in and out. There is a bit of a loop, but this can be blocked so check first. The road is very rough, you have to go slow.
There is a dump and non-potable water station at the park a few miles up the road. It is$5 for non-campers today.
Equestrian camping opportunities near White Pass, Washington include several designated sites within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Elevations in this region range from 1,800 to over 4,000 feet, creating varied camping conditions throughout the season. Trail access remains limited by snowpack until late spring, with most higher-elevation horse camps opening in June and closing by early October due to seasonal conditions.
Fishing access points: Bumping Lake Campground offers multiple fishing options for horse campers. "The lake is within a short walk from the camp sites. The sites are also somewhat secluded which is nice for me since it provides some privacy," notes Katie O.
Trail riding opportunities: Riders can access the Cowlitz Trail system from horse camping areas. "The Cowlitz Trail is here. Horse camping and trail in separate area," explains Breanna R. about the trail system accessible from Soda Springs.
Backcountry exploration: Horse-friendly trails connect to alpine areas with significant elevation gain. "Absolutely the best! It's got it all. Lake access. Trail access. Pristine wilderness. Horse trails. Hunting. Fishing. Scenery," states Steve C. about the interconnected trail system.
Designated horse areas: Horse camps near White Pass provide dedicated equestrian facilities. "There are two sites before the main area that are more secluded but require a 4WD vehicle to get to. At least when we were there the drive was flooded over but manageable," reports Breanna R. about Soda Springs.
Quiet camping experience: Many equestrian sites offer separation from general camping areas. "Very quiet sprawling camp area," notes Jessica C. about Bethel Ridge OHV Camping, an alternative to the more concentrated horse camps.
Water features: Camps with water access provide options for cooling horses. "Sites are pretty spread out offering a good amount of privacy, all are along the Bumping River. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, with bbq grate," writes Mary C., describing amenities at a riverside camp.
Access challenges: Spring conditions can make horse camp access difficult. "23 May 2020 - you can drive to the 'Y' intersection for the camp grounds and horse camp, but the snow was so deep that walking is the only option. Several car made turning around in the intersection difficult," warns Eric H.
Primitive facilities: Most horse camps offer basic amenities only. "This site only has one vault toilet," notes Chris about Walupt Lake Campground, representative of the minimal facilities at most area horse camps.
Weather variability: Higher elevation horse camps experience significant temperature swings. "Cold in the morning (Aug) but warms up quickly," shares Peter J. about conditions that affect both horses and riders.
Safety considerations: Keep children supervised near horse areas and water features. "Nice campground with vault toilet. Very quiet. Small spring and running creek," describes Breanna R., noting water features that require attention with children.
Activity planning: Structure days around horse activities and alternative options. "If you're looking for a spot that has the best of both worlds; i.e. pit toilets, running water, and trail access to majorly awesome backcountry hiking the Walupt Lake is the place for you and your next adventure," recommends Jesselyn G.
Campsite selection: Choose sites with adequate space for both horses and family activities. "They have horse tie ups and an elevated ramp for easier mounting of horses. For a free campground this is one of the nicest ones I've been to. Picnic tables and a fire ring at every camp site," notes Jacob V. about Tree Phone Campground.
Trailer considerations: Horse trailers require specific planning at White Pass campgrounds. "We found a site right by the river. Some shaded sites are available too. Camp host was very friendly and helpful," notes Dave L. about Hause Creek Campground, which accommodates some trailer types.
Site accessibility: Evaluate access roads before attempting horse trailer entry. "The road is quite bumpy, and the river is dry. But there are plenty of spots to camp that are level with rock fire pits," advises Evan D. about dispersed camping options.
Hookup limitations: Most equestrian camping areas lack water or electrical connections. "There is no running water at this time so bring your own," cautions Stephanie S., emphasizing the need for self-sufficiency with horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near White Pass, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near White Pass, WA is Bumping Lake Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 16 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near White Pass, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 equestrian camping locations near White Pass, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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