Are you planning a trip to Wishram with your horse? We've got you covered. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. With our help, you'll find the best Washington equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
The Campground sits along Panther Creek at the intersection of the Pacific Crest Trail. Driving on FR65, 4.7 miles upstream from the campground, visitors can enjoy an easy hike to Panther Falls. __Campers can enjoy the privacy provided by a variety of shade-loving plants and a thick forest of cedars, ash, firs and alder.
Hikers have close access to the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans 2,663 miles from Mexico to Canada. Outstanding scenic views are available all along this trail.
Located in southwest Washington State, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument established by Congress in 1982. Panther Creek Campground is located in the Mt. Adams Ranger District. Elevations here range between 1,200 feet at the Wind River Work Center, 12 miles north of Carson, WA and 12,276 feet at the summit of Mt. Adams. The Mount Adams Ranger District offers a diverse array of habitats and natural features, from old growth to second growth forest, wetland areas, low and high elevation meadows, glaciers, and low and high elevation lakes.
This location has limited staffing. Please call (509) 427-3677 for general information.
Panther Creek Campground makes a great base to explore Mount Adams and the Columbia River Gorge. The town of Carson is nearby, which is known for its hot springs. It also has a golf course, restaurants and shopping.
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
$25 / night
Located on beautiful Badger Creek, at the foot of the Badger Creek Wilderness, this popular campground appeals to those who enjoy fishing, hiking, or horseback riding. This quiet campground is located along Badger Creek at one of the portals to the Badger Creek Wildnerness. Visitors who camp at this campground can access the eastern end of the Badger Creek Trail.
$16 / night
Forlorn Lakes, one of the most popular campgrounds in the southern part of the forest, offers 25 campsites scattered around the wooded shores of small, picturesque lakes. Swimming and fishing are possible in the larger lakes. Huckleberry bushes grow in the campground and surrounding area making this site very popular during huckleberry season. The campsites at a maximum 18 feet long are suitable for tent camping and small campers or RV's. The day use area has lake views, picnic tables, and fire rings. The campground is very popular, the camping spots fill early in the week. Forlorn Lakes offers nearby access to Indian Heaven via the East Crater Trailhead.
$10 - $20 / night
Riley Campground is an equestrian facility located northwest of Oregon's majestic Mt. Hood. Horse corrals are tucked into the forest near the campsites, and several horseback riding trails can be accessed from the campground. A variety of recreational and sightseeing opportunities are available for visitors to enjoy.
Several hiking, biking and horseback riding trails can be accessed from the campground, including the 5.3-mile Cast Creek Trail, which was reconstructed in 1998 and leads from the campground to the Zigzag Mountain Trail. Combined with the nearby 4.9-mile Horseshoe Ridge Trail and part of the Zigzag Mountain Trail, visitors can make a nearly 14-mile excursion. The Sandy River Trail follows the river and stretches about 3 miles. Fishing is available in nearby Lost Creek, as well as the Sandy River, which is not far from the campground. Anglers can expect a variety of trout, salmon and whitefish. The rivers are popular for fly fishing. Scenic drives and picnicking are also popular activities.
The campground is situated in the Old Maid Flat geologic area of Mt. Hood National Forest at an elevation of about 2,100 feet. It sits alongside Lost Creek and is near the Sandy Wild and Scenic River. A variety of wildlife makes its home in the area.
For facility specific information, please call (503) 622-3191.
A deviation from the road coming into the campground (Forest Road 1825), will lead to a trailhead for spectacular Ramona Falls, on the Sandy River. The 7.1-mile, moderately difficult trail leads to cascading waterfalls and is one of the most popular hikes in Mt. Hood National Forest.
$19 - $25 / night
Scout
A nice, woodsy campground, with lots of privacy between camp sites. Nice flat and level outlined areas for us tent campers. Only down side was that it was a bit of a hike to the restroom (the National Forest site map showed one near the entrance where there wasn't one). While I reserved, mid-week there were a number of open sites for those without reservations. Some of the sites are really large and can handle a bigger group. Some PCT hikers stayed here due trail closure further north due to forest fire. Would recommend.
GuideDeeply forested, gorgeous, well spaced sites, located up an easy road, nearest cell signal is about 4 toward Carson.
GuideMy favorite type of campground! Feels remote, quiet, clean, well established with giant mossy trees and a river rushing through the camp.
The pit toilets were very clean and there were only 3 or 4 other groups camping.
The sound of the creek lulled us to sleep and we woke bright and early to the sound of birds and chittering squirrels.
We stayed in site 19. The sites have a lot of green space between them so I would imagine that even if there were a lot of people in the campground, it wouldn’t feel crowded. There were also lots of paths that led to the river.
10/10 would recommend and we’ll be visiting there again.
Guide
Great camp spot at site 16 with lots of room for tents and two picnic tables for a large group. The private path to the lake was the best part.
Heads up there are gravel roads to get to the campground but nothing too rough.
GuideWe stayed in a spot that was right at the bridge. Great for at least 2/3 cars. We had 2 tents. Trees for hammocks. Fire pit. Nice place to forage a bit while walking around.
TravelerGot one of the few first come first served slots, a couple left when arriving at 4pm on a Monday. Slots were well equipped with fire pits, table and plenty of space to camp and park. Great, clean toilets and water pump. Only downside was sites were quite close together with not much privacy
GuideWe camped here with our UMCI Motorcycle Group, and had a great time. Good power sites, even though we were in our Motorcycle tent trailer. Open area sites, but also some with trees. Beautiful areas to explore close by. Saw our first lawnmower races in Wamic, so fun!
Guide
Lots of things to do and see in the area and this is a nice place to rest as its very quiet but easy to get to.
TravelerThis is a county fair grounds with lots of RV space for all sizes. Self register at the gate and find your spot. Nice rest room and showers. Borders a large cattle ranch so you may hear cattle mooing but that’s about it. Very peaceful!
TravelerWent after labor day and the campground was mostly empty. Nice creek for a quick swim. Closes for season in mid Sept.
GuideHonestly not sure what we were expecting when we stayed here last weekend, but WOW it could be our new favorite. Quiet, secluded, somewhat close (less then two hours from home), and beautiful. Situated on the Pacific Crest Trail, we hiked a bit of it and met a few people who had been hiking for months, starting on the Mexico boarder! Gorgeous stretch of the trail! The creek is pristine. Dogs had fun cooling off after our hike. We typically like staying where we have electricity and water but the grounds were so beautiful that it didn’t matter. You couldn’t camp here with a larger RV. Our 30-footer maxed out the parking spot and was the only one we saw. Most come with tents or pop-up trailers. Great specs for multiple tents. We will definitely be back here soon.
RangerWe love this area! Will keep coming back!
RangerStumbled upon a great spot at one of the forlorn lakes. Spot 14 Very quiet and serene location.
RangerVery quiet, first come first serve camp sites off the beaten path. We will be back!
Traveler
Overall I loved the campsite the horse pens were huge and we used them to help hang our hammocks. There is a bunch hiking trails nearby including Ramona falls up the road. It was a quiet site and the neighbors were all very respectful. The sites are close together which is one of the downfalls and when we were there, the bugs were crazy and it felt like we were being attacked.
Travelerwe love panther creek. It is a most comfortable place to camp. Peaceful, lots of trees. The creek providing wonderful white noise. Could not ask for a better place to park your rv or tent.
TravelerNice campground that doesn’t feel crowded at all. Some camp sots are better situated then others, so do research before making reservation. Restrooms were clean, host was very friendly and helpful and everyone in the campground was doing great about keeping social distance as of Aug 2020. River was easy to talk to for fishing. Still pretty cold to swim in. PCT was a great for day hikes. Definitely on our list to return to!
ScoutI’ve been there twice since and it’s still amazes me how beautiful the scenery is. Roads can be very bump but it’s worth it
ScoutI’ve camped here with the horses a few times for AERC endurance rides. It’s well maintained and a beautiful little valley. Lots of good spots to choose from. At our ride events we have 50+ horse trailers and we always have space. Love the area!
ScoutI discovered these lakes about a year ago and OMG I am obsessed. The campsites are unparalleled. All are lakeside on "private lakes". The only way to gain access to the lakes it through the campsites (the rest of the lake is overgrown and inaccessible). Many of the lakes in the PNW are filled with people but these are pristine alpine lakes. The restrooms (vault toilets) were clean. The only negative is how popular this spot has become. Unless you arrive on a Sunday afternoon or Monday, I think you are SOL. There are a lot of dispersed sites around the area but none as nice as Forlorn Lakes.
ps- the road turns to gravel about 15 minutes before you reach the site and its pretty bumpy in some spots. Take it SLOWWW.
LegendThis is a great campground in a nice forest setting. Nice big sites with a level tent pad. Multiple access points to the creek and the PCT is just outside the campground. Water, pit toilets(clean) and firewood are available. Good spacing between sites, but not a ton of privacy. Saw lots of birds.
GuideBeautiful lakes. The forest was lush, green and spotless. Our spot, 7, one of the lower lakes, was a great site. lake access, though no luck with fishing. The smaller lake this site backs up to is great for swimming and kayak/paddle-boarding. Neighbors were respectful. Trailer access limited to this area. Extremely quiet at night. Will definitely be revisiting these lakes! For fishing, I recommend the upper (biggest) lake in the area.
GuideWe 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.
Guide
I wouldn’t say its a”campground” since it’s dispersed camping but that’s what I prefer. Good spots to set up camp. Be prepared it can get quite chilly overnight.
RangerI've been here several times, most recently in December 2018. It's nice that it's still accessible when other roads are starting to close for the winter. The falls still had some flow. Picnic tables and fire rings are provided. There's also potable water and vault toilets. I think they take reservations during the open season, around April-October, and the cost is $24/night
GuideStayed here a couple of nights. Our site was a tenting site, but we were in our mini Meerkat camper and we fit (our choice). Almost abandoned, probably because of huge hail storm. Friendly host “Dutch” and a few walk about simple hiking paths. Bathrooms and showers very nice (coin op on the showers). Road noise was pretty loud, especially for the campsites further into the campground. But, tall pines all around us, and very uncrowded. Wouldn’t want to come here if it were full, the sites are very close together. We were at the end of a very long trip, and we were happy to find any easy place to stay just inside WA. There are no stores nearby, so get your groceries in Goldendale!
GuideThis is my go-to campground when visiting the Gorge area. Located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just north of the town of Carson. Its about a 20 minute drive to the Columbia river, and 10 minutes to the small town of Carson. Its tucked away down a beautiful Forest road. You are nestled amongst towering old growth trees, wild ferns and thimbleberries, with Panther Creek running alongside the camp. The 2018 season had excellent campground hosts, I hope they return next year! They were very friendly and had helpful tips for trails in the area.
The pit toilets were clean, though heavy smell of ammonia which is not unusual at campgrounds like this. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. There are potable water pumps, as well as garbage and recycling. Frequented mainly by families, and some PCT hikers, as it is located just of the PCT trail. They have first come first serve as well as reservable sites. It fills up quickly on the weekends, so if you dont have a site reserved I highly recommend getting there early. Each regular site is $18 a night. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Wishram, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Wishram, WA is Panther Creek Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 19 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Wishram, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Wishram, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
