Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Ripley? It's easy to find Ripley campgrounds for horse camping with The Dyrt. Search horse campsites and discover top-rated spots, as reviewed by other campers.
There are 78 primitiive campsites and one group site available for organized groups. Latrines, waste drains, picnic tables and fire rings are provided 10 sites are available for campers with pets
Mountwood Park Family Campground offers 87 campsites suitable for tents, trailers and recreational vehicles. The campground has 16 full hookup sites, 64 sites with electric/water and 7 primitive sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Multiple bathhouses are located throughout the campground offering hot showers and clean restroom facilities. Firewood, ice, souvenirs and camping supplies are available from the campground host while on duty. Families can enjoy a variety of campground activities throughout the season. A playground and New Nature Trail are also available for registered campers.
Want to go camping but not in a tent? Then try one of Mountwood’s Primitive Cabins located in Mountwood Family Campground. Each cabin comes equipped with electric, two sets of bunk beds, ceiling fans/lights and a table with four chairs. Each Primitive Cabin has a fire ring and a charcoal grill and is located near the bathhouse and playground. Maximum occupancy is four pe
Do you want to have a lake view from your tent? Do you want to step outside your campsite into your boat and start fishing at the morning first light? If so, one of Mountwood’s five Lakeside Campsites is for you. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The Lakeside Campsites are rented on a first come/first serve basis and are available for rent year round.
We have a horse camp too!
$20 - $40 / night
$20 / night
Primitive camping is allowed at no charge at the trailhead, but only during the horse and mountain bike riding open season.
$10 - $45 / night
This horse camp is a large level field with ample area for trailers and horses. Some hitching rails are provided. This camping area is open year-round and is kept mowed and has a capacity for approximately 100 people and horses to camp. This campground and trailhead are part of the Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System. The Lake Vesuvius horseback trails system 46.66 miles long and is composed of 9 trails, 4 trailheads, and one horse campground. The Lake Vesuvius horse trails wind through some of the most striking landscapes in Ohio. They will lead you through a variety of vegetation where many species of wildlife live. You will ride along rock cliffs, water falls, streams and along ridge tops. Expect to see open fields, brushland, mature forest, and young forests. Along the way, you will notice man's influence and land management activities.
Guide
Was a “okay” small area to stay at for free. There was a lot of bees, yellow jackets. The bathroom was clean, but the "non-flush" toilet was just gross.
TravelerParking for regular cars is 100 yards before restroom (the others are for horse trailers only). Close to the restroom there’s a picnic table, tentspots and a manual water pump. A lot of insects, humid and dense deciduous forest surrounding the trailhead. The Kinderhook trail was overgrown. The Paw Paw trail on the other hand was very smooth, dry and wide. The trail leads to the top of the hill.
ScoutArea is dedicated to horse trail riding. Nice clean area just off main road.Can camp here in certain spots. Not much area to camp. No fire rings, one picnic table. Definitely only for very small camper, car camp, or tent, small group. Nice trails. Seem to be well maintained. Does have a small hand pump water spigot. Has no flush vault toilet. No hook-ups of any kind. I did not camp here due to severe weather warnings. With att had 2 to 3 bars cell service.
Scout
Only stayed for a night but it was very quiet and only a handful of other campers. All the sites seemed relatively level. Some of the electric hookups had damage but being able to choose your spot upon arrival helped. We arrived in pouring rain and had no issues with our campsite when we could see it in the morning lol.
Bathrooms and showers were relatively clean and accommodating.
Seemed a lot like a hidden gem and I definitely recommend. Especially if you have a dog. Across the street, the park portion of this campground has a dog park, playground, historical site and pond for fishing
FYI . Most of the sites seemed small so it might be best for smaller setups. Also I did not see any pull through sites.
Scout
Stayed 2 nights at camper cabin in April. Lake Hill Cabins runs the campground and boat rentals. The prices advertised on their website are not accurate. Expect to pay about 25% more. The cabins are supposed to have solar lighting. There is a handwritten sign saying the lights don’t work taped to the light switch.
Traveler
We have hiked in and hammock camped at Zaleski a handful of times. Twice it rained so much some of the trails were uncrossable but even then we still enjoyed ourselves. The is one spot about 3 miles in that is pretty far off trail, flat and on top of a hill. It's where we usually start our trip.
GuideThis is an extremely primitive place that is not run by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It is run by the same woman who runs the boat rentals at several other state parks in SE Ohio- this is her business. There are very few amenities here. There are pit toilets, potable water towards the front, and that's it. There is a road that runs alongside the entire length of the campground, right at the edge, so you can hear cars and coming and going, especially at night. I was here in late October, so I can't attest to whether this place has a loud party atmosphere like many other state parks, but it seemed pretty chill, probably due to the fact that you can't reserve a site in advance- you pay when you arrive, and pick your spot then. The boat house's hours said they were still open for the season, but I arrived long after they were supposed to open according to their hours listed on the door, and I never saw a person all day. So I went to go rent a boat at a different place. All in all, the campground is fine, just the traffic along the road was a bit annoying, and the sites are not very wide- you are close to your neighbors and there is nothing separating the sites.
Guide
This is a great campground that runs along the ridge above Lake Hope. Tons of great spots. Not a lot of privacy, but still great. Good hiking all around and the lake is beautiful.
ScoutSites are only rented in person once you arrive, they have clear instructions at the entrance. Sites were nice and level, but a bit on the smaller side. Plenty of trails for hiking around the park.
GuideLook, just go find some dispersed places out in the national forest instead of ending up here. The campsites are usually littered with trash and the latrines smell for a good distance - you'd be better off digging a hole.
RangerI stayed one night at the group site for the Thunderbunny trail races. It was raining and I was prepared and just slept in my car, as many others did. Group site is set off from the main campground which is nice - it was quiet and felt remote. Just one portajohn. I'm not sure if there was water because I didn't need it. Strouds is a beautiful park for trail running, during all seasons, I love it! Also great spot for kayaking!
ScoutA place of wonder
GuideEnjoyed the campground, but the sites were very sloped and the rv sites were pretty close together. We stayed at one of the more spread out sites. I’d go again, but they should maybe make some tent pads for the tent sites.
GuideGreat area. Camped here with my friends and I’ve been here on a backpacking trip through OU. That being said there are backpacking trails and hiking trails as well as mtn biking. It’s huge. Millions of spots. Pretty expensive (50$? A night) for a place with thousands of spots to camp at. The general store is cute and has everything you need. Must be a confusing place at night because a group of people harassed us when we were sleeping telling us that we were in the wrong spot. They ended up sleeping in the spot next to us and slept off their anger.
ScoutWe love Lake Hope. Many trails to hike. The lake is beautiful and there is a very nice lodge for meals. They offer paddle board, kayak and other rentals which was a blast.
Legend
Ole' Henry's has a very nice setup with a Giovannis pizza restaurant and camp store on site. It is privately owned and the owners are very nice. Vicky and her family run it with some workers that make it very nice. The showers stalls can accommodate about 7-8 people at a time in the men's and women's bathrooms.
The playground are has a nice swing set and a couple big wooden play structures. There is blain drain pipe slides coming off one of the hillsides that is a kid favorite. they also have a little 55 gallon barrel train ride for little kids. The creek nearby offers up a good, safe swimming hole for all the kids and adults.
Giovanni's pizza restaurant on site has wifi. This campground is located out in God's country. Its very beautiful and is near several attractions with 5 minutes to the Mud river and about half an hour to Waterways water park. Of course you're in the heart of the Hatfield and MCcoy trail ride system. The coal river is nearby for float trips. There really is a lot to do in the area and after a fun filled day you can come back and relax at Ole' Henry's after having a nice meal. The website shows the restaurant menu and all of the prices for tents & RV's. They also have cabins to rent on a back section of the property out of view of the tent and RV sites.
Not to mention they have a store where you can buy almost anything you might need in case you forget something.
There is a pony that lives on the site and is very friendly. It scavenges for free food and the children love it. There is also a few cats or so that live on site and is very friendly to children.
TravelerThe park is nice and well maintained. The loop we were in was super cramped. We are in a popup camper and I have no idea how the folks in large trailers navigated and got set up. There is not much space between you and the next site. Only space for one car per spot. Very little cell reception which was just fine for us! Pit toilets and a few flushing ones next to the showers. I would also say you can’t walk to the lake from the campground (at least not easily) so that’s another negative. Not sure we’ll be back here
GuideLake Hope was super crowded and the sites felt like they were literally on top of each other. It also was not super clear on which site was which. Our site was on a hill, but there were 2 sites, one at the bottom and one midway down so we had to ask. Luckily both were not booked and they let us use whichever we wanted, so we picked the bottom of the hill.
There were plenty of hiking trails and at the lake you can rent kayaks for the day!
GuideWe have stayed here a couple of times in a tent and a class a motor home.
The campground is pretty secluded but beautiful rolling hills. While the site we stayed in with the motorhome was fairly level, sites are mostly small and tight on hilly terrain. That said, I would still recommend this as a nice weekend getaway
One of our visits was during hunting season and both the campground and the cabins were mostly being used by hunting parties.
This is also close enough in proximately to serve as an alternative camping area for visiting Hocking Hills
GuideCampground was well maintained, even the pit toilets. Our campsite was huge #46. But some sites seemed very small. It’s a short drive to the lake house for the beach and boat rental. The food at the Lodge is delicious! The drive to get there was rough. Don’t count on GPS. Look it up and plan it out before you go.
GuideWe stopped here on Thanksgiving on our way South. Self paying, off season was $15. But the restrooms were closed. There were only 3 other sides occupied. Nice little campground in the Appalachian Foothills. Be aware that Google maps doesn't send you to the campground but to a parking lot at the Lake (25 min detour). So make sure you follow the State Park signs.
GuideSeveral campsites are on a slope so this calls for being creative with placement of tent.
Firewood available for purchase on site.
Lake Hope lodge provides great warm and dry spot for delicious food.
Several activities available, fishing available anywhere on the lake, kayak rental for $10 and good size lake.
Very clean pit toliets and running water available dispersed throughout the park. Several hiking trails, zaleski is nearby, hocking hills is 30 minutes away. Moonville tunnel and iron furnace in the area.
GuideVisited Zaleski in the spring and encountered some muddy hills to climb up and down. Camp sites were further than expected as you would see a sign indicating camp areas. It took some adjusting, several forms of maps and learning curve of what they indicated, where and how they correlated to the trail. Not a simple just backpack and you'll get there, but really looking at your map and compass or if you're lucky all trails app if you have phone signal. Plenty of trees, flowers and nature to enjoy. If recent rainfall in the area be mindful of the mud. Beautiful trail And well worth the challenge here in Ohio.
TravelerThe campground was pretty much empty. There are a few permanents there but we had it all to ourselves. Covid still has every other site coned off. It was clean though. Went for a hike on the park side around the lake. Several trails. Alot of ATV and dirtbikes came in on the weekend.
Ranger
Stayed: 9/6/2020 - FREE
Site: Left fire pit facing toilet
This campground is the equestrian Kinderhook Trailhead within Wayne National Forest.
I didn't know what to expect for a dispersed campground at a trailhead. We pulled in and there was one couple setup at a designated site (picnic table and fire pit). As we drove around the trailhead, we found a second designated site. The forest website says dispersed camping is allowed and fires are allowed with a 10 foot clearance and a ring of rocks. So when we pulled up and saw picnic tables and fire pits provided, I was a little confused. I'd assume you'd also be allowed to create your own site, if the two designated sites are taken. There's not a ton of room, but I'd say another 5 sites could setup and be somewhat spread out. It is an open area, so there wouldn't be physical privacy, although the tall trees provide shade.
With it being an equestrian trail, there were a lot of horses and trailers throughout the day. Before sunset, everyone cleared out and only campers remained.
One vault toilet and perfect AT&T and Sprint cell service.
#DareToEverywhere
GuideStayed over Labor Day Weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the site we got for booking only a week in advance! Would stay again!
- Many sites are quite sloped and slanted, but this cannot be determined by pictures online. With that said, all sites appeared to have a spot for at least 1 tent cleared away and the picnic table and fire ring in a secure location.
- Most sites only had room for one car parked at the site
- Clean pit style restrooms! With running water restrooms dispersed through the campground.
- Lake Hope was a good size for kayaking (and rentals were open and only ~$10 per person per hour for various boating devices).
- Fishing allowed anywhere!
- Cool hiking trails throughout to see caves, The Hope Furnace, and water features!
- Only ~30-40min from all the must see attractions of Hocking Hills and surrounding area!
- Camp Store with wood, ice, etc.
ScoutBackpacked there for 3 days/2 nights. Good trail and campsites had water, but it can get a little humid and buggy there.
West Virginia offers a unique experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to both riders and their equine companions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Ripley, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Ripley, WV is Lake Hope State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 34 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Ripley, WV?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Ripley, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.
