Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Evanston is the way to go. Finding a place to camp in Wyoming with your horse is easier than ever. These scenic and easy-to-reach Evanston campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Mirror Lake Campground is located just off the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway on the shores of its beautiful namesake lake at an elevation of 10,400 feet. The byway cuts through the Uinta Mountains, which are known for their abundant recreational opportunities and scenic beauty.
Mirror Lake offers great canoeing and kayaking opportunities. Anglers enjoy fishing for rainbow trout. The lake is open only to non-motorized watercraft. A gravel-surfaced interpretive nature trail circles the lake. Visitors of all ages enjoy learning about local flora and fauna through a series of educational displays scattered along the trail. Many hiking, biking, horse and off-road vehicle trails crisscross this beautiful region, including trails to Bonnie Lake, Scudder Lake and Naturalist Basin, all part of the Highline Trail. Fehr Lake Trail begins just outside the campground. Bald Mountain Trail can be accessed nearby.
Mirror Lake is situated at the base of the 11,943-foot Bald Mountain. The campground lies among a forest of white fir trees, which provides partial shade. Colorful summer wildflowers dot the landscape. Summer temperatures range from 65-75 degrees during the day to 40-50 degrees at night.
For facility specific information, please call (385) 273-1100.
Mirror Lake Scenic Byway parallels the Lower Provo River as it snakes across a portion of the Uinta Mountains, leading to numerous high alpine lakes and streams, countless trails, breathtaking scenic viewpoints and various campgrounds. Fishing, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and biking are popular activities. The High Uintas Wilderness can be accessed from several trails along the byway.
Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer 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. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under "Late Cancellations" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees. Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure. Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as "Recreation.gov 877-444-6777." Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July 2018.
$53 - $78 / night
North Fork Park is a 2600-acre camping and outdoor gem located in Liberty, Utah on the eastern side of the Wasatch Mountain Range. North Fork Park has four qualities that set it apart from many other Dark Sky Parks: urban adjacency, intense focus on wildlife, an extensive outreach program, and innovative public art incorporating dark skies themes. The combination of these characteristics results in a unique dark sky experience for the approximately 2.2 million people living along the adjacent Wasatch Front.
$30 - $40 / night
From the Henry Fork Trailhead (approx. 9400 feet elev.) the trail gains very little elevation during the first 5.5 miles with several lakes to camp by along the way. The first lake reached is Alligator Lake. At just under 3 miles from the trailhead, this beautiful lake is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a nice, easy introduction to the altitude and rigors of backpacking. After passing Alligator Lake the trail continues on the Henry's Fork Trail for another 3 miles. At this point, you'll reach a trail junction known as ElkHorn Crossing.
You can take the trail heading due south. This trail is the most direct route. After 2 miles, it will pass by the most popular lake in the area, Dollar Lake, which has a numbers of excellent established campsites near by.
This is an unpaved campground with no hook-ups. The nearest phone is 8 miles away. Popular local recreation activities include ATV trail riding, stream fishing and hiking.
This timbered campground is popular for the local fishing and is close to the lake. This campground has no water available
This timbered trailhead is popular for local fishing, stream and hiking. It provides wilderness access.
Guide
We found a FF site right by the creek, close to the cold canyon waterfall trail head. The water levels were high so the creek was running pretty fast which made it loud but honestly it drowned out any noise from neighbors a it was perfect. Love the hikes, love the shade, just an awesome camp site.
Toilets flush! Just gotta bring a light
Close enough to drive to town for anything you might have forgotten.
Ranger
We stayed here while backpacking king's peak. It's the best camping spot to do so. It's a beautiful area and you have access to shade and water.
TravelerWe absolutely loved this campground. So many cool spots available. No reservations, but we had no problem at all finding a spot. The managers were great to talked to. Many cool hikes in the area.
Scoutgot in well past dark but found a great little camping spot near the south entrance. super cold!!!
GuideThis park is beautiful. Arrived around 2pm on a Friday and stayed at Cutler Flats. Didn't look at the other campgrounds so can't speak to them in particular. Drove up and down the loop and most were available at that time. All but one site was taken by night time. Stayed in site 12 which was a great spot. It's next to the bathroom, but didn't notice any smell. Felt pretty private, lots of trees and brush between sites. This spot in particular had a large open space with beautiful views of the mountains. Great spot if you need solar. Sun was on us more than other spots that were tucked into the trees. Lots of beautiful hiking trails where we only passed one other party. Would love to come back.
GuideNice campground close to beautiful trails, with private and group sites available. Close to Pineview reservoir and the small town of Eden. Good shady spots with picnic tables.
GuideWe live so close we’re at this park all the time. Spent a weekend camping with friends. Got lucky and lined up the three spots in a row right by the creek (last three before the trail up to the falls). Was a great time with good people. Bathrooms were clean and camp host was nice and helpful.
TravelerThis campground has been a friends and family favorite for many years.
My husband and I recently took our toddler and infant here and had a blast. They found joy in simply throwing pebbles in the creek and making mud. Before we had kids, we would bike and hike along the different trails. There’s a short waterfall hike, but also a long hike that will take you up to Ben Lomond Peak & cut across to Willard Peak. Go when there’s no smoke and you’ll have breathtaking views (I’d say May & June are your best bet).
Back to camping: there’s a tiny-creek front, meadow, shaded and unshaded, and a specific area for if you bring horses. You choose what you want.
You can reserve a spot (we did this and were very grateful since we had to keep leaving and coming back). We had service this last time too in July 2021 for the first time (T-Mobile). Hubby was able to work remotely just fine.
GuideIf you want shade, check out the Cold Water Canyon Loop. The bathroom was close to my site. However, I had to drive to Loop A to get water for washing. Lots if biting flies.
TravelerWe’ve camped all over in North Fork sites! Our family has our anual family reunion in Mustang Flats every summer, CW8 & CW9 are great for 5 families because they’re connected by a little road, and the very 1st site coming in through the middle gate is great for a small family! Clean bathrooms throughout, hike to the waterfall or ride the mountain bike trail! All sizes of sites for all sizes of groups! First come first serves except for large group sites.
Scout
This was a short weekend getaway for us. Nice campsites near a creek. It is a little close to the highway but there wasn’t much traffic. The shingle creek trailhead was close and the hiking is beautiful. We saw a moose about 30 feet from our campsite drinking from the creek. Clean but minimal restrooms.
GuideWE LOVE NORTH FORK CAMPGROUND!!! Have for YEARS and years! We first started camping up there before we got married or had our first childrens, so over 17 years ago now. It has always been a great family spot to camp. Clean, well taken care of, and for the most part the folks that come up camping there treat it and other campers with respect. There's always going to be exceptions, but seems to be few and far between compared with other campgrounds.
We've never had any problems finding a spot, being comfortable and enjoying our time up there. The camp hosts have ALWAYS been friendly, helpful and professional. If y'all ever need a new camp host, just give me a holler!
each of the sites seem to have plenty of space for any time of camping you do, and are well tended in between seasons and visitors. And even with the ample size of each site, you don't feel like you're in your neighbor's lap. And who could complain about being in the mountains?!
ScoutThere was bathrooms and water hook ups (for holding tanks) plenty to see and the seclusion was also nice, granted we were ther on a Thursday. Come prepped and enjoy the area.
Guide
I love camping here because of all of the available spaces, also the trails for hiking are amazing and there are so many options. We hiked up to Ruth Lake and had a picnic there, we saw a lot of people going up that way who were backpacking.
Ranger
Literally the most perfect place ever minus the crowd but the waters are insane!
RangerI have backpacked in the Uintas for several years and have driven past this lake many times, but never stayed there. I am glad we did.
The good:
The not so good:
Scout
A great, quiet campsite in the Northern Uintas. About 40 campsites, that are a mix of wooded and lakefront sites. No potable water available. Clean vault toilets available throughout the campground. Easy water access for kayaks and other small watercraft. Lots of ATV trails are nearby so there were quite a few ATVs around camp. About 40 minutes down a dirt road off the main road. Easily passable in any car. Past Hoop Lake the road gets rockier and sandier so higher clearance/4WD necessary.
GuideWhile the sites are uninspiring with very few shade trees, the beach is right there, the sand is nice, and one can wade out quite far in the water to lounge all day. The hosts were super--they went out of their way to go get us firewood in their golf cart as we weren't able to do this with just our motorcycles available.
The one dig on this which isn't reported elsewhere is that this thing is downwind from a cow pasture, and boy do you know it during the height of the day when its warm and the breeze is filling your nostrils with that fresh dairy smell. Again, get down to the beachfront and stay there.
GuideMirror Lake is one of my all time favorite camp areas. The designated camp sites are nice but the dispersed camping down the trails are even more beautiful, while close to the rest of the camps, that true feeling of isolation can be achieved. I would recommend mid July-September as the ideal times to camp here. We actually had a local join our camp one night who brought a drum, a flute, and a didgeridoo. It was transcendent.
TravelerEnough trees to keep your site private, able to fit a 30' trailer in over 75% of their spots, and holy cow the number of spots they have, this place is the size of 4 good sized camp grounds combined. Fire pits and picnic tables included, but that's all that's included so pack your generator and fill your water.... 5 stars it's exactly the get away we were looking for.
ScoutThis is an absolutely amazing place. Sits in the heart of the Uintas with the perfect view, unfortunately everyone knows its the best and very difficult to find a spot. Online reservations fill up 6 months in advance, the day they are available and drive ups are tough to find.
ScoutThis place is favorite spot to camp if I’m staying local. There are so many spots, and they are all very private. The Camp hosts are great! There’s a hidden waterfall you can hike too, and a river runs through the park. It’s a must!
ScoutWe were there Thursday through Saturday and had a great time! Be warned that the bathrooms smell pretty strongly. Our site (62) was right next to it and we could smell orders from our camp.
The sites themselves were really nice. Plenty of space for parking and tents, and every spot had a picnic table and fire pit. 👍🏻
TravelerGreat place for car camping. Wonderful hikes around as well. Big enough area for family reunions and weddings.
LegendCampground Review:
This is our favorite drive-up campsite in the Uintas just because of the amount there is to do in the area! Nearby by is the namesake lake for not only the campground but the Highway as well. It is a gorgeous lake with views of both Bald Mountain to the west and Hayden peak to the northeast. Each year at least a thousand rainbow trout are stocked with numerous other trout including tiger and brook. We've had good luck fishing there with a classic bubble and fly and other lures like a Jake lure or a spinner.
As for the actual campground there are over 60 sites of which all of them will fill on a summer weekend so get there early!. If you are camping during the week, however, you can still find some solitude as the parties will be a little more spaced out but again no solitude like you can find backpacking only 1/2 mile from most trail heads. Each campground has a picnic table and fire ring, while some also have corrals for livestock. Vault toilets are interspersed throughout the campsites.
Some specifics about things to do in the area include hiking for a little bit on the Highline Trail at the east end of the campground. This trail spans the entire spine of the Uintas from west to east or vice versa. Which is uinique in itself because the Uintas are the tallest east west mountain range in the Lower 48. Most people that take the trail take the ridge line through to Kings Peak and out Painters Basin by Atwood Lake. Very close by is also a great climbing area known as the Cobrazone. It contains easy to intermediate trad and sport routes with an approach sport route that lands you on top of a large ledge, "The Cobrazone", which gets you access to the rest of the routes!
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, we occasionally to get products to test! While at Mirror Lake Campground we tested the Chicken Fried Rice freeze-dried meal by Mountain House from their 5-day emergency meal kit. We ate the meal off a point on the east side of the lake while fishing during one of our days there.
Chicken Fried Rice:
Pros:
Cons:
As they have been in business since 1969 Mountain House definitely delivers a quality product and even if Fried Rice isn't your flavor, we're pretty sure you'll be able to find something you like, as long as you're a meat eater. Unfortunately there's not many vegetarian options
Chicken Fried Rice: 4/5 Tastes great, more of a side than entree
TravelerBeautiful higher altitude camping. RV's and tent camping. No electricity or water hookups. No showers and pit toilets. Allow horses in the horse section of the campground. Lake you can canoe, kayak no motorized crafts allwed. Fishing and swimming in the lake. Nice hiking around the lake.
LegendThis is one of the first campgrounds one comes across while heading north along Mirror Lake Hwy. Like some of the other campgrounds along the Hwy it is fairly close to the road and therefore traffic noise is an issue. There is a creek that runs between the campground and the road but it was such a slow flow it doesn't really do much to drown out the noise. The only positive to this slow moving stream is that beavers have taken up residence here and have created a pretty little beaver dam and pond! To get away from the noise of the Hwy one can take the nearby Shingle Creek TH to East Shingle Creek Lake or Big Elk Lake for some fishing. As with other campgrounds, water is not available due to the dry winter so bring all that you will need. To stay here you'll need to pay $18 a night for the campground and for the Mirror Lake Rec. Pass for $6 for 3 days and $12 for the week
Horse camping in Wyoming offers a unique way to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the companionship of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the scenic trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Evanston, WY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Evanston, WY is Mirror Lake - Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest with a 4.6-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Evanston, WY?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Evanston, WY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
