Horse Camping 101: How do I find places to stay?

Lily
Nov 2
4 min read

Eager to get out for an overnight with your horse and hit the trails? Planning a road trip and need places to layover for the night? If you’re unsure of how to find horse-friendly campgrounds, here’s some tips and tricks I’ve picked up.

Start by asking yourself some questions to identify what you’re looking for in a place to stay:

Are you just passing through or planning to stay for a few days?
Do you need amenities like horse pens or RV hookups?
How much are you looking to spend?
How big is your rig? Do you need somewhere with easy parking access?

Once you’ve figured out what your needs are, it's time to think about what kind of campsite would be the best fit. I’ve identified five major categories of horse campgrounds, which vary based on factors like amenities, trail access and price point.

Developed horse campgrounds on public land are personally some of my favorite places to stay. They generally offer the best balance of amenities and access to trails, but they do come with some downsides. Some sites don’t have water, trailer access can be tricky, and occasionally campers without equines will take over the few horse sites available (a personal pet peeve!) My advice for camping in parks or national forests is to do your research ahead of time and call a local ranger station if you can to check conditions before your trip.

Dispersed camping is the least beginner-friendly, but the cheapest and often most scenic option. You can camp for free on a lot of BLM land, but you must provide your own containment set-up and water for your horses. If you’re packing into the wilderness, many areas require a permit and/or reservation. You’ll definitely want to do a lot of planning ahead of time before heading out on a backcountry horse camping trip, and it’s not a very convenient option for those traveling due to the amount of time it takes to set up camp.

Private horse camps are often located near national parks or recreation areas, but don’t always have the most direct trail access. Since they are privately owned, they have less regulations and typically nicer horse and human amenities, like showers, electrical hookups, convenience stores, and sometimes even arenas or round pens. The biggest downsides are price and ease of booking and checking in, which can be tricky for folks who are traveling.

Fairgrounds are widely used by people hauling horses on long trips and can be very convenient, if not luxurious. In my experience, the quality of pens and stalls differs greatly between areas, but you can generally count on a safe place to keep your horse for the night all year long. The majority of fairgrounds are self check-in and designed for travelers coming and going at all hours. While some have RV hookups, a lot of people opt to drop off their horses and spend the night elsewhere. I have dry camped at several fairgrounds and appreciate the relatively cheap nightly rates.

Horse hotels are often operated out of boarding barns, where several stalls or pens are available to rent on a nightly basis. They are typically nicer than fairgrounds in terms of horse amenities, and the price reflects that, and many will offer stall cleaning or feeding included in their rates. Only one of the several horse hotels I’ve used allowed human camping. I tend to think of them as a better option for someone looking to drop off their horse and spend the night in a hotel.

Once I’ve figured out what sort of camping accommodation I need, how do I find specific places to stay?

This is where people seem to get stuck, but it’s easier than you think! Here’s my typical process.

If you’re trying to plan a destination riding trip, start by choosing a general area, ie. the Eastern Sierra Nevada, then pull up a GPS app (I like Gaia GPS) and begin scanning for areas or trails that look appealing to you. National forests often have nice horse camps and a simple internet search will show if there’s any in the areas you’re interested in. Public campgrounds are visible on maps, or you can go to Recreation.gov to look for reservable sites. It will likely be easiest to plan your trip around a specific camp if you plan to stay for a while, and you can route trails directly from where you are staying or find nearby trailheads to haul out to.

If you’re looking for layover spots on a move/road trip, I’d recommend pulling up your route and thinking about how far you’d like to drive on each day. Once you have a rough sense of your daily mileage, look for towns near your stopping points and see which ones have fairgrounds or horse hotels. I like to plan some back up options just in case I get slowed down on the road and don’t make it to my stopping point. If you’re passing by a scenic area or national park, consider taking a few days off from driving to explore.

What if I have no clue where I want to go??

If you’re really lacking inspiration, you can check out some trail riding Facebook groups or forums like Horse Trails of America to get you started. I’d also encourage you to spend some time looking at trail books and paper maps, rather than searching up the most popular spots online, which are likely to be overcrowded and under-resourced.

Remember to practice Leave No Trace principles wherever you camp, pack out all your trash, and leave your site looking how you found it!

Feel free to share this resource with your riding pals, get outside, and happy trails!