Horse Camping

There are eight designated horse camps in the park, and each of them has a set of pipe corrals that will hold at least two horses.

The picture you see here is a view of the camping area at the Orestimba Corral. This is not a designated camp site; however, the public has drive-in access to this magnificant area once each year during the Orestimba Backcountry Weekend. Due to its popularity, access is limited and offered by lottery draw to the public. This is normally held in April. Please check out the Coe web site via the link at the bottom of the page for more details.

Headquarters Camp

One of the camps is at park headquarters, and it's the only horse camp you can reach by a paved road.  Potable tap water and a horse trough are nearby.

Drive to Blue Oak

Blue Oak Camp (at Manzanita Point) is the only designated horse camp in the backcountry that you can reach by vehicle.  It is located about two miles down a dirt road that starts behind a locked gate in the headquarters area.  If you want to use the Blue Oak campsite, check in advance with park staff about its availability, the condition of the dirt road, and special regulations that apply to the camp.  Nothing larger than a two-horse trailer is allowed on the road to the camp.  Bass Pond, about a hundred yards from the Blue Oak corral, always has water for horses, but you'll need to pack in water for your consumption (or be prepared to purify water that may look and taste pretty unpalatable).

Pack-in Sites

The other six designated horse camps are pack-in sites, and they have no potable water.  All of the sites have a lake, spring, pond, or creek nearby, but some of the water sources are unreliable, and all water in the backcountry must be purified for human consumption.

The designated camps are the only places where parties with more than four horses can camp.

Click on this link to Horse Camp map to view a map of the horse camp sites with links to pictures and descriptions of each camp.

Water Sources

There are several sources of drinking water for the horses throughout the park. Most camp sites have water troughs available. There are also many ponds, lakes,creeks, springs and drinking troughs throughout the park. The availability and quality of water is seasonal in many areas. It is a good idea to check on the location and availability of the water sources when planning your camping trip. This link will show you locations of water in the park. BEWARE!!! All ponds and lakes have boggy areas. It would be best to use a bucket or scoop for watering your horse.

Distances to Camps

Listed below are approximate distances from the Hunting Hollow entrance to designated horse camps except for Blue Oak and Coe Headquaters. Distances for these are shown from Headquaters since this would be your access route for these two camps. You can also view pictures of the camp sites by following the active link for the camp site or clicking on the horse head in the horse camp map. Please note that only Coe Headquarters and Mississippi Creek have pictures available for viewing at this time. Since Hunting Hollow is the major entrance and staging area for horseback riders, pictures for the Hunting Hollow entrance are included. Use this link for a map and directions to the Hunting Hollow entrance.

•   Arnold horse camp - 6.5 miles
•   Blue Oak horse camp - 1.5 miles
•   Brem Oak horse camp - 15.0 miles
•   Coe Headquarters horse camp - 0 miles
•   Coit Camp horse camp - 8.9 miles
•   Coit Lake horse camp - 11.5 miles
•   Dowdy Ranch horse camp - 17.0 miles
•   Mississippi Creek horse camp - 13.0 miles
•   Hunting Hollow entrance