Horse Riding and Camping

There are plenty of places for horseback riders and campers to explore in Mt. Hood National Forest. Please review the following guidelines for equestrians to help protect the Forest's resources and make everyone's visit more enjoyable.

Weed-free feed is required in all Oregon & Washington National Forests and Grasslands. Learn more about weed-free forage in the State of Oregon.
Equestrians should do their best to control their horse, avoid cross-country riding, and avoid tying stock to trees for prolonged periods.
Learn about Leave No Trace principles for horse camping.

The Back Country Horsemen of Oregon (BCHO), Columbia Gorge Chapter partners with Mt. Hood National Forest to help maintain equestrian trails. Check out their Activities Calendar for info on trail work parties and get local contact information by visiting to their website: www.bcho.org

Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET) is a nonprofit volunteer organization formed in 1970. OET works with Mt. Hood National Forest to maintain equestrian trails and campgrounds. OET promotes education of equestrians. There are two local chapters: OET Mt. Hood Chapter and OET North Valley Chapter.

Horseback Riding

Roughly 1,000 miles of trails in Mt. Hood National Forest offer a variety of challenges and opportunities for horseback rides. However, there are some recommended best practices for equestrians and their stock.

Stay on the trails. Ride single-file in the middle of the path, and don’t detour around puddles, snowbanks, or other obstacles if you can go through them. Instead, stay on the trail to avoid creating wider or parallel trails. Don’t take shortcuts or cut across the switchbacks; this can trample and tear out plants and create additional trails that could be more prone to erosion.
Minimize your impact. Try your best to avoid fragile or sensitive areas, like wet meadows or marshy ground, to help protect the natural resources. Instead, keep your stock on dry, firm ground when possible. And of course, always pack out what you packed in.
Be courteous. Please be respectful of other trail users - like bikers and hikers - just as they should be respectful toward you. Offer the right of way to other riders, bikers, or hikers when possible. If it’s too difficult to move your horse off a narrow trail, politely ask them to step off on the downhill side. Try to spread horse manure versus leaving a large pile in the middle of a shared trail.

Horse Camping

Also called equestrian campgrounds, horse camps and stock sites are designed and intended specifically for anyone camping with a horse or other stock animal. There is a limited number of horse camps available for equestrians to use on Mt. Hood National Forest.

Non-stock users are often unaware of proper etiquette around stock, stock handling protocols, and basic equine/stock behavior; this can be a safety issue for both the campers and the animals. Campers without horses or other stock animals are respectfully asked to please camp in a non-horse camp when possible.

Did you know? Riley Horse Camp, Joe Graham Horse Camp, and the corrals at Clackamas Lake Campground were all constructed by Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET) volunteers in partnership with USDA Forest Service.