Wild Mare Campground
Tucked among shore pine, Douglas fir and huckleberry, Wild Mare is part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The 12-site campground is located along the central Oregon coast, 22 miles south of the town of Reedsport, and 2 miles north of Coos Bay. The campground is equipped with drinking water, vault toilets, a picnic area, trash bins and recycling receptacles. Horses are welcome in the 12 corrals provided. Head to Horsfall Campground for the use of token operated showers.
Some parts of the dunes are designated for hiking and horseback riding only, while off-road vehicle enthusiasts can roam free on the dunes north of the campground. Horse campers come here to explore the Wild Mare Horse Trail which begins at the Wild Mare Day Use under a canopy of alder and spruce, and then emerges into an open dune area that crosses down to the beach.
Horse campgrounds have been designed to accommodate people who need to corral their horses. We have a limited number of these kinds of campgrounds and ask, out of courtesy and safety for you and the horses, to consider camping in a different campground if you do not have a horse.
History of the Wild Mare
In the mid-twentieth century, the Nels Peterson family of Coos County, Oregon raised livestock, providing animals for rodeos. They leased property for grazing, including the dunes along ocean beaches.
In 1954 they took a group of horses to the dunes. One horse was a year-old filly. A year later, when the Petersons weren’t able to use that area any longer, they rounded up the horses to transport them to another place. As the animals were being herded into a corral, the filly, then two years old, jumped over the eight-foot fence and ran into the dunes.
The Petersons tried many times to catch her, even using relay teams to run her down, but she always escaped. After an announcement that anyone could have the horse if they could catch her, other people tried. But her brown coloring was good camouflage and her splayed hoofs enabled her to run through woods, water, wet sand, and steep-sided dunes.
Known as the Wild Mare, she survived without human help and lived wild and free for thirty-two years. A local legend, she has been celebrated in prose, poetry, song, and in the naming of the Siuslaw National Forest campground at Horsfall Beach, north of Coos Bay.
Source: Caldera, Melody J., Editor, South Slough Adventures: Life on a Southern Oregon Estuary, Coos Bay, Oregon: South Coast Printing, Inc., 1995; U. S. Forest Service, Reedsport, Oregon
At a Glance
Current Conditions: | Horse campgrounds have been designed to accommodate people who need to corral their horses. We have a limited number of these kinds of campgrounds and ask, out of courtesy and safety for you and the horses, to consider camping in a different campground if you do not have a horse.
Snowy Plover restrictions in place March 15 - September 15 All campsites in ODNRA now require a digital reservation and payment. |
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Reservations: | Reserve online at www.recreation.gov or phone 1.877.444.6777. All Wild Mare campsites require a digital reservation and payment. Note that the Siuslaw National Forest does not have any control over the Recreation.gov phone line. Wait times are expected to be longer-than-usual. |
Fees: | $22 per night for single unit, two vehicle limit |
Open Season: | May - September |
Usage: | Heavy |
Restrictions: | |
Closest Towns: | Reedsport, OR Coos Bay/North Bend, OR |
Water: | Yes |
Restroom: | Vault Toilet |
Passes: | A valid Recreation Pass is required for the Wild Mare Horse Trail or the Wild Mare Day Use . |
Operated By: | Siuslaw National Forest |
Information Center: | Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area Visitor Center |
General Information
General Notes:Directions:
From North Bend, OR proceed north 1.5 miles to Transpacific Lane. Turn left and proceed 1 mile, turning right across railroad tracks. Travel 100 feet turning right on Horsfall Beach Road. Proceed 1.5miles down Horsfall Road to Wild mare Campground. Campground is located on south side of road.
Activities
Campground Camping
No. of Sites | 12 single site(s) |
RV Camping
No. of Sites | 12 |
Hookup - Water | No |
Hookup - Sewer | No |
Size Restrictions | Maximum 61 feet; minimum 37 feet; average 45 feet |
Dump Stations | No |
Hookups - Electric | no |
Horse Camping
Twelve corrals provided. The Wild Mare Horse Trail begins at the nearby Wild Mare Day Use.
No. of Sites | 12 corral sites |
Water Availability | Yes; potable water |
Picnicking
Alerts & Warnings
- Tahkenitch Boat Ramp Closed for Repairs
- Use northern route to access Drift Creek Falls
- Potential high water at Old Bark Sand Camping
- Sweet Creek Falls Homestead Trail bridge failure
- Delays and temporary road closures for Forest Service Roads 3200, 2500, & 2127
- Roads temporarily inaccessible for stream restoration
- Intermittent forest road work and delays north of Hebo
- Forest Road 789 - Poor Condition