Go Colorado Horse Camping

What better way to get away than to take your horses and go camping! Social distancing is naturally built in and you can be with your tribe in a new location other than home. Here are some of the places offered in our beautiful state that provide overnight facilities for people and horses. For more information, details and additional ideas, see Margi Evans’ book, “Riding Colorado III: Day and Overnight Trips With Your Horse.”

Make reservations as far ahead as you can, but often in the late fall, there are openings for spontaneous trips. Call ahead and make sure you get together ALL of the health papers you need for the specific location. You may need a current negative Coggins test, possibly a vaccination record and/or a health certificate within the last 30 days. If traveling over 75 miles from home in Colorado, you will need a brand inspection. It is recommended that you get your horse its permanent travel card when you do your initial brand inspection; then you won’t need to get a brand inspection before each trip. In addition, some places require you bring certified weed-free hay. Just make sure you check a few weeks before you go.

Beaver Meadows Resort, Red Feather Lakes, CO, beavermeadow.com 970.881.2450

Beautiful common area with beaver ponds, general store and restaurant. A great place for non-horse folks too! Many, many well marked trails for different loop options every day. Several small stream crossings. Horses: Pens at the horse stable area or large pens at campsites with nearby water. People: Many options including cabins, condos, hotel rooms and horse campsites. There are no hookups at the horse camping area, but it is along a beautiful stream in a private setting.

Homestead Meadows from Hermit Park Campground (National Forest) 

Estes Park, CO, 800.397.7795

Ride to Homestead Meadows from Campground. The trail tours through a registered National Historic District. The area was first settled in the 1800s and the last resident in 1952. Each homestead is labeled telling about each homesteader family. Two days are recommended to really explore. Horses: One or two pens per site, but keep in mind, they are too small to really put two horses in one. Nice pens with good ground and shade. People: Tent camping or living quarters trailers, but no hookups. Restrooms available and water down near pavilion or entry. Bring water for you and your horse.

Indian Creek Campground (U.S. Forest Service), Sedalia, CO, 877.444.6777

Several options for trail riding in the area including the Indian Creek Equestrian Trail, a segment of the Colorado Trail, and the Ringtail Trail. Horses: Hitching posts, water spigots and pens at sites, some shaded. People: Nice campground with restrooms in the loop, picnic tables, firepits and tent sites. There are a couple sites that would work well for living quarters trailers, but there are no hookups.

Mill Creek Ranch (formally known as Old Cow Town Colorado), Saguache, CO 

millcreekcolorado.com, 719.655.2224

No expense was spared designing and building this recently built cow town. There is a restaurant, saloon, general store, museum, social club and more. Bring more than your horse friends and family—there is something here for everyone. Surrounded by National Forest, there are many trail riding options to explore like Hoaglund Mountain and the Hodding Creek Area. Horses: Very nice stall barn to outdoor pens. People: Many options of cabins, the Social Club or a nice RV area near the arena, barn and pens with hookups.

Mueller State Park 

Teller County, CO, 800.244.5613

Thirty-four miles of trails for riding, plus you can connect to the Dome Rock area with additional trails. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is in this area as well. There are a few areas where horses are not allowed, which are marked. Beautiful scenery and easy to moderate trails. Horses: Stalls/pens available at the stable area that go with the two horse campsites 133 and 134. People: Water and electric at horse campsites as well as tent pad, fire ring and picnic table. The horse sites are separate from the rest of the campground, but a short walk to the museum.

Mule Creek Outfitters 

(formally M Lazy C Ranch), Lake George, CO, mlazyc.com, 719.148.3398

Meals available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some nights there is a chuckwagon dinner with hayrides—reservations required. Unlimited access to Pike National Forest trails. On the 4WD roads, you may encounter ATVs that were always very respectful of the horses. There are plenty of single-track trails to explore with no ATVs. Beautiful open areas and distant mountain views. You can camp here and trailer to Dome Rock as well. Horses: Two pens at each campsite and the ability to add more. Some of the pens have roofs. Water at each site. People: There are some cabins and rooms available near the main area with pen options for horses as well as a round pen and outdoor arena. Great camping area layout with different configurations. Water, electric, firepits and picnic tables at sites. Also, a round pen and several trail obstacles in camping area.

Oleo Ranch, Lake City, CO oleoranch.com, 281.728.0267

Off the Grid at 10,500 feet elevation. There is an old 1800s stagecoach road bed, local trails and the Colorado Trail and Continental Trail both come through here. Fishing in five stocked ponds or 1.5 miles of stream. Horses: Free horse corrals, water available. People: Seven different cabins to rent with refrigerators and hot water. No internet or wifi.

Sun Canyon Ranch, Dove Creek, CO

 suncanyonranch.com, 970.677.3377

Adjacent to hundreds of miles of BLM land and San Juan National Forest. Great riding from the ranch as well as fishing, nearby historic Indian ruins, Cowboy Supper and Show. Horses: Stalls, paddocks, panel pens, pasture and round pen. People: Beautiful lodge as well as 12 RV sites with water and electric and five tent sites.

Tudor Rose Bed & Breakfast, Salida, CO thetudorrose.com, 800.379.0889

The Tudor Rose property adjoins BLM land through which you access the Lost Trail to the new Little Rainbow Trail to the Rainbow Trail. Head north or south from here. Beautiful trail along the east side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Old roads, lakes, mines and stream crossings over decent footing with some exposed roots and rocks. Horses: Various horse accommodations from stalls to paddocks. People: Main house is a B & B as well as chalets that sleep up to six.

Winding River Resort, Grand Lake, CO windingriverresort.com, 970.627.3215

Trail ride into Rocky Mountain National Park and there is also forest service land that adjoins one side of the resort that ATVs can access—bring ATVs and horses to ride in different areas. The check-in for horses was a bit stringent. We saw moose every day. Recommended trails are the River Trail, Green Mountain Trailhead to the Big Meadows Loop, and Onahu Trail, all in RMNP. Pancake breakfast on Sundays. We went to Grand Lake Lodge that was about five minutes away for breakfast one day, and a couple dinners in Grand Lake at night. Horses: Nice panel pens which can be made larger or smaller with water close by. We did not see any flies and noticed they use Fly Predators. There is a general pen area if you are in a cabin or lodge, or pens at your site if you are camping. People: Lodge rooms, separate cabins and many campsites available.

Heather McWilliams © 2020