Left to right: Tani Bates and Barbra Thomas stop to visit while their horses are in the horse paddock at Rock Creek Horse Camp in Yacolt June 25.
Barbara Thomas from Hockinson gets on her horse, Anthony, using the mount assistance area at Rock Creek Horse Camp in Yacolt June 25. The camp also includes ADA accessible camping spots.
For those looking to explore on horseback, the Rock Creek Horse Campground has opened up two new trails to ride on. Both stemming from the original 26-mile Tarbell Trail, the Silver Shadow Trail and Six Sense Trail offer riders new ground to “hoof-it.”
Tani Bates, a rider and volunteer at the Rock Creek Horse Campground said that with these two new trails, people will have more of an opportunity to explore the area without the time commitment required to ride the 26-mile Tarbell Trail. Bates also stated that she hopes the camp gets the funding to build more loops off of the Tarbell Trail for riders to explore more of the beautiful area.
“It’s quiet up there; there’s running water,” Bates said about why she loves the area so much. “There’s access to different trails. There’s a lot of things you can do there. There’s lots of trees; it’s beautiful.”
The campground is close to a 30-minute drive from downtown Battle Ground and has trails of various lengths for riders of all skill levels.
Bates later said that horses are allowed on the trails year-round but the trails are dependent on the weather and some trails can get extremely muddy and sloppy.
Ride then camp
Rock Creek Horse Campground also offers overnight camping spots for those with horses and without. According to Bates, there are 12 campsites that have all the accommodations needed to camp with your horse such as corrals and enough space to park your truck and trailer as well as six traditional campsites for those without horses.
Although all campsites are on a first-come-first-serve basis, the 12 campsites that allow for horse camping are reserved for those with horses every night until 8 p.m. Bates mentioned that although anyone can camp up there if they wish, the camp is specifically designed for those with horses and horse trailers. She later mentioned that it is in the works to get all the horse campsites expanded to accommodate larger horse trailers.
Although the campground is first-come-first-serve, those that want to plan a night to go camping with your horse you can call the camp at (360) 686-8422 to ask questions and see if there is an open spot. A Discover Pass is required to park and/or camp at Rock Creek Horse Campground.
