Over the summer, Todd Creek Horse Camp was one of our stops on our Oregon horse camping trip. Todd Creek Horse Camp is a great stop in Central Oregon. It’s about 30 miles west of Bend, just along the Cascade Lakes Highway. Like many equestrian campgrounds in Oregon, there are very nice good-sized sturdy stalls/corrals and a well-designed layout. It’s clear that horse people designed the campground, which is more than I can say for some other “equestrian” camps we’ve been to. Oregon doesn’t disappoint for equestrian campground facilities!
From campground layout and design to beautiful mountain views and trail options, this place is great. The only caveat is to be aware of the time of year you’re going, and be prepared for inclement weather or uncleared trail conditions.
Horse Containment in Camp
Whoever is in charge of Oregon equestrian campground design, you are killing it! I can’t tell you how many times we’ve arrived to camp, where there should be more corrals or larger corrals and there is one tiny box stall PER campsite. If you’re traveling with two or more horses (as many people do with 2+ horse trailers), you need more stalls!
So far, each horse campground we’ve been to in Oregon has had 2+ box stalls or corrals PER campsite. This means you don’t have to split up horses, and have them calling to each other keeping you up all night. You also don’t have to worry about cramming two horses in a small corral, because it’s all there is or even just tying a horse to a trailer all night for containment.
The stalls at Todd Creek Horse Camp are spacious too. Your horse(s) will be more than comfortable for the duration of your stay at this equestrian campground!
Overall Horse Camp Design and Layout
We’ve been to some horse camps that just don’t make sense at all, from not enough stalls to no bathroom facilities and poor manure management situations. The Todd Creek Horse Campground gets an A+ for design and layout. Some things that are nice about the campground layout are that the stalls aren’t too far from where you park your rig. I like being pretty close to my horses, so you can feed, tack up and check on them easily. We stayed at one campground in Tennessee where you had to walk about a quarter of a mile or more from some camping spots to the stalls. Yikes.
Additionally, there are manure pits located just feet away from most of the stalls, so you don’t have to go far to scoop and dump! The vault toilet is in reasonable walking distance from most camping spots. Each camping spot has a fire pit and picnic table. Additionally, you can see beautiful Mount Bachelor from just about every spot in camp, so nobody is getting screwed on the view. Overall, it’s a very well-thought out equestrian campground.
Water at Todd Creek Horse Campground
We went to Todd Creek Equestrian Campground in the third week of June, and the stock water tank will still wrapped up and winterized. Thankfully, Todd Creek runs right through camp, so you can get water for your horses there. We always bring water with us for horses and humans while traveling, because you just never know, you could be stranded somewhere on the side of the road or something.
We gave our horses some of the water they were used to, and then switched them to the water from Todd Creek. Luckily, neither or our horses are picky about water and are seasoned travelers, so they will drink just about anything you put in front of them. We had plenty of drinking water for ourselves too.
Bathroom Facilities
There is a vault toilet at the campground, and it’s not too far from most campsites. That being said, a previous campground experience (the only toilet a half mile away) encouraged me to DIY a camp toilet for my horse trailer! I recently blogged about it, so if you want to check that out, click here!
Even with a vault toilet nearby, it’s nice to not have to leave the trailer to wiz in the middle of the night!
Unbeatable View at Todd Creek Horse Campground
One of the most spectacular things about the Todd Creek Horse Campground is the view! From basically all camping spots, you can see the beautiful Mount Bachelor. In late June, it was still snow-capped. It wasn’t just the mountain view that was beautiful either, there are gorgeous panoramic wilderness views all the way around camp. From the trees to the creek, everything was absolutely stunning! If you like to sit in a camping chair and relax at the end of a long day trail riding, this is the camp for you.
What About The Trails?
Okay, so this is where the review gets a little less flattering. The trails were TOUGH. If you want to go on an easy trail ride, there are certainly trails closer to camp (including a wide gravel road) that you can get some nice easy miles on. That being said, the further you get into the mountains, the more treacherous they get!
I think this is mostly a seasonal issue, as we spoke with some other riders there that say it was really a little too early in the season to be there. Take that into account when planning your trip! We were there in the third week of June and trails had not been cleared and there was DEEP snow in some places that made trails unsafe to pass.
A few inches of snow isn’t a big deal, but when you start up a steep single-track trail and it turns into belly-deep snow that your horse is literally lurching and jumping through just to get through, it’s a problem. Turning and coming back down isn’t easy either, especially when the snow is so deep and you can’t see where the side of the trail tapers down the mountain.
There was also significant deadfall in some areas, combined with deep snow, that made certain trails absolutely impassable.
The other couple that was there while we were camping, split up and the wife planned to ride to camp from another destination. She ended up going about 15 miles and then having to turn around, ride another 10 and then get picked up by her husband in the trailer. They were very familiar with the area, and still had a pretty rough day, and she didn’t get back til after dark.
Also, horses should be shod or in a full set of boots, as there is a lot of lava rock on these trails.
Moral of the story: Visit in mid August to be sure trails are cleared, and don’t be afraid to turn around when things get hairy!
Pay Attention to Weather and Prepare for Anything!
Another important seasonal issue to be aware besides trail conditions are weather conditions. The last day we were there (which I think was June 20th), it was snowing! Thankfully, I always keep waterproof horse blankets in my trailer JUST IN CASE. Never thought I would use them in late June, but there we were, so I was glad to be prepared!
In Conclusion
In conclusion, this was an absolutely awesome horse campground! Todd Creek Horse Camp is a gorgeous well-designed equestrian horse camp. That being said, be mindful about weather and trail conditions, and make sure to have realistic expectations. Definitely put this campground on your Oregon horse camping and trail riding bucket list!
Happy Trails!