Graham Corral Horse Camp
Location: Sisters, OR 97759, no address available on google maps
Facilities: Vault toilets, manure goes in bin but maybe also in garbage dumpsters, fire pits and picnic tables at each site Camp Site Amenities: picnic table, fire pit, Site Type: back-in, maybe pull-through if you know your neighbor Water: None available Footing: Rocky, hoof boots recommended Cell Signal: 2 bars with ATT Dogs: Dogs allowed Other: Weed-free hay required Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=39188 Reservations: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/251472?q=Graham%20Corral%20Horse%20Campground |
Getting There
There is roughly 3.56 miles of gravel and washboard road to get to camp after turning off 242. Don't be put off if google maps tells you there are two Graham Corral Horse Camps. Keep driving until you reach the 2nd title on the map and you will see the forest service sign for the horse camp. I made a video driving the 2nd part of the road closest to the horse camp. I was in my SUV so I was going a lot faster than I would drive my horse trailer. You can tell when my camera shakes up and down that I hit a washboard section. At the camp older campers told me the road in used to literally be like sailing a boat over rocky waves...holy moly I would never subject my horse to that! I think the forest service needs to understand that horse camps have a larger need for pavement vs. tent campers. We are hauling sensitive live beings, not ATVs! If we all make them aware of horse camps with poor roads at least they can figure out how to prioritize and address the problem. I see it as we need to become the squeaky wheel and also be willing to pay more for horse camp site reservations and amenities.
Must Brings
1) A highline, hie-tie or a good left hook, you may get into a fight with other campers about where to put your horse!!
2) Friends, and lots of them. This place is best if you have a large group and you reserve the majority of the sites. Even better if all of your horses get along and can be in neighboring or the same horse corral.
3) After you have fought for a space for your horse you will need water. Black Butte Stables has waged a sort of water war with the camp and there is no stock or human water.
2) Friends, and lots of them. This place is best if you have a large group and you reserve the majority of the sites. Even better if all of your horses get along and can be in neighboring or the same horse corral.
3) After you have fought for a space for your horse you will need water. Black Butte Stables has waged a sort of water war with the camp and there is no stock or human water.
Horse Campsites Overview
When you make a reservation for a horse camp site at Graham corral you do not necessarily have a specific to your reserved site horse corral. There is no official camp map on the reservation website so I made my own make-shift camp map below. Before reserving a site you should read my descriptions of each camp site so you know if you should bring your own horse containment. Not all sites have horse containment and you could arrive to have all of the general middle of camp corrals full!!
When you make reservations on recreation.gov the site detail information is very misleading. Here is a snip of the details about site 1. You will notice that it describes a max vehicle length of 40 feet and that you can have 2 horses max. However, when you arrive to the camp in person there is no specific corral associated with site one. There is a large general corral in the middle of camp that has been divided into several other corrals but there is no guarantee that you will have a spot either in the middle big corral or at any other specific area for your 2 horses. There is no separate horse corral for site 1. There are no site specific corrals for sites 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13!! That is a large number of horse sites with no horse corrals! If each trailer brought 2 horses that means that 16 horses could have nowhere to sleep if other campers occupy the large central horse corrals! If campers are old-school and polite, then they should tie all horses to a post on the inside of the large corrals so that everyone's horse could be secured to a post and in the corral. I would not count on this. I would bring a hie-tie or a highline.
Below: The misleading description of site 1 of Graham Corral Horse Camp on the reservation page.
Campsite Map
Campsite Details
Site 1 - No horse corral associated with this specific site. Back-in.
Very close to quadrant of large central corral but corral may be occupied by other site users.
Site 2 - No horse corral associated with this specific site. Back-in but could be pull through.
Very close to quadrant of large central corral but corral may be occupied by other site users.
Site 3 - Four horse corral in box formation, wood posts and metal connecting poles, long driveway, back-in, close to restroom
Site 4 - Four horse corral in box formation, wood posts and metal connecting poles, long driveway, back-in, close to restroom
Site 5 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wood corral, long driveway, back-in
Site 6 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, might be able to share old wooden corral with site 5 if you come as a group. back-in
Site 7 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wooden corrals, picnic table on left of trailer, back-in.
Site 8 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wooden corrals, back-in
Site 9 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 10 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 11 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 12 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 13 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Very close to quadrant of large central corral but corral may be occupied by other site users.
Site 2 - No horse corral associated with this specific site. Back-in but could be pull through.
Very close to quadrant of large central corral but corral may be occupied by other site users.
Site 3 - Four horse corral in box formation, wood posts and metal connecting poles, long driveway, back-in, close to restroom
Site 4 - Four horse corral in box formation, wood posts and metal connecting poles, long driveway, back-in, close to restroom
Site 5 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wood corral, long driveway, back-in
Site 6 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, might be able to share old wooden corral with site 5 if you come as a group. back-in
Site 7 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wooden corrals, picnic table on left of trailer, back-in.
Site 8 - Four horse corral in box formation, old wooden corrals, back-in
Site 9 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 10 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 11 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 12 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Site 13 - No horse corral associated with this specific site, trees for setting up highline, short driveway, back-in.
Campsite Pictures
Site 1 - No horse corral specific to this site.
Site 3& 4 - 4 horse wood post, metal rails corral placed in space of site 3/4, long/large driveway. It may belong more to site 3. It is hard to tell. If you reserve site 4 I would arrange your own horse containment in case site 3 is occupied.
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 7 - Old wood 4 horse corral, box configuration
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 8
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 10
Riding
This section will be continued at a later date. I would love to experience the trails out of this horse camp. I wanted to check out the road into camp while I was camping at Cow Camp and wanted to make sure it was ok to pull my rig. The urban legends about the washboard road have deterred many campers from visiting. Hopefully we will be back soon.
Rating
TBD