Mt. Adams Horse Camp
Location: NF-80, Trout Lake, WA 98650
Facilities: Vault toilets, Camp Site Amenities: vault toilet Site Type: Pull-through with highlines. Water: Stock tank present but may or may not be filled Footing: Rocky, hoof boots recommended Cell Signal: 2 bars Att, patchy and unreliable Dogs: Dogs allowed Other: Weed-free hay required, $5/night Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recarea/?recid=31850 Reservations: first come first serve Managing Body: Mt. Adams ranger Station 509-395-3402 |
Getting There
From Oregon City, Oregon I was told not to take the Hood River Bridge by Kim of NW Horse Trails. This bridge is narrow and doesn't give you much room to spare. You could also drive through North Portland and cross over via 205 before heading east. My chosen route is shown below. I drove north on 205 and took 14 E in Washington. Google maps has the drive at 2 hr and 24 minutes, although I drive a little slower. I visited Mt. Adams during an endurance ride. The ride managers told participants coming from the north not to drive on Forest Service road 23 through Randal as this is not a "horse friendly road". No problem here coming from SE Portland. I did drive through 5 short tunnels. I had plenty of clearance for my gn trailer and saw many big trucks on the road.
If you are driving here from the north do NOT drive on Forest Service road 23 through Randal as this is not a "horse friendly road". I don't know exactly what that means but endurance riders are pretty hard-core, so if they say not to come that way, then I believe them.
For the last mile into camp Google Maps will tell you the wrong direction. In the picture to the right it is telling me to make a u-turn on NF-031. This is incorrect.
If you come from the south there is a sign indicating where to turn off NF-80 to turn left onto the road to the horse camp. You can see my arrow leaving the google directions and going off-road. I followed the purple line to pass the turn for Mt. Adams horse camp to park in the open meadow just north of the horse camp for my endurance ride. If you want to go to the horse camp there is a sign showing where you turn right on the blue line to reach the horse camp circle. |
Must Brings
1) Satellite Phone - I now track myself with this phone. I can send my track to my husband via email so he can find me in a pinch. I have Sam wear the Garmin Satellite phone and if needed I can track him from my iphone using the app Earthmate.
2) Air Tag - I did have a cell signal here. I am paranoid about losing Sam in the wilderness so he wears an air-tag at all times.
3) Gaia with tracks and map downloaded - The trails are not well signed. You may see signs but not when you need them.
4) Water - There is a stock tank but bring your own horse and human water just in case.
5) Portable Loo - there is a vault toilet but sites 6,7,8 are a longer than desired walk from the toilet at 2am.
2) Air Tag - I did have a cell signal here. I am paranoid about losing Sam in the wilderness so he wears an air-tag at all times.
3) Gaia with tracks and map downloaded - The trails are not well signed. You may see signs but not when you need them.
4) Water - There is a stock tank but bring your own horse and human water just in case.
5) Portable Loo - there is a vault toilet but sites 6,7,8 are a longer than desired walk from the toilet at 2am.
Horse Campsites
There are a total of 11 sites that cannot be reserved. I visited during and endurance race and there were still sites available as most of the competitors preferred to park in the meadow just north of the horse camp that was used for ride camp. If the horse camp was full you could easily park in the meadow if you have your own horse containment. The horse camp has 2 manure bins, one by site 2/3 and one by site 6 and a vault toilet. There was a stock tank available but I would not depend on it as your main water source. There are highlines associated with each site. Sites 1-3, 5, 6, have their highlines set back from the picnic table but there is plenty of room for a hie-tie off your trailer or portable panels. They are all pull-through or could be made pull-through by pulling out through the grass. The high-lines here are at least 7 feet tall, a few were a little saggy but there was at least 1 tight section for every site.
- Site 1: Pull-through, high-line in shade away from picnic table
- Site 2: Pull-through, high-line in shade away from picnic table
- Site 3: Pull-through, high-line in shade away from picnic table. Can see first horse from table.
- Site 4: Pull-through, Open site with no shade
- Site 5: Pull-through, Very close to site 6, very long driveway
- Site 6: Pull-through, Very close to site 5
- Site 7: Pull-through, Open, no shade
- Site 8 Pull-through, Open, no shade
- Site 9: Pull-through, Open, no shade
- Site 10: Pull-through, Open, no shade, very long driveway
- Site 11: Pull-through, Open, no shade
Site 1 - This is a pull-through on the outer loop. The high-line was hard to see and is back in the trees. If I stayed here I would opt to hi-tie Sam on my trailer because of the distance from the picnic table to the high-line.
Site Video Link
Site 1 Highline Video
Distance From Table to High-Line Video
Site Video Link
Site 1 Highline Video
Distance From Table to High-Line Video
Site 2 - This is a pull-through site. At first I couldn't find the highline. There is a high-line it is just tucked back in the trees. You can watch the 2nd video to see the distance from the highline to the picnic table. If I used this site I would just use my hi-tie on my trailer. I can't stand having Sam so far away from me and the picnic table.
Site Video Link
Highline Video Link
Site Video Link
Highline Video Link
Site 3 - Pull through with a view of the high-line from the picnic table.
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Here is the view from the picnic table to the highline. At this site I could sit at the picnic table and see my horse on the high-line!! Just don't ask me to sit on the other side of the table.
Site 4 - Pull-through but very overgrown with weeds. Open and has high-line in the open on the right side if driving clock-wise. Hard to see high-line from picnic table.
Site Video Link
Site 4 Highline Video
Site 4 Highline to Picnic Table Video
Site Video Link
Site 4 Highline Video
Site 4 Highline to Picnic Table Video
Site 5 and 6- Pull-through, close to site 6 and may share driveway. Highlines are grouped together. I walked from site 5 to 6 in the video. There are 2 separate sites shown in the video although I confused them as 1 site.
Site 5 and 6 Video Link
Site 5 and 6 Video Link
Beautiful grass all around camp and the provided manure bins are located at each side of the camp loop. There is a fenced stock water tank out in the meadow on the site 6/7 side of the loop. I would not rely on this tank to be full.
Site 7 - Pull-through with picnic table close to high-line. One of my favorite sites. No shade so bring your own.
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 8 - Pull-through with high-line close to picnic table. No shade.
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 9 - Pull-through, no shade.
This picture is looking from site 7 to site 9. Both sites are large pull-throughs with high-lines next to the tables.
This picture is looking from site 7 to site 9. Both sites are large pull-throughs with high-lines next to the tables.
Site 11 - Pull-through
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Site 12 - Pull-through, Park with your nose to the outside driving counter clock-wise around loop and picnic table and high-line are to your right.
Site Video Link
Site Video Link
Large Meadow Camping
We visited Mt. Adams Horse Camp during an endurance ride. We continued on the camp road past the turn-off for the horse camp and took the next right. This put us in the middle of a huge meadow. We could spread out and Sam slept on my trailer's hi-tie. Having a hie-tie is so freeing. I don't have to open and close a corral gate, Sam can move around more and lay down to sleep and we can literally camp anywhere. At endurance rides we all spread out and Sam and I had a large space to ourselves. I brought some sweeter grain and Sam was a big fan of a nice soupy mash as soon as we arrived to camp. He is pretty chill drinking his mash in the picture below. After our first 25 mile race Sam figured out he could lay down on the hi-tie and rest.
Riding
Trail map pdf link Here. Mt. Adams wilderness map more info at this website, can be mobile friendly on Avenza, I looked at the map on my avenza app as a preview before deciding if it is worth paying $5. I have been very underwhelmed by forest service maps and decided my Gaia and the below map was much better.
And a blow-up of lower map half.
I don't love this map. It is hard for me to estimate miles using the legend on a curvy trail. Below is my map on my Gaia app. Again, no mileage markers. Below left is the lower Buck Creek Trail loop and to the right is the big tree loop. The route for the endurance ride were cleared in June of 2023. My husband hiked the Buck Creek Trail and he ran into several big downed trees. The Buck Creek Trail was not cleared for the endurance ride and may still have some large trees blocking the trail. (6/2023)
Loop Options
If you have a difficult time deciding where to ride just based on the map then choose one of the following gps tracks. Take snip of elevation change?
Horse Camp Trail Out and Back
In general, out and backs are good for the last day in camp. It means you can't get in over your head with a loop that is too long when you are sleep deprived and tipsy. The Horse Creek Trail was the left leg of the Ghost loop so it was safe to think it was cleared for the endurance ride. Jon walked on foot with me and the dogs. It was a lot of downhill at first which turned into a lot of uphill on the way back. Most of the trail downhill was overgrown single-track. Once it leveled out it became a wider forest road.
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We walked a big loop down the north side of the meadow to take the first fork to the left. We then took the single-track Buck Creek Trail west to catch the Horse Creep Trail heading south. The single-track going downhill was overgrown and steep but leveled out to become a wider forest road.
We passed a yellow gate and my ghost gps track took a far right down a steep hill. We decided to turn around at this point, go back to the yellow gate and have snacks. It was handy to tie Sam to the gate to adjust my saddle and feed him apples. The ride back was all uphill and Jon did a good job hiking on the ground with the dogs.
Mount Adams Horse Camp Big Tree LoopI wanted to do a nice easy loop on the afternoon we arrive to camp. The Big Tree Loop was mostly forest road with some single-track. I tried to find the first forest road to cut the loop a little shorter. I never found the right path. It is possible that forest road is totally overgrown. The trail was not well marked and I was following a gps track but you can see I still made some wrong turns. To find the beginning of the trail I walked from the horse camp to the opposite corner of the meadow.
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To find the trail I walked up from the horse camp to the opposite corner of the meadow. I was optimistic to see a trail sign. There were not many signs on the actual trail and many forks had no signs at all.
We started out on a single-track that led to an old road.
We turned left onto a forest road. The trail was marked with a sign for our ride, it may not normally be marked. The forest road was too rocky for Sam to trot even with boots on, so we just walked.
We continued on the forest road to arc north. There was an unmarked single-track fork, labeled the Big Tree Trail #51 that led us back to camp. I had to use my GPS to take the right route.
Buck Creek Trail Loop #54I did not ride this route during my visit. My husband hiked this route with the dogs. He told me there was a huge tree down that horses could not get around. He did not say exactly where the tree was down. If you plan to ride this route I would check with other riders or hikers about trail conditions. There was a big tree down on the left side of the route in 6/2023.
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Wicky Creek to Big Tree 10 mile Loop
This trail is a great way to have some fun single-track on the Wicky Creek and Big Tree trails without more mileage. This was our 2nd loop on our first 25 mile endurance race. We have some mental work to do about reaching camp, resting then leaving camp again. I had to do a lot of negotiating with Sam.
If you are not riding in an official ride, then I would download a GPS track to follow. Not all forks are signed and it is easy to get lost. |
Gotchen Red Loop
This was an absolute stunning loop! The single-track was soft and we trotted whenever the undergrowth allowed. If you have an Arab or a pony, you would be fine. If you are not riding after a big horse event I would check with other riders to see which trails are cleared.
For the first section I was ducking branches or walking. It was beautiful and magical. I gave up any goal of going fast as the trail was so breathtaking. The trail was flagged for the endurance ride. I did not see a lot of trail signs. I still checked my GPS often but never became officially lost which is a big win. |
We started off on a narrow single-track through the undergrowth. The trail opened up and climbed a butte.
At this point we slowed down to take pictures.
One of the perks of endurance rides is a hidden professional photographer. I did not see her but Sam clearly did.
We did a lot of climbing up a switch-back. Then hung a right after connecting to a forest road to start downhill.
Ghost Yellow Loop
I did not ride this loop during our visit but we did do the left leg of the trail following the Horse Camp Trail. This is the first trail I wrote about in this chapter. The left leg was fairly steep downhill and it appears that the east leg is the steep uphill.
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Big Tree to Sno-Park Loop
This was a fun trail for the night riding event at Midnight Rider endurance ride. It was perfect for evening riding because most of the trail was wide gravel roads. I had an amazing time. The ride manager even met us at Sno Park with candy and shots!
I don't recommend this trail unless you have a GPS track. About a mile from Snow Park on the way back riding clockwise you turn right onto a gravel road. This gravel road goes right through a forest squatter's home. This area is indicated on the map to the right in red. The squatter's name is Will, he pointed out the trail to me but it was a little uncomfortable going around his porch swing/couch and trash to reach the trail. The trail is found behind his covered couch and you do have to walk through some trash. Will's house is marked by the red dash. If you ride further down forest road 82 you could bypass this area. However, forest road 82 is the worst kind of large graveled gravel road and I ran into fast driving cars both times I rode this short section of trail. We rode the last section of the trail in the dark during the meteor shower of 8/2023. It was amazing and beautiful! |
Heading north out of the meadow we picked up the Wicky Creek Trail.
The gravel road was perfect for long-trotting! Sam had boots with pads on all 4 hooves. We took a left onto hole in the ground trail but I would have missed this turn without my GPS.
Beautiful footing for long-trotting!!
Below left: the more terrible gravel road after leaving Sno Park. We only followed this for less than a mile.
Below right: Turning off road 82 and getting some nice trot sections.
Below right: Turning off road 82 and getting some nice trot sections.
Below left: the blue circle where I retraced my steps is where the squatter lives. Below right: forest road 82 is marked in red. I saw fast driving cars on this road both times I rode it.
No endurance ride is complete without getting lost. You can continue on the main road back to camp but the single-track is a much better option. We got lost in the dark! It was the perfect amount of adventure for our first glow-stick guided ride.
I really enjoyed this loop, especially in the dark. I would not recommend riding this loop if you are not a confident rider or person in general. I met cars on road 82 and going around a covered couch was awkward but not scary. Sam is pretty solid horse, however, I would never let anyone close enough to you to grab your horse's reins. When in doubt turn around or gallop away.
Snow King Blue Loop
This loop is a version that is slightly longer than the one I rode above. It still goes through the squatter's campsite. The elevation profile is similar to the Gotchen loop with a few more ups and downs. It amazes me how these tough Arabians can motor through brushy single-track at a minimum of 6 mph.
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15 Mile Loop - Wicky Creek to Forest Roads to Big Tree
This was the first loop of my first 25 mile endurance race. We went long-trotting up a long hill then walked down. Most of the uphill was on gravel roads. Most of the downhill was on a single-track. The single-track was just steep and rocky enough at times that we needed to walk. I loved every minute of it. We started out tucking behind a few of the leaders and Sam loves following horses if they go faster than him.
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The lower left picture is as we got closer to the half-way point and could take a walk break. We busted up the gravel and dirt roads and I was very impressed by this little bay Arab. On the lower right is the single-track as we started walking down-hill back to camp.
Pink Loop
This was one of the longer routes ridden by 50 and 100 mile riders during the Trout Lake endurance ride. If you ride this loop, take picture and let me know how it goes. I have no ambitions to ever ride that long in one sitting. If you are a true distance rider you get an out check on the loop that is a time to give you and your horse a break and to vet to make sure they are ok to continue.
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Endurance Lessons
June 2023
I was so excited to do an intro trail ride at beautiful Mt. Adams. It was on my horse camp list to visit and I was looking forward to riding with other trail riders. Sam is so much better on the hi-tie and it has gotten easier to pack all the things he needs for our rides.
Practical Details:
1) How many clothes to wear - I got this right. The temperature was perfect with an overcast 50 degree morning staying fairly cool until we finished at noon. T-shirt and vest and inflatable vest was all I needed.
2) Stirrup length - I lengthened my left stirrup after the first ride of the trip left me with hip pain. I then had to really reach for it on a working trot. I may need to punch another hole in my stirrup leather or add a felt shim to my stirrup.
3) Phone lanyard - This really helped, I could take pictures without any drops.
4) Hoof Boots - They stayed on!!
5) Sam's appetite - Sam ate like a champ this trip. Many times he is too social to eat. The green grass really helped him eat his hay and have great gut sounds.
6) Go your own pace, not everyday is a race - This ride we went slow. There was a lot of elevation change and it was sooo pretty! We ride intro rides for fun. It is easy to get caught up in pacing your horse and aiming for faster rides. We have no ambition but to ride and enjoy each other.
To Work On
1) Saddle pad rubs - I asked the ride vet if this struggle ever ends.... One pad was good, the second pad rubbed Sam a bald spot. It was a tiny spot but it was upsetting. I pointed it out to the ride vet and he looked at me and shrugged. I am sure there are much worse things in the world.
2) Gut sounds at last vet check - I need to find the optimum time of eating and food item to fill his stomach and intestines and cause those wonderful gut sounds.
3) 25 mile ride? - Not here, somewhere flatter and easier. Maybe next year in Roy Wa or Outback Station. The last 10 mile ride at Outback Station seemed short. This ride felt long with the elevation changes. I am not quite there yet.
August 2023
I was so excited to do my first 25 mile ride! I wanted to leave camp with the big kids with the high energy Arabs that can't wait to get on the trail. Sam is a fairly calm horse so I love being around large numbers of energetic Arabs. I have never felt unsafe riding Sam. He always keeps his head! Riding the intro rides at endurance rides is fun. There is no pressure to go fast and you can walk as much as you want. However, I always felt like it wasn't "real" or I felt left out of the high energy and excitement vibe. I want to be a real endurance rider. I want to challenge myself and see what all the fuss is about. I got my sporty blow up air vest so I now dress the part. I wanted to do the longer ride to fit in and make friends and spend more time with my horse.
1) How many clothes to wear - 1st loop long sleeve and safety vest, 2nd loop- t-shirt and safety vest, it was hot during August.
2) Stirrup type and length - Perfect, and I had new wide extra cushiony stirrups that were dreamy
3) Phone Lanyard - worked perfect but went so fast I couldn't take a lot of pictures.
4) Hoof Boots - Lost 1, others were too tight and rubbed. Will need to trim toes when we are late in our trim cycle before booting.
5) Sam's appetite - Great unless he is thinking about other horses. Soaked alfalfa and oats and carrots were winners.
6) Go your own pace - We went fast. We both like it.
7) Mental Fitness - We need to work on the mental fitness of leaving camp for the 2nd loop. Trying to walk out of camp with Sam was like negotiating with an angry teenager. Sam planted his feet and was absolutely certain that I had lost my mind and we really had to be done for the day. I could have hand-walked him out of camp or gone with another horse but instead we zig-zagged until he realized that his strategy was not working. This is my fault, I could have prepared Sam better for this. Two riders passed us and cocked their heads sideways at the strange balking Morgan in full out stretch stance refusing to budge!
I was so excited to do an intro trail ride at beautiful Mt. Adams. It was on my horse camp list to visit and I was looking forward to riding with other trail riders. Sam is so much better on the hi-tie and it has gotten easier to pack all the things he needs for our rides.
Practical Details:
1) How many clothes to wear - I got this right. The temperature was perfect with an overcast 50 degree morning staying fairly cool until we finished at noon. T-shirt and vest and inflatable vest was all I needed.
2) Stirrup length - I lengthened my left stirrup after the first ride of the trip left me with hip pain. I then had to really reach for it on a working trot. I may need to punch another hole in my stirrup leather or add a felt shim to my stirrup.
3) Phone lanyard - This really helped, I could take pictures without any drops.
4) Hoof Boots - They stayed on!!
5) Sam's appetite - Sam ate like a champ this trip. Many times he is too social to eat. The green grass really helped him eat his hay and have great gut sounds.
6) Go your own pace, not everyday is a race - This ride we went slow. There was a lot of elevation change and it was sooo pretty! We ride intro rides for fun. It is easy to get caught up in pacing your horse and aiming for faster rides. We have no ambition but to ride and enjoy each other.
To Work On
1) Saddle pad rubs - I asked the ride vet if this struggle ever ends.... One pad was good, the second pad rubbed Sam a bald spot. It was a tiny spot but it was upsetting. I pointed it out to the ride vet and he looked at me and shrugged. I am sure there are much worse things in the world.
2) Gut sounds at last vet check - I need to find the optimum time of eating and food item to fill his stomach and intestines and cause those wonderful gut sounds.
3) 25 mile ride? - Not here, somewhere flatter and easier. Maybe next year in Roy Wa or Outback Station. The last 10 mile ride at Outback Station seemed short. This ride felt long with the elevation changes. I am not quite there yet.
August 2023
I was so excited to do my first 25 mile ride! I wanted to leave camp with the big kids with the high energy Arabs that can't wait to get on the trail. Sam is a fairly calm horse so I love being around large numbers of energetic Arabs. I have never felt unsafe riding Sam. He always keeps his head! Riding the intro rides at endurance rides is fun. There is no pressure to go fast and you can walk as much as you want. However, I always felt like it wasn't "real" or I felt left out of the high energy and excitement vibe. I want to be a real endurance rider. I want to challenge myself and see what all the fuss is about. I got my sporty blow up air vest so I now dress the part. I wanted to do the longer ride to fit in and make friends and spend more time with my horse.
1) How many clothes to wear - 1st loop long sleeve and safety vest, 2nd loop- t-shirt and safety vest, it was hot during August.
2) Stirrup type and length - Perfect, and I had new wide extra cushiony stirrups that were dreamy
3) Phone Lanyard - worked perfect but went so fast I couldn't take a lot of pictures.
4) Hoof Boots - Lost 1, others were too tight and rubbed. Will need to trim toes when we are late in our trim cycle before booting.
5) Sam's appetite - Great unless he is thinking about other horses. Soaked alfalfa and oats and carrots were winners.
6) Go your own pace - We went fast. We both like it.
7) Mental Fitness - We need to work on the mental fitness of leaving camp for the 2nd loop. Trying to walk out of camp with Sam was like negotiating with an angry teenager. Sam planted his feet and was absolutely certain that I had lost my mind and we really had to be done for the day. I could have hand-walked him out of camp or gone with another horse but instead we zig-zagged until he realized that his strategy was not working. This is my fault, I could have prepared Sam better for this. Two riders passed us and cocked their heads sideways at the strange balking Morgan in full out stretch stance refusing to budge!
Rating
Amazing! Mount Adams has easy forest roads and more interesting single-track trails that are short, medium or long. If you feel comfortable highlining your horse this is a great place to visit. If you don't feel comfortable I would practice at home with a hi-tie or bring portable corral panels. It was overcast during my visit so I did not see any mountain views but I still loved the gorgeous forest trails. The trails do have a lot of elevation change so if your horse is not fit then it is best to stay on the flatter forest roads.