Northrup Creek Horse Camp
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Location: 87644 Northrup Creek Rd, Clatskanie, OR 97016
Facilities: Permanent vault toilet on each side of camp, manure pile 2 total one on each side of camp Camp Site Amenities: Picnic table, 4 horse corrals, no trash-can, no individual water spigots Site Type: Back in and Pull through Worst Sites: Site 4 and 2, back-in and awkward setups Can you see your horse from your gooseneck? Site 4 - no, Site 5 - yes! Best Sites: Pull-through sites 3,5 and 7 Water: Hand pump for water a short walk from site 4, this is work to pump and takes some time to fill up a bucket, would be best to bring your own water Footing: Rocky at times, 4 boots or shoes best Cell Signal: None, can get a signal out on the trail in spots or a mile up the paved road from the day-use area, download your maps and netflix before getting to camp! Dogs: Dogs allowed |
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Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Oregontrailrider/?ref=page_internal
Website: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/northrup-creek-horse-camp/OR/411502/overview
Reservations: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/northrup-creek-horse-camp/OR/411502/campsites?lengthOfStay=1&pageNumber=0
Website: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/northrup-creek-horse-camp/OR/411502/overview
Reservations: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/northrup-creek-horse-camp/OR/411502/campsites?lengthOfStay=1&pageNumber=0
Horse Campsites
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Campsite Overview
We stayed in site 4 and I will never pick this site again. It was a back-in site which was difficult to maneuver and the horse corral could not be seen clearly from the parking spot or picnic table. I had to walk a narrow arched trail to reach the horse corral. This made my daily fussing over the horses very difficult! I could not see them from the picnic table and was less aware of their needs. I would also be wary of any of the camp-sites close to the water pump. The water pump was a hand pump. It was hard to operate and it made a high-pitched squeaking sound when pumped. Getting water for my horses at 6am may have woken up the entire camp! |
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Campsite Details
Site 1: Camp host, max vehicle length 40 feet, back-in Site 2: Max vehicle length 40 feet, back-in, close to restroom and manure bin. Kind of awkward because corral is up on a hill. Site 3: Max vehicle length 50 feet, pull-through, close to restroom and manure bin. Site 4: Max vehicle length 40 feet, back-in, very awkward corral placement, close to water pump. Site 5: Max vehicle length 50 feet, pull-through Site 6: Max vehicle length 50 feet, back-in Site 7: Max vehicle length 50 feet, pull-through, close to manure bin. Site 8: Max vehicle length 50 feet, back-in, close to restroom and manure bin. |
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Below the terrible hand-pump and the manure bins. There was a wheelbarrow supplied but a sign saying there may not be a wheelbarrow supplied due to vandalism and theft.
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Below: Campsite 2, a little awkward with the horse corrals above the site,
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Below: Campsite 3, a nice pull-through site
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Below: Site 4, with awkward corral placement. I had to walk down a short trail and around the corner to get to the circled horse corral.
I was also struggling to connect the upper chains around the corral. The chain was not long enough so I added two carabiners. I am also not a fan of the S chain as the link holding in my 1300 lb horse. I really think if he jiggled the chain or leaned against it, it would readily break!
I was also struggling to connect the upper chains around the corral. The chain was not long enough so I added two carabiners. I am also not a fan of the S chain as the link holding in my 1300 lb horse. I really think if he jiggled the chain or leaned against it, it would readily break!
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Site 5, big enough for 2 trailers, pull-through site
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Site 6, back-in but less awkward corral placement
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Site 7 a pull-through site with room for 2 trailers
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Site 8, a less awkward back-in site, close to toilet and manure bin
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Site 5 below and looking from Site 5 to Site 7
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Riding
Official Trail Map PDF Link
The Northrup Creek Horse Trail goes through camp and forms an at least 9.7 mile loop. There are some logging roads it crosses that you can take to make the loop shorter. Beware, this loop is not on most trail maps. I had to download a gps track and load it onto Gaia to see the route while I was riding.
You can definitely get lost so it is best to have a gps track on your phone or go with a rider who has ridden the loop before. I recommend all 4 boots or shoes since it is very rocky in places.
The Northrup Creek Horse Trail goes through camp and forms an at least 9.7 mile loop. There are some logging roads it crosses that you can take to make the loop shorter. Beware, this loop is not on most trail maps. I had to download a gps track and load it onto Gaia to see the route while I was riding.
You can definitely get lost so it is best to have a gps track on your phone or go with a rider who has ridden the loop before. I recommend all 4 boots or shoes since it is very rocky in places.
Riding The Whole Loop
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Total Miles: 9.7
Total Time: 3.5 hrs according to Trailmeister I have not ridden the whole loop with Sam GPS Track Link Ascent: 1217 ft Descent: 1206 ft Download the file, put it in dropbox and open it with Gaia on your phone. Pay for Gaia so you can download the area map then open and save this GPS track. Open the app before you lose a cell signal heading out to camp. Don't close the app and use it to track your location on the trail. I don't recommend riding the whole loop unless you have a very fit horse!
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Riding the East Loop
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I don't recommend riding the whole loop. If you go west from camp the loop is very strenuous. It is long and steep hills and requires that a horse be very fit or they will be VERY sore the next day. Sam and I did not ride this loop but just talking to the riders that did, riding this trail will make you quit and go home because you and your horse will be tired and done. The trail can also be slick and slippery. Ride this loop instead.
The east loop is 6.6 miles and takes a fit quarter-horse 2.5 hours. Sam and Scottie did this in 1 hr and 15 minutes! We trotted a lot and our horses like to go. Sam is very fit and is used to climbing the mountains of Colorado, so this was a breeze! We rode the main road back to camp instead of taking the tough trail back. This cut out 3 miles of hard climbing.
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Riding the West Loop
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So I went back and at another time rode the west loop which is green in the picture to the right. It was 5.7 miles with an ascent of 513 feet and we rode it in 1.5 hours with a very forward walk and trot. We started at the north side of the campsite out of the day use area across the bridge and rode the track counter-clockwise.
It started out very over-grown but there was a lovely section through the forest going up a gentle switchback that was just beautiful. If you go counter-clockwise you end up going down a very steep hill. If you ride down the road south and cross the creek first, you will ride up a steep and long hill. "The Hill" is the reason why the other ladies in my group did not like riding the west loop. The hill was steep but Sam has been up and down switch-backs in the Rocky Mountains so I am not a good judge of difficulty. Sam was using his haunches but not sliding. I would not ride it if there had been recent rain or if the trail was muddy or slippery. If you want a scenic and easy ride, ride the east loop. It is hard to see how steep the trail is from the photo below. You can see the drop on the elevation profile. I circled the steep hill in red. I put my phone away and hung on during the steep part of the ride. |
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Day Use Area
There is a day use area with an obstacle course. The obstacle course is a little overgrown but there is a gate to open and close and a bridge. There is also a place for your horse to go down to the creek by the bridge.
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Rating
I wish there were showers, otherwise it is a really beautiful horse camp-site. We did not see any bikes or hikers during our riding. If you have a living quarters trailer and don't get site 4, you will have a great time. I camped here again in site 5, a pull-through site and had a much better time.
