Rock Creek Horse Camp
Location: NE Dole Valley Rd, Yacolt, WA 98675
Facilities: Vault toilets, manure bins, fire pits and picnic tables at each site, stock water troughs, picnic pavilion Camp Site Amenities: picnic tables, fire pits Site Type: back-in and pull through Water: Stock water tanks spread out through-out camp but not by each individual site, no human potable water Footing: Rocky, hoof boots recommended Cell Signal: Att 1 bar in camp, 2 bars on trail Dogs: Dogs allowed. Dogs allowed off-leash if under voice control of horse-back rider. Other: No mention of weed-free hay requirement on website. Free camping with Discovery Pass! Website: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Yacolt |
Reservations: First come first serve. Theoretically, sites saved for horses until after 8pm. Gate closed but not locked between dusk and dawn. There is a camp host for summer of 2023 so it is worth calling to see if you can contact them about informally reserving a spot. This was my first time going to a first come first serve campsite and we had lots of stress but no actual problems. We arrived on a Saturday mid-April 2023.
Getting There
Thanks to Holli's blog I was warned about approaching camp from the south on the gravel roads. Approaching camp from the north is a longer drive but was all on paved roads. Do not go the route from the south as shown in the below picture.
Instead I approached camp from the north. It took an extra 10 minutes but I drove on paved roads the whole way. Google maps quoted 1.5 hrs., I drive like a grandma so it took me 1 hr. 40 minutes. After turning right on Lucia Falls road there were 2 stop signs that snuck up on me and I completely ran through both of them. One of the stop signs was at the junction of 152nd avenue and the 2nd was between this stop and the horse camp.
Must Brings
1) Bug spray and tick prevention - Our dogs picked up a few ticks on our trip here in April of 2023. I use Simparica Trio for heartworm, flea and tick prevention. I love it because it is an oral tablet that lasts a month. It kills ticks within 8 hours of a bite, before Lyme's Disease would be transmitted. And, yes, heartworm prevention is a must year-round in the Pacific NW. If you want to hear more about the dark side of veterinary medicine I have the anti-James Herriot book of short stories for you HERE. Sam has gnat allergies and was wearing full body armor when not ridden and a fly mask with cloth ears when riding.
2) Horse and human water - From site A1 I could hook up my 125 foot hose to reach my bucket in the corral from the stock water spigot. All of the other sites in the loop were much too far away from the spigot. Best to bring water and a wheelbarrow to haul it.
3) Manure wheelbarrow and fork - Manure bins were provided but no tools or wheelbarrows
4) Hoof boots - Rocky trails as you went up in elevation
5) A non-horse camper to go early to save a campsite for you. We arrived on a Saturday morning. There was a horse group meeting/demo and the camp was pretty packed. We still got a great site and there were empty sites still available. I would be more worried if it was mid-summer on a weekend. I would try calling first to talk to the camp host to see if they could save you a spot.
2) Horse and human water - From site A1 I could hook up my 125 foot hose to reach my bucket in the corral from the stock water spigot. All of the other sites in the loop were much too far away from the spigot. Best to bring water and a wheelbarrow to haul it.
3) Manure wheelbarrow and fork - Manure bins were provided but no tools or wheelbarrows
4) Hoof boots - Rocky trails as you went up in elevation
5) A non-horse camper to go early to save a campsite for you. We arrived on a Saturday morning. There was a horse group meeting/demo and the camp was pretty packed. We still got a great site and there were empty sites still available. I would be more worried if it was mid-summer on a weekend. I would try calling first to talk to the camp host to see if they could save you a spot.
Day Use Area Trailer Parking
During our stay we had 3 trailers parked in the day use trailer parking area. It looks like they made a pretty tight turn around the corner to get parked. If you had a bigger group and were all together you may be able to fit 2-3 more trailers on the side of the parking lot.
Horse Campsites
The campsites with horse corrals are open for only campers with horses until 8pm. After 8pm they are fair game for non-horse campers. This is a great system that both protects horse camps and allows overflow campers to fill up spots maximizing the amount of people that can enjoy the camp. During our trip there were lots of non-horse campers in the horse spots. It wasn't a big deal because there were a lot of open horse corrals and I enjoyed being at the far end of camp away from the loud swarms of children.
Overall: Wooden corrals don't have a way to hang a tarp, metal corrals do.
Site AA - Hitching rail, no horse corral, pull-through,
Site A1 -4 Horse wood corral shared with site AA as there was no corral at AA. Pull-through but tight left turn from main A loop, my favorite site. We grabbed this site during our trip in 4/2023. It had a big meadow, was next to the trail, manure bin and the restroom and close to the stock water and a pull-though. Corral on the front right had a broken beam but the BCHO had flagged it for repair.
Site A2 - 2 separate 2 horse metal corrals, back-in with short driveway
Site A3 - No horse corral, back-in, short driveway.
Site A4 - 3 horse wooden corral in an L configuration, back-in with longer driveway.
Site A5 - 2 horse wooden corral shared with A5, 1 corral per site but joined together, no gates seen on corrals. back-in.
Site A6 - 2 horse wooden corral shared with A5, 1 corral per site but joined together, no gates seen on corrals. Back-in.
Site A7 - 2 horse wooden corrals with wood gates. Possible pull-through although a back-in on camp map.
Site A8, back-in
Site A9 - 2 horse wooden corral with 2 separate 1 horse corrals spaced out, pull-through but may be hard to exit if there is a trailer in A10.
Site A10 - 2 horse wooden corral, pull-through in person although shown as a back-in on camp map
Site B1 - 2 horse metal corral, back-in
Site B2 - 2 horse metal corral. ADA accessible, back-in
Site B3 - 2 horse metal corral, ADA accessible, back-in
Site B4 - 2 horse metal corral, pull-through
Site B5 - 4 horse wooden corral, back-in
Site B6 - 4 horse wooden corral, back-in
Site B7 - 2 horse metal corral, pull-through.
Site B8 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B9 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B10 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B11 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B12 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B13 - 2 horse metal corral, back-in technically although I saw it used as a pull-through
Site AA - Hitching rail, no horse corral, pull-through,
Site A1 -4 Horse wood corral shared with site AA as there was no corral at AA. Pull-through but tight left turn from main A loop, my favorite site. We grabbed this site during our trip in 4/2023. It had a big meadow, was next to the trail, manure bin and the restroom and close to the stock water and a pull-though. Corral on the front right had a broken beam but the BCHO had flagged it for repair.
Site A2 - 2 separate 2 horse metal corrals, back-in with short driveway
Site A3 - No horse corral, back-in, short driveway.
Site A4 - 3 horse wooden corral in an L configuration, back-in with longer driveway.
Site A5 - 2 horse wooden corral shared with A5, 1 corral per site but joined together, no gates seen on corrals. back-in.
Site A6 - 2 horse wooden corral shared with A5, 1 corral per site but joined together, no gates seen on corrals. Back-in.
Site A7 - 2 horse wooden corrals with wood gates. Possible pull-through although a back-in on camp map.
Site A8, back-in
Site A9 - 2 horse wooden corral with 2 separate 1 horse corrals spaced out, pull-through but may be hard to exit if there is a trailer in A10.
Site A10 - 2 horse wooden corral, pull-through in person although shown as a back-in on camp map
Site B1 - 2 horse metal corral, back-in
Site B2 - 2 horse metal corral. ADA accessible, back-in
Site B3 - 2 horse metal corral, ADA accessible, back-in
Site B4 - 2 horse metal corral, pull-through
Site B5 - 4 horse wooden corral, back-in
Site B6 - 4 horse wooden corral, back-in
Site B7 - 2 horse metal corral, pull-through.
Site B8 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B9 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B10 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B11 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B12 - No horse corral, back-in
Site B13 - 2 horse metal corral, back-in technically although I saw it used as a pull-through
Horse Camp Site Pictures
Site AA and A1
Watching my video I think I may have parked in the spot for AA but used the A1 horse corral. The 2 horse corral was the only corral between the sites AA and A1. AA had a hitch rail but no corral. I probably should have parked in the area between the posts that is labeled "1". It would be a pretty tight left turn to get into the driveway if you are driving around the loop clockwise. According to the camp map A1 is a back-in site but you may be able to pull through the meadow and around the tree to exit if it is not muddy or boggy. This is pretty confusing and all the wood posts make the site intimidating to back a horse-trailer through. No higher cross-beam over the horse corrals to hang a tarp from but you do get some tree cover.
Site Video
Watching my video I think I may have parked in the spot for AA but used the A1 horse corral. The 2 horse corral was the only corral between the sites AA and A1. AA had a hitch rail but no corral. I probably should have parked in the area between the posts that is labeled "1". It would be a pretty tight left turn to get into the driveway if you are driving around the loop clockwise. According to the camp map A1 is a back-in site but you may be able to pull through the meadow and around the tree to exit if it is not muddy or boggy. This is pretty confusing and all the wood posts make the site intimidating to back a horse-trailer through. No higher cross-beam over the horse corrals to hang a tarp from but you do get some tree cover.
Site Video
Here is the distance from the spigot at the stock water tank to the corral at A1. I used my 125 foot expandable hose and made it to the bucket in the horse corral. Always use a hose with a y so that other campers can also use the water spigot. Below right our 80 lb Great Dane mix missing his couch and making do with sitting on my husband's lap. He gets cold easily and typically wears long johns and a fleece coat. I really need to find him a doggy heated jacket.
A3 on the lower right, no horse corral. A very small back-in.
Site Video |
Site A4 - 3 horse wooden corral in an L configuration, back-in with longer driveway.
Site Video
Site Video
Site A5 - 2 horse wooden corral. This site is right across from the vault toilet. Short driveway. You may be able to park as a pull-through if you have a short rig and park so others can still drive by.
Site Video
Site Video
Site A6 - 2 horse wooden corral shared with A5, no gates seen on corrals.
Site Video
Site Video
Site A7 - 2 horse wooden corrals with wood gates. Possible pull-through.
Site Video
Site Video
Site A9 - 2 horse wooden corral with 2 separate 1 horse corrals spaced out. This site has the same driveway area as A10. It might be hard to get into A10 if someone you don't know is parked in A9.
Site Video
Site Video
Site A10 - Two horse wooden corral with one single corral off to the right up the hill.
Site Video
Site Video
Site B2
The picnic pavilion was across from site B3. I would not want to be close to the pavilion. There was a group of rowdy kids during our trip and the closer you were to the pavilion the noisier it became.
Site B5- lower left, Site B6 - lower right. It was hard to tell if these were wooden 2 or 4 horse corrals. I didn't want to disturb their occupants. Long driveway good for larger rigs. Site B5 was closer to a stock water tank but you would still need a 150+ foot hose.
Site B13 - 2 horse metal corral, used as a pull-through with a smaller rig.
Site Video
Site Video
The other B sites with horse corrals were occupied with non-horse campers. I will go back for another trip and take more videos and pictures of these campsites. I much preferred the A loop to the B loop.
Riding
Looking at a very detailed map like the whole pdf makes my brain hurt. I snipped the main section of the map I was most likely to ride and blew it up below. The map below shows the main horse-friendly trails. If you go south to the Yacolt Burn Trailhead the trails are much rockier and you are more likely to run into bikers. We rode both areas and I much prefer staying north-east vs. going south.
Here is the southern part of the trail map blown up. I do not recommend the trails south of the Yacolt Burn Trailhead as the footing is very rocky.
Riding Options
Southern Tarbell to Bells Mountain Trail to Road Loop
During our weekend trip this was our short last day in camp ride the morning before we planned on leaving. We rode in mid-April in 2023 and the forecast looked good early then turned into 100% rain by 11am. I was a little on the fence about going but Sam was rearing to go and we decided to try to do a short loop. I wanted to cut right at the blue circles but we missed the trail fork somehow. I need to go back to see where exactly this fork is and if it is still an active trail. We went south from camp, taking the trail just beyond the stock water tank. We crossed some gravel forest roads. About 50 feet before the roads there was a sign warning you that a road was coming. This was really nice to give us warning to get the dogs on leash before we crossed the road. The red section on the map was where the trail became pretty rocky and harder to navigate. It was on the level of Kalama horse camp rocky. It wasn't a deal-breaker but add increasingly heavy rain and plastic hoof boots and it was slippery enough to be a true ankle buster. At this point I decided we needed to get back to camp ASAP while the light rain became a downpour. Sam was a champ the whole time. Sam and I spent a lot of time in the Flatirons of Colorado so Sam is extremely good at navigating rocks while I hold onto my shit strap and try to breathe. Read about our difficult Colorado rock climbing adventures here. |
We went a small distance on the Sixth Sense trail. Holli of Holli's blog called the Sixth Sense trail rocky and that girl and pony are hard-core. When Jon asked if I wanted to go longer along the Sixth Sense trail I had a pretty strong reaction of "no."
The trail footing got better as we took a right turn, away from the Sixth Sense trail and we enjoyed the ride again and took some pictures. At the next fork we took an unsigned right turn that followed a gravel road to the left so we could loop back to camp. However, there was a huge tree down across the gravel road. I dismounted and asked Sam to go around the tree, down a small ditch. Sam happened to step on a branch that was in the shape of a fork that temporarily trapped his hoof. I asked him to back and freed his hoof. Sam was scared and started trembling. Luckily, he freezes when he is afraid and as soon as we were back on the gravel road he recovered much quicker than I did. I had to walk the road for a while until my heart slowed down. The red x on the map shows the place where the large tree was down across the road. We followed the road around a gate which is shown on the map in orange and then found the Tarbell trail on our left heading back to camp.
Overall, if you could find the fork to cut right at the blue circles you could skip the rocky part of the trail and just ride the Bells Mountain Trail as an out and back. I would also try this trail again just riding the gravel road to Bells Mountain if I knew the huge tree was no longer blocking the gravel road. Maybe with dry trails the rocky part would be more doable but I don't like risking an injury when there are many trails with easier footing at the same trailhead.
The trail footing got better as we took a right turn, away from the Sixth Sense trail and we enjoyed the ride again and took some pictures. At the next fork we took an unsigned right turn that followed a gravel road to the left so we could loop back to camp. However, there was a huge tree down across the gravel road. I dismounted and asked Sam to go around the tree, down a small ditch. Sam happened to step on a branch that was in the shape of a fork that temporarily trapped his hoof. I asked him to back and freed his hoof. Sam was scared and started trembling. Luckily, he freezes when he is afraid and as soon as we were back on the gravel road he recovered much quicker than I did. I had to walk the road for a while until my heart slowed down. The red x on the map shows the place where the large tree was down across the road. We followed the road around a gate which is shown on the map in orange and then found the Tarbell trail on our left heading back to camp.
Overall, if you could find the fork to cut right at the blue circles you could skip the rocky part of the trail and just ride the Bells Mountain Trail as an out and back. I would also try this trail again just riding the gravel road to Bells Mountain if I knew the huge tree was no longer blocking the gravel road. Maybe with dry trails the rocky part would be more doable but I don't like risking an injury when there are many trails with easier footing at the same trailhead.
Trail Pictures
Starting out taking the trail on the left from the day use area behind the stock water tank we first passed over a small foot bridge. The trail was mostly packed dirt but became gradually rockier after passing a few gravel roads.
There were lots of flags on the trail to mark areas that needed improvement or gravel. This is great as long as your horse will walk through them. The flags didn't bother Sam.
During the rocky stretch I was not able to take any pictures. We paused by the picnic table to wait for Jon to catch up right as the footing started to improve. We passed the Sixth Sense trail fork and it started to rain harder.
Below: Sam and I are happy to be out riding on the Bells Mountain trail section. We are both very wet.
Sage the Great Dane mix is a sensitive soul and wears a pink raincoat.
Sage the Great Dane mix is a sensitive soul and wears a pink raincoat.
Below: At the signed trail fork we took a right to take the gravel road to the left.
Not pictured - The huge tree that is immediately blocking the gravel road to the left.
Not pictured - Some moderate trail anxiety going down a ditch to get around the huge tree while getting a hoof stuck on a branch and loosing a rear hoof boot.
Not pictured - The huge tree that is immediately blocking the gravel road to the left.
Not pictured - Some moderate trail anxiety going down a ditch to get around the huge tree while getting a hoof stuck on a branch and loosing a rear hoof boot.
Overall, this was a nice short loop, even in pouring rain we managed the tricky spots and Sam and the dogs were happy and calm. Next time the forecast says 100% chance of rain in 2 hours I will just stay in camp and drink hot coco.
Short Appy - Tarbell LoopI have not ridden this trail yet so I can't recommend it at this time. I worry that the gravel road you use to cut the Tarbell loop in half may not go through or may be unmaintained. Next trip we will start on the southern leg and see if we can find the gravel road that goes north. I rode the northern leg of this loop recently and it was a solid trail with good footing although a lot of elevation gain over switchbacks.
|
Tarbell to Silver Shadow Loop
This was a great loop for our first day at camp. Sam and I have been doing more training for longer, harder rides. He was pretty unfazed by gaining 1200 feet in 4.5 miles. My husband walked the dogs and they ran back and forth between us, covering much more than 9 miles. According to the camp website dogs are allowed off leash with horseback riders as long as they are under voice-control.
The elevation gain was friendly with smooth switchbacks and hard packed dirt footing with occasional rocks and roots. There is also an option to bypass some of the steepest switchbacks on the Silver Shadow Trail by taking a longer route along a gravel road shown on the map to the right in dark red. When we were riding the north-west leg of the loop in the green area we could hear gunshots from neighboring land. It was a little unsettling but not as constant or as loud as the shooting at Camp Wilkerson in Ranier Oregon. This was a trail of at least 3 bridges. Bridges are not Sam's favorite thing. I dismounted for most of them but there were plenty of stumps along the trail to use to remount. Thank you Sara Faulkner for her treed Wintec saddle. Mounting was so much easier on this trip! I have finally had to ditch my treeless but comfy saddle after a few rolly polly mishaps. We couldn't see Mt. Helens on this trail but did see snowy mountains in the distance. The forest was lovely and there were lots of creeks along the trail where the dogs could drink. We rested at the top and Sam ate 6 apples and drooled all over my Husky as he scrambled for the dropped apple pieces. I was able to drop Sam's reins and he stayed with his adopted herd and begged for trail mix. He is very partial to peanuts and salty granola bars. Sam now knows our camping trail routine is....climb a mountain, rest and eat apples at top...remount and descend mountain. This is followed by more apples, apple sauce and granola bars. |
Trail Pictures
The trail started out to the right of the stock tank and ran along the creek.
I dismounted to cross a pretty imposing bridge. Sam crossed it perfectly on the way home.
The trail was well-marked at all forks. Below left is the branch for the Appaloosa trail that we did not take. We traveled through some younger growing pine trees.
The gradual incline with gentle switchbacks was through a scenic forest. The footing was mostly packed dirt with some scattered rocks. Sam was comfortable with boots on all four hooves.
We climbed 1200 feet in 4.5 miles and had snacks at the top. Below right is the fork where the Tarbell trail continues to the right to make a longer 10 mile loop. We went to the left to descend 1200 feet in 4.5 miles on the north-west leg of the Tarbell loop. At this point in the trail we could hear gun-shots to the west.
Below left: Our animal train. Sam then Sage then Marcus then Jon. Jon has a view of cute bottoms as he hikes.
Bottom right: Halfway down the mountain we had a short section on the gravel road. The plastic fence on the right spooked Sam and he stutter stepped as we came out the single-track right where the plastic fence started.
Bottom right: Halfway down the mountain we had a short section on the gravel road. The plastic fence on the right spooked Sam and he stutter stepped as we came out the single-track right where the plastic fence started.
Below two of the few foot-bridges we crossed on the west leg down the mountain. Sam watches as Jon and the dogs cross the bridge, then he follows. He does not want to go first but will easily follow. If he is nervous I dismount and lead him to show him he can trust me, that I understand his emotions, and will always have his back. A nice bite of apple after crossing the bridge is also a big help.
I really enjoyed this trail. We had nice weather and I loved the gentle climbing switchbacks with good footing.
Longer Appy-Tarbell LoopI am looking forward to riding this longer loop once Sam and I are more conditioned for this kind of elevation gain. It may be possible to cut the loop in half via a forest road. I will report back on my next trip.
|
Rating
I really enjoyed Rock Creek Horse Camp. The camp is very well maintained and there are plenty of sites for horse and non-horse campers. There are multiple pull-through options and they are well spaced out. The trails are very well labeled and my usually lost-prone self had very little trail anxiety here. My only time of panic was trying to get around the huge downed tree on an unlabeled gravel road. The trails had fresh gravel in muddy areas and many parts were flagged for improvement. I can tell the BCHO loves and cares for this camp frequently. I will definitely be back. There are rumors that this camp will be available for reservations in the future and a camp host has been hired for 2023. Reservations would eliminate the problem of non-horse campers taking a horse spot after a long haul of traveling and I really hope this come to fruition soon!