Willamette Mission State Park Horse Camp
Location: Willamette Mission State Park, Gervais, OR 97026
Facilities: Porta Potties, manure bins, fire pits and picnic tables at each site
Camp Site Amenities: manure bins, picnic table, fire pit,
Site Type: back-in and pull-through
Water: Water Spigot, can attach hose
Footing: Sandy and rocky, hoof boots recommended
Cell Signal: 2 bars with Att!
Dogs: Dogs allowed
Other: No requirement for weed free hay
Website: https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=99
Reservations: https://oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/willamette-mission-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=OR&parkId=405209
Facilities: Porta Potties, manure bins, fire pits and picnic tables at each site
Camp Site Amenities: manure bins, picnic table, fire pit,
Site Type: back-in and pull-through
Water: Water Spigot, can attach hose
Footing: Sandy and rocky, hoof boots recommended
Cell Signal: 2 bars with Att!
Dogs: Dogs allowed
Other: No requirement for weed free hay
Website: https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=99
Reservations: https://oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/willamette-mission-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=OR&parkId=405209
Getting There
Coming from Boring, OR, this was an easy drive. We hopped on 205 South to I-5 South for a very uneventful, straight and smooth drive. However, once in the park it was confusing where to go to reach the horse camp. We stayed left at the first fork, since I knew I didn't want the day-use area. There was no sign at the fork below the equestrian parking. A sign at this fork would have been incredibly helpful! I ended up pulling into the equestrian parking to ask a rider where the horse camp was. Take the right as noted prior to the equestrian parking lot and it will loop around to the horse camping area.
Must Brings
1) Fly spray, vegetarian food - The bees were out in 9/2022 and they were very attracted to any cheese or meat, the minute we put these items away the bees went away
2) Antihistamines, steroids - again as a precaution for bees. The trails were fine but the bees were active around the campsite.
3) Hoof Boots - other trail book authors have called the footing soft and sandy. Most of the time it was, but we also walked over quite a few rocky sections. I tend to over-boot Sam so I know he will be comfortable no matter what footing we trod.
2) Antihistamines, steroids - again as a precaution for bees. The trails were fine but the bees were active around the campsite.
3) Hoof Boots - other trail book authors have called the footing soft and sandy. Most of the time it was, but we also walked over quite a few rocky sections. I tend to over-boot Sam so I know he will be comfortable no matter what footing we trod.
A manure bin was provided along with recycling and trash. Spigots were provided fairly close to each horse corral but site 4 had the longest distance from horse corral to spigot. My 100 foot hose worked for site 5 but may have been stretched for site 4. The spigot did not have very many screw ridges so it was hard to attach a hose but I got it to work. There were some bees hanging out by the water spigot. 9/2022
Campsite Pictures
Pulling into this campsite it was hard to read the numbers on the corrals. I had to drive the loop twice because it took a drive-by to figure out which corral was which. It is nice having the corrals labeled but there was no other site label. As you drive the loop going clock-wise you will hit Site 3 on the right, 4 on the left, 5 on the right and 6 on the left. Don't know why it starts with 3.
Site 3
This was a pull-through site with a long driveway.
Site 4
The picture below shows the spigot for site 3 and 4. In the distance is site 4. You would need a very long hose to avoid hauling water to the corral at site four.
Below this pano shows the driveway for site 3 on the very left, then the trashcan and spigot near the two middle trees, then the corral for site 4.
Below is a close-up of the corral for site 4.
Site 5 - Pano looking at site 5 pull-through drive next to corral with recycling and water spigot between trees
The water spigot was on the other side of the driveway. I had a 100 foot hose and it worked to run the hose from the spigot to the corral.
Site 6 - Large back-in area, 2 picnic tables, short distance from spigot to corral
Day Use Area
The parking area for horse trailers is gigantic. No worries here about being able to park on a busy summer day or parking for an event. We camped during a fundraiser ride for the 40 Something Cowgirls. The lot was very full but there was still more room available. There was a grass filled arena on the right without a gate. You could use this arena to warm up or lunge if you had a nervous horse.
Below is a pano view of the very large parking area during an official trail riding event.
Riding
wmsp_trail_map_brochure.pdf |
Click on the File Link Above to Download PDF
Another Trail Map Option
I was worried that I would be bored with the trails here. It was a stark contrast to our usual straight-up mountain trails of Mount Hood. It was a bit of a break. I really enjoyed meeting other riders during the 40+ Cowgirl's fundraiser. Somehow just riding your horse with good company is always enough for a good weekend. We rode two variations on the trails going all the way around the crop fields and heading back along the river. The prettiest part of the trail was winding through the forest. After 2 days of riding I was pretty tired of the trails. The good news is there are other trails for hiking, biking and you can bring your kayak and spend time in the water. Below is a close-up of the bottom part of the map where horses are allowed.
Another Trail Map Option
I was worried that I would be bored with the trails here. It was a stark contrast to our usual straight-up mountain trails of Mount Hood. It was a bit of a break. I really enjoyed meeting other riders during the 40+ Cowgirl's fundraiser. Somehow just riding your horse with good company is always enough for a good weekend. We rode two variations on the trails going all the way around the crop fields and heading back along the river. The prettiest part of the trail was winding through the forest. After 2 days of riding I was pretty tired of the trails. The good news is there are other trails for hiking, biking and you can bring your kayak and spend time in the water. Below is a close-up of the bottom part of the map where horses are allowed.
Here is another version of the map including the hiking and biking trails.
Day One - Large Loop
GPS Track Link
Mileage: 6.97 miles Time Taken: 2 hrs 30 minutes Ascent: 45 feet I had never been to Willamette Mission State Park and I enjoyed this ride. It was mostly flat and easy, mostly single-track with some side-by-side riding around the fields. Jon was walking the dogs on the north end of the park so Sam and I enjoyed walking a faster pace. I only saw two other hikers so it felt more remote than it was. |
We picked up the trail across the main road. It was well marked. It crossed the bike path. We crossed the bike path 2-3 x but the bike traffic was pretty light.
It started out shady and took us through the forest to the river bank.
We chose to go right to get to the river sooner. Going left was a hotter option through the grass with less trees.
The trail along the river wasn't long and it soon went back in-land.
There was a fork. If you went left at the purple circle below you made the loop shorter and rode around the west half of the big field. Going right we made the loop longer and went all the way around the orchard and the field. There was a pretty steep hill right before the trail t'd with the orchard. This point is circled in blue. This hill was really the only mildly exciting part of the ride for us. We went around the orchards.
The only confusing part was the picture below. I didn't know if I should continue around the orchard or take the road. Turns out the official trail was the road. The road made a sharp turn and we went around the perimeter of the field.
It was pretty riding around the field. It was also a little warm on a late September afternoon. I was told to look for bees around this field. Luckily it was late September and I didn't see any.
You can keep riding around the perimeter or you could duck back into the forest. The turn-off was a little hidden and we rode past it. I had to check Gaia and turn around to find the trail fork. It was signed but hidden by trees.
The prettiest part of the trail was after we ducked back into the forest from the open field.
We met back up with the trail we rode in on by the river. Below is an example of why I would not call the footing soft. I was very glad we were booted on all 4 hooves to cross these rocks. We retraced our steps to get back to the equestrian trail-head.
Day Two
GPS Track Link
Mileage: 6.83 Time Taken: 2 hrs 8 minutes Ascent: 52 feet I rode the 2nd day with some new friends during a trail riding event for the 40 Something Cowgirls. It was fun to ride with a larger group. All of the horses were very well behaved and we had a pretty uneventful ride largely walking and talking about our favorite topic - our horses. Sam loves making new friends and he really shows off with his forward, almost gaited, walk. We went almost the same route as my ride the day before. I am glad I had new company because it made it more fun. The scenery was much the same but our track was slightly different. |
Day 3 - Biking with Dogs
GPS Track Link
Total Mileage: 2.28 miles Time Taken: 22 minutes Ascent: 7 feet The third day I decided to do a short bike ride with Jon before heading home. We have bike attachments for the dogs called "Walkie Dogs". They are wonderful because they hold our dogs out away from the frame of the bike so they cannot get stuck in the wheels or pull you over. We have a Husky mix and a Vizsla mix and they are both very active dogs. There is something wonderful about your dog running at top speed as you race with your bike. The bike route started off on a dirt trail that traveled along the bank of Mission Lake the river then turned into a paved trail going along the Willamette River and then through the frisbee golf course and back to camp. There are much longer routes available on a paved surface. 20 minutes is pretty much my max when dealing with a bike and a dog. This was a great way to end our weekend. |
Rating
I have mixed feelings about this campground. First, it was easy to get to, close and the riding was not stressful or hard. Another bonus was I had cell reception, 2 bars with ATT. That means I could stay caught up on my social media and email while enjoying napping in my chair watching Sam. However, the campground was noisy even when we were the only campers. This may have been due to the road noise and farm equipment noise. I understand why people don't want to camp here since it is so close to town. It is a nice place for a day-ride or an event, but not enough riding for more than 1.5 days. The horse campground is well planned and well maintained. It was overall kind of a "meh" state park. This would be great for the green horse or young rider. More adventurous riders may want to skip this location and head to the mountains for more challenging riding and better vistas.