Horse camping at Dru Barner Campground, Eldorado National Forest

Horse camping facts for Dru Barner Campground in Eldorado National Forest, from Recreation.gov: sites, rig length, trailer parking, horse trails nearby and the rules. Where an agency doesn't publish something, this page says so.

More horse camps, trailer parking, horse-legal trails and rules in the Eldorado National Forest: Eldorado National Forest horse camping.

What are the horse camping facts at Dru Barner Campground?

Booked through: Recreation.gov ^[1]
Park or forest: Eldorado National Forest ^[1]
Listed for horses as: Equestrian campsites ^[1] (Recreation.gov)
Horse sites: 26 ^[1]
Max rig length: 20–50 ft (longest 50 ft) ^[1]
Horses per site: 3–4 (max 4) ^[1]
Corrals: Yes ^[1]
Hitching posts: Yes (“hitching posts near some of the restrooms and high line posts between camp sites”) ^[2]
Reservations: Not published by Recreation.gov. Ridden here? Add it in Ride
Coordinates: 38.94289, -120.76401 ^[1] · Directions ^[1]

Where do I park a horse trailer at Dru Barner Campground?

Max rig length at the camp: 20–50 ft (longest 50 ft) ^[1]

Parking spurs vary in length, from long trailers and RVs down to a truck with a short horse trailer ^[2]

No agency publishes horse-trailer parking for this camp. Ridden here? Add it in Ride

Which horse trails start near Dru Barner Campground?

Rock Creek Loop
28.2 mapped mi ^[3] · horse season: 01/01-12/31 · surface: nat - native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Western States Trl
16.6 mapped mi ^[4] · horses allowed per California State Parks
Western States Trail
14.9 mapped mi ^[5] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors
Slate Canyon
12.0 mapped mi ^[6] · horse season: 01/01-12/31 · surface: nat - native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Crosier Run
10.2 mapped mi ^[7] · horse season: 01/01-12/31 · surface: nat - native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Rock Creek Loop
8.8 mapped mi ^[8] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors
Western States
8.2 mapped mi ^[9] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Trail 1
7.5 mapped mi ^[10] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors
Al Brass
7.1 mapped mi ^[11] · horse season: 01/01-12/31 · surface: nat - native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Wendell T Robie Trail
6.7 mapped mi ^[12] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors
Mace Mill Loop
6.1 mapped mi ^[13] · horse season: 01/01-12/31 · surface: nat - native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service
Mace Mill Loop
6.0 mapped mi ^[14] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

Plus 84 more named horse-legal trails in the same data, not listed here.

Trails within about 9 miles where the managing agency (or OpenStreetMap) marks horses as allowed. Mileage is the mapped length of segments with that name, not a loop distance.

When is Dru Barner Campground open?

Season: Year round; peak season April 1 – October 31 ^[15]

As of October 25, 2026. Check with the agency before you haul: seasons move with snow and fire.

What are the horse rules at Dru Barner Campground?

Most trails suit horse and foot travel; early season may bring downfall and wet areas. Horses have the right-of-way on multiple-use trails. ^[16]
Desolation Wilderness: entering without a valid permit is prohibited (Forest Order 03-24-01, effective Mar 9, 2024 to Mar 8, 2027). ^[17]
Desolation Wilderness: "Possessing more than two livestock per person, or possessing more than 12 livestock per group" is prohibited; groups max 12 persons. ^[17]
Desolation Wilderness: no hitching, tethering or hobbling saddle or pack animals within 200 feet of water or 100 feet of a campsite. ^[17]
Desolation Wilderness: livestock waste must be scattered at least 100 feet from water sources and campsites. ^[17]
Wrights Lake equestrian sites: visitors must travel with pack or saddle stock, one equine or pack animal per site; campers without stock must leave, no refund. ^[18]

Is there water for horses at Dru Barner Campground?

Water for horses: Not published by Recreation.gov. Ridden here? Add it in Ride
Water hookup at the site: No ^[1]
Drinking water (people): Not published by Recreation.gov. Ridden here? Add it in Ride

Ridden here?

Ride is a free iPhone app for logging rides, built for trail rides out of cell range: GPS keeps recording with no signal and the ride syncs later. If an agency hasn't published something on this page and you know it, add it in Ride.

Free · iPhone · iOS 16.4+

What other horse campgrounds are near Dru Barner Campground?

Packing for it: the horse camping checklist.

Loon Lake · 23.5 mi away · Eldorado National Forest
Tells Creek Equestrian Camp · 23.7 mi away · Eldorado National Forest
Skillman · 26.0 mi away · Tahoe National Forest
Wrights Lake Equestrian Campground · 29.3 mi away · Eldorado National Forest

Sources

Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10077451, fetched October 25, 2026
Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10077451, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10561893&outFields=*&f=html
California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1057650&outFields=*&f=html
OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/298581567
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10562028&outFields=*&f=html
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10561875&outFields=*&f=html
OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1469611709
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10552287&outFields=*&f=html
OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1472424388
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10561891&outFields=*&f=html
OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/298410106
USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10562610&outFields=*&f=html
OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1469611680
Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10077451?tab=seasons, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/opportunities/horse-riding-and-camping, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/alerts/occupancy-and-use-restrictions-desolation-wilderness-area, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/wrights-lake-campground, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026