Portable horse corrals for camping
There are three ways to keep a horse in at camp: portable panels, electric tape, or a highline. Panels that fasten to your trailer suit a drive-in camp. Electric tape or a highline suits a pack-in trip or a short stay. This page compares what makers and magazines publish, then lists the 15 Northern California camps whose agencies say they have corrals.
- Which kind should I bring? Panels that attach to your trailer if you can drive in. Electric tape or a highline if you pack in or stay a night or two. Compare them below.
- What size corral does a horse need? Ride found no agency or extension figure for a camp corral. The one sourced figure is for a dry lot, 400 sq ft. The one-horse corral kits below make about 100 to 254 sq ft. Details
- How much does a portable corral cost? Panel kits listed on maker sites, October 24, 2026: $599 to $1,052. Electric kits: $380 to $509.95. By maker
- Does the camp allow it, and does it already have corrals? 15 of 50 Northern California camps on Ride publish corrals. See which
Panels, electric or a highline
- Trailering to a campground you can drive into: Panels that attach to the trailer. Horse&Rider calls them sturdy, visible and roomy enough to move around in. [3]
- Packing in by horseback: Electric tape or a highline. Horse&Rider says panels are too big to pack in. [3]
- One or two nights where trees are fit to use: A highline with tree savers. Horse&Rider says it suits shorter trips, since the horse cannot walk around. [3]
- A camp that already has corrals: Use them. The Forest Service's own advice for riders is to use permanent corrals at trailheads and designated camps when you find them. [12]
| Type | Setup time | Packed weight | Enclosed size | Holds a horse that tests fences | Needs | Price range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel panels |
Travel N Corrals says one person builds its 13 ft by 13 ft round corral next to a trailer in under 15 minutes [1] | 15 lb per panel (Travel N Corrals); Rarin' To Go lists no weight for its 4-panel kit [1] [2] | 13 ft by 13 ft round, up to 18 ft by 18 ft (Travel N Corrals); 10 ft by 10 ft from 4 panels (Rarin' To Go) [1] [2] | Fairly sturdy and reliable, but not escape-proof: an excitable horse can catch a leg and pull a pen over [3] | Trailer racks or brackets to carry them; panels are too big to pack in, so vehicle access only [3] | $599 for Rarin' To Go's 10 ft by 10 ft 4-panel kit; Travel N Corrals lists no price [2] [1] |
| Plastic and PVC panels |
Panels join with connecting rods (Carri-Lite) or legs and bungees (Camp Corrals); neither maker lists a setup time [4] [5] | About 15 lb per panel, collapsing to about a quarter of its size (Carri-Lite); 7 lb per EconoLine panel, 13 lb per Liberty panel (Camp Corrals) [4] [5] [6] | 8 panels make about a 12 ft round pen (Carri-Lite) or a 10 ft by 10 ft stall or 13 ft round pen (Camp Corrals) [4] [5] | Same trade-off as other panels. Camp Corrals also sells a panel with electric strands for a horse that pushes [3] [7] | Trailer brackets come with Carri-Lite's standard 8-panel kit; Camp Corrals sells trailer mounts and stake legs separately [4] [6] | $799.99 to $827.99 for Carri-Lite's 8-panel kit; $1,012 to $1,052 for Camp Corrals' 8-panel EconoLine; $919 to $982 for its 8-panel Liberty [4] [5] [6] |
| Electric tape kit |
Posts, tape and charger come as one kit; neither maker lists a setup time [8] [9] | About 16 lb for Outfitters Supply's kit; RAMM lists no weight [9] [8] | 50 ft by 50 ft from 200 ft of tape (RAMM); 50 ft by 50 ft single strand or 25 ft by 25 ft double strand (Outfitters Supply) [8] [9] | A spooked horse will go through the tape, and deer and elk often crash through it, so teach the horse to respect it at home first [3] | A battery charger (two D cells in both makers' kits), insulators, a ground rod and a lead from charger to fence; can be packed in by horseback [3] [8] [9] | $380 (RAMM, marked down from $399) to $509.95 (Outfitters Supply) [8] [9] |
| Highline |
Takes time, effort and some skill; needs two stable trees or a trailer and a live tree [3] | A rope and tree savers [3] | A line, not an enclosure: the horse can graze and lie down but not walk around [3] | Called inexpensive and relatively safe, if the horse is comfortable being tied and the knot is quick-release [3] | Live trees, or a trailer; trees need watching for bark damage [3] | Horse&Rider calls it inexpensive; it gives no price [3] |
Specs are what each maker publishes on its own product page, read October 24, 2026. Where a maker lists nothing, the cell says so. Ride has not tested any of these and ranks none. Horse&Rider's guide also covers hobbles and overhead tie arms; this page leaves them out.
Rope instead of panels: how to set up a horse highline.
What size corral for one horse
University of Minnesota Extension advises at least 400 square feet per average 1,100-pound horse in a dry lot, a pen a horse lives in. That space leaves out shelters, feeders and water, and assumes horses housed together get along [14]. That is a standing pen, not a camp corral for the night, and Ride found no published figure for the second. Maker kits sit well below it.
Rarin' To Go Corrals: 4 steel panels, 10 ft by 10 ft
Camp Corrals: 8 PVC panels, 10 ft by 10 ft free-standing stall
Camp Corrals: 8 PVC panels, 13 ft round pen
Carri-Lite Corrals: 8 HDPE panels, about a 12 ft round pen
Travel N Corrals: Steel panels, 13 ft by 13 ft round corral (panel count not listed)
Travel N Corrals: Steel panels, 18 ft by 18 ft round corral (panel count not listed)
Outfitters Supply: Electric tape, 25 ft by 25 ft double strand
RAMM Fencing: Electric tape, 50 ft by 50 ft
Travel N Corrals argues for a pen big enough for the horse to circle and calls 10 ft by 10 ft too small for long stays [1].
Square feet are Ride's arithmetic from each maker's stated size (a round pen is π × radius²). Panel count sets the size: a round pen takes about 3.14 ft of panel per foot of width, so a 12 ft round pen needs about 38 ft of panel, which is 8 panels of 5 ft.
What it costs
Listed on maker sites on October 24, 2026: panel kits $599 to $1,052; electric kits $380 to $509.95. Horse&Rider's rule of thumb: even a few panels run over $500 and a sizable pen well over $1,000; electric kits run about $200 to $300, below panels [3]. Prices move; the product pages in Sources are the current ones.
Carri-Lite Corrals: 8-panel standard kit, trailer brackets included
Camp Corrals: 8-panel EconoLine PVC, ready made
Camp Corrals: 8-panel Liberty PVC, modular
Camp Corrals: 8-panel electric EconoLine, ready made
Rarin' To Go Corrals: 10 ft by 10 ft portable travel corral, 4 steel panels
Travel N Corrals: steel panel corrals, 13 ft to 18 ft
RAMM Fencing: 50 ft by 50 ft electric camping kit
Outfitters Supply: electric polytape corral kit
Some Camp Corrals options add electric wire or a charger, which raises the price; the range shown is for the panels without them.
Camp rules
The camp or forest decides what you may use. Where an agency says nothing, assume nothing and ask the ranger district.
- Yosemite: At Yosemite's stock camps the National Park Service says to use hitch lines or portable corrals and to wrap trees under ropes [15]. Stock there must be picketed at least 100 feet from any stream, lake or spring [15]. See Wawona Horse Camp.
- National parks in general: National Park Service camping guidance for stock: use hitch racks where provided; where there are none, string a highline away from the trail between two trees to spare the trees and their roots [16].
- California national forests: The Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region (all California forests) asks riders not to tie horses to trees for long periods and to use hobbles or high-lines instead [17].
- Klamath National Forest: Tie stock to trees for under an hour; for longer, use high-lines, hobbles, pickets or electric fences. Every campground for horses it runs provides some corral or enclosure [10].
- Modoc National Forest: Recommends a temporary corral or fence for a multi-day camp, trained at home first, and says to use permanent corrals where you find them [11].
- Mendocino National Forest: Same advice as the Modoc: a temporary corral or fence for a multi-day camp, trained at home first, and use permanent corrals where you find them [12].
- Eldorado National Forest: Hitching, tethering or hobbling a horse is prohibited where it damages live trees, soil or water; stock is allowed in recreation sites only where posted. Nothing on portable corrals or electric fence [13].
- Tahoe, Plumas, Lassen and Stanislaus National Forests: Not published by the USDA Forest Service on the horse-camping and safety pages read for this guide.
None of these pages says electric fence or portable corrals are banned or allowed in a given forest. Do not assume a camp allows them: check the camp page and its agency first. More camps: horse camping in California.
Northern California camps that already have corrals
15 of the 50 camps on Ride publish corrals, each from its agency, with the agency's own count where it gives one. Public agency camps only.
35 camps render “Not published” for corrals: their agencies do not say. At those, bring a portable corral or a highline, and check that the camp allows it.
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+
Setting up at camp
- Get the horse used to panels, tape or highlines at home before the trip. [3] [11] [12]
- With electric tape, assume a spooked horse or a deer will go through it. [3]
- On a highline, tie the halter rope short enough that the horse cannot step over it and long enough to graze and lie down. Use a quick-release knot and carry a knife. [3]
- If the line runs between trees, use tree savers, run the line about 7 feet off the ground, and still watch for bark damage. [3] [11]
- Choose a hard, rocky spot for a highline. [12]
- Panels need a vehicle to carry them, so with panels you camp where you can drive. [3]
- Check the camp or forest rules first: they decide which of these you may use. [16] [13]
Keep going
- Horse highline: tree savers, rope height and spacing, distance from water.
- Camping with horses: how to choose a camp, keep the horse overnight, and what to practice first.
- Horse camping checklist: what to pack, with the source for each group.
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+
Sources
- Travel N Corrals: https://www.travelncorrals.com/, fetched October 24, 2026
- Rarin' To Go Corrals: https://rarintogocorrals.com/products/12w-x-12d-add-on-corral-3-rail-1-5-8-copy, fetched October 24, 2026
- Horse&Rider, '5 Horse-Containment Options': https://www.horseandrider.com/how-to/5-horse-containment-options, fetched October 24, 2026
- Carri-Lite Corrals: https://carrilitecorrals.com/product/carri-lite-portable-horse-corral-travel-stall/, fetched October 24, 2026
- Camp Corrals (EconoLine): https://campcorrals.com/products/fully-assembled-econoline-8-panels-3-rails, fetched October 24, 2026
- Camp Corrals (Liberty): https://campcorrals.com/products/new-modular-kit-liberty-8-panels-3-rails, fetched October 24, 2026
- Camp Corrals (Electric EconoLine): https://campcorrals.com/products/fully-assembled-horse-electric-econoline-2-rails-8-panels, fetched October 24, 2026
- RAMM Fencing: https://www.rammfence.com/fence/electric-horse-fence/50-x-50-portable-electric-camping-corral-kit-white/, fetched October 24, 2026
- Outfitters Supply: https://www.outfitterssupply.com/products/polytape-portable-corral-productinfo-wphk460, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/klamath/recreation/opportunities/horse-riding-and-camping, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/modoc/safety-ethics, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/mendocino/safety-ethics, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/natural-resources/forest-management/general-rules, fetched October 24, 2026
- University of Minnesota Extension, 'Horse dry lots and shelters': https://extension.umn.edu/agriculture/animals-and-livestock/horse/horse-dry-lots-and-shelters, fetched October 24, 2026
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/stock.htm, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/stock-use.htm, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/about-area/faqs, fetched October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/shasta-trinity/recreation/bridge-camp-campground, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233356, fetched October 25, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234344, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30998, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28538, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10077451, fetched October 25, 2026
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28465, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/123390, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233357, fetched October 25, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/klamath/recreation/martins-dairy-horse-camp, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/tahoe/recreation/packsaddle-campground, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234591, fetched October 25, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10192152, fetched October 25, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233358, fetched October 25, 2026
- Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10327336, fetched October 25, 2026