Mendocino coast horseback riding
Where to camp with horses, where to park a trailer, which trails allow horses and the rules on the Mendocino coast, from California State Parks and OpenStreetMap data.
Where can I camp with horses on the Mendocino coast?
Horse camps named on agency pages (no camp page yet)
Jackson Demonstration State Forest horse camps
- Listed for horses
- Yes (“There is one designated horse camp open to the public from late spring to early fall, located off JDSF Road 810, near the Camp 20 Day Use Area.”) [1]
Sources differ: The forest's Camping Info PDF lists Horse Camp at Camp 20 (8 sites, open to Equestrian Campers Only) AND Redtail at Camp One (10 sites; 6-10 open to equestrian campers only), i.e. two horse camping areas, not one. Both kept. - Sites
- Horse Camp, Camp 20: 8 sites, open to Equestrian Campers Only; Redtail, Camp One: 10 sites, 6-10 open to equestrian campers only [2]
- Season
- Generally open between Memorial Day and the end of September, weather dependent [2]
Sources differ: The forest web page says "Seasonal camping is offered mid-May through September" and the horse camp is open "from late spring to early fall". Both kept. - Status
- Status (CAL FIRE): All State Forest campgrounds closed effective September 29, 2026; expected to re-open in spring 2027. Roads may still be used for horseback riding. [3]
- Fee
- $20/night, maximum 8 people, two vehicles included; cash or check; first-come, first-served [2]
- Water
- Campsites are primitive and have no potable water [2]
- Horse-trailer parking
- Yes (“There are several locations to park, including the popular Camp One Day Use Area and adjacent to the Little Red School House, just off Hwy 20.”) [1]
Where do I park a horse trailer on the Mendocino coast?
Named by California State Parks
Little River SB Parking Lot A
Horse staging, trailheads and entrances from the agencies' own map data. A trailer count appears only where the agency publishes one; a quoted lot note is the agency's wording. Parked a trailer here? Add it in Ride
Which Mendocino coast trails allow horses?
California State Parks
M1.0
CA Costal Trl
Haul Rd
M14.0
North Boundary Trail
Fire Rd
M2.0
Marsh Creek Trl
North Trail
Back Dunes Trail
Plus 14 more named horse-legal trails in the same data, not listed here.
OpenStreetMap
Road 400
North Boundary Trail
Thompsom Gulch Trail
Fern Canyon Scenic Trail
Trails where the managing agency or OpenStreetMap marks horses as allowed, one list per agency. Mileage is the mapped length of segments with that name, not a loop distance.
What closures and seasons apply on the Mendocino coast?
- Jackson Demonstration State Forest horse camps, season: Generally open between Memorial Day and the end of September, weather dependent [2]
Sources differ: The forest web page says "Seasonal camping is offered mid-May through September" and the horse camp is open "from late spring to early fall". Both kept. - Jackson Demonstration State Forest horse camps: Status (CAL FIRE): All State Forest campgrounds closed effective September 29, 2026; expected to re-open in spring 2027. Roads may still be used for horseback riding. [3]
As of October 25, 2026. Check with the agency before you haul: seasons move with snow and fire.
What are the horse rules on the Mendocino coast?
Ride hasn't collected area-wide horse rules from California State Parks yet.
Is there water for horses on the Mendocino coast?
Water for horses at trailheads: Not published by California State Parks. Ridden here? Add it in Ride
- Jackson Demonstration State Forest horse camps: Campsites are primitive and have no potable water [2]
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 Mendocino coast?
Sources
- CAL FIRE: https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/demonstration-state-forests/jackson-demonstration-state-forest, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- CAL FIRE: https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/demostration-forests/jackson/recreation-maps-and-permits/jdsf-camping-info---updated.pdf, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- CAL FIRE: https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/demostration-forests/jackson/2026-files/918.pdf, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/ParkingPoints/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D56695&outFields=*&f=html, fetched October 25, 2026
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0, fetched October 25, 2026
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1062973&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1067762&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1065543&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1062990&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1062879&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1065718&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1067195&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1062895&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1062868&outFields=*&f=html
- California State Parks: https://services2.arcgis.com/AhxrK3F6WM8ECvDi/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationalRoutes/FeatureServer/0/query?where=FID%3D1063849&outFields=*&f=html
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/, fetched October 25, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/10304789
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/320762098
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/433110123
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1030713230