Plumas National Forest horse camping

Where can I camp with horses in the Plumas National Forest?

• Horse Campground (Little Grass Valley)

  10 horse sites ^[1] · season: June 19 – September 6 ^[2]

• Meadowview Equestrian Campground

  listed for horses by the USDA Forest Service

• Snake Lake Campground and Equestrian Camp

  8 horse sites ^[3] · season: May 22 – October 31 (peak through September 30) ^[4]

• Whitehorse Campground

  3 horse sites ^[5] · season: May 22 – September 27 ^[6]

Where do I park a horse trailer in the Plumas National Forest?

Horse trailheads and stock facilities named by the USDA Forest Service

• Horse Camp (Little Grass Valley)

  10 units with space for trailers; ample room for horse trailers ^[7] · Hitching post at each site ^[7] · Hand-pumped water, generally available in summer ^[7] · About 4 miles past La Porte, 5,060 ft ^[7] · Ride Lakeshore Trail or reach the PCT from Bald Mountain Trailhead ^[7] · Reserve via Recreation.gov ^[7]

• Snake Lake Campground and Equestrian Camp

  17 sites, 8 with corrals ^[8] · No potable water ^[8] · Meadow Valley area off Bucks Lake Road ^[8] · $15 single site, pay via Recreation.gov app scan ^[8]

• Whitehorse Campground

  19 sites near Bucks Creek and Bucks Lake; 3 equestrian sites, no corrals ^[9] · Potable water generally available in summer ^[9] · Reserve via Recreation.gov ^[9]

• Spanish Traverse Trailhead (Spanish Ridge Trail)

  Only trail the horse page names for horses ^[10] · No trailer-parking details published ^[10]

From the agency's own horse and stock pages. Trailer space is only what each note says.

Which Plumas National Forest trails allow horses?

The Forest Service publishes horse use for only 1 of the 468 Plumas National Forest trail segments in its trail data, so the rest aren't listed here. That isn't a closure.

USDA Forest Service

1 trail, 0.1 mapped mi ^[22]

• Canyon Dam Fishing Access

  0.1 mapped mi ^[23] · surface: asphalt · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

OpenStreetMap

30 trails, 148.4 mapped mi ^[24]

• Pacific Crest Trail

  72.4 mapped mi ^[25] · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Mount Hough Trail

  10.0 mapped mi ^[26] · surface: dirt · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Tollgate Trail

  7.5 mapped mi ^[27] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Taylor Creek Trail

  5.3 mapped mi ^[28] · surface: dirt · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Cascade Trail

  5.2 mapped mi ^[29] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Chandler Trail

  4.8 mapped mi ^[30] · surface: dirt · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Indian Falls Ridge

  4.4 mapped mi ^[31] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Downie River Trail

  4.4 mapped mi ^[32] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Bucks Creek Loop Trail

  4.2 mapped mi ^[33] · surface: ground · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

• Quincy Taylorsville Connector

  4.0 mapped mi ^[34] · surface: dirt · horses allowed per OpenStreetMap contributors

Plus 20 more named horse-legal trails in the same data, not listed here.

Nearby on Lassen National Forest

• Belden

  3.0 mapped mi ^[11] · horse season: 05/01-11/15 · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Indian Springs

  2.5 mapped mi ^[12] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

Nearby on Tahoe National Forest

• Cal-Ida Mc

  17.2 mapped mi ^[13] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Gibraltar Mine

  4.8 mapped mi ^[14] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Downie River

  4.5 mapped mi ^[15] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Chimney Rock

  3.7 mapped mi ^[16] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Fir Cap Trail

  2.8 mapped mi ^[17] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Tennessee Ravine

  2.1 mapped mi ^[18] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Poker Flat OHV

  1.9 mapped mi ^[19] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Bunker Hill

  0.9 mapped mi ^[20] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

• Devils Postpile

  0.2 mapped mi ^[21] · surface: native material · horses allowed per USDA Forest Service

Trails the USDA Forest Service manages in the Plumas National Forest and marks open to horses, plus trails OpenStreetMap marks as horse-legal near the horse camps. Mileage is the mapped length of segments with that name.

Is the Plumas National Forest open to horses right now?

• Horse Campground (Little Grass Valley): season June 19 – September 6 ^[2] · status Open ^[35]
• Meadowview Equestrian Campground: status Open ^[36]
• Snake Lake Campground and Equestrian Camp: season May 22 – October 31 (peak through September 30) ^[4]
• Whitehorse Campground: season May 22 – September 27 ^[6]

• Horse Camp: generally open mid-June through fall, closed when snow blocks access; no fees or services after November 1, 2026. ^[7]
• Snake Lake: services generally mid-May to late September. ^[8]
• Whitehorse: generally Memorial Day to late September; scheduled to close November 1, 2026. ^[9]

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

What are the horse rules in the Plumas National Forest?

Official horse info: Plumas National Forest | Horse Riding and Camping ^[10]

• Snake Lake: "Horses allowed overnight in equestrian campsites only." Use weed-seed-free feed or pellets; remove or scatter manure. ^[8]
• Snake Lake: water may be bucketed for horses at the spillway; watering horses at the lake edge is prohibited. ^[8]
• Whitehorse: "Horses have to be in one of the three identified equestrian sites." ^[9]
• Horse Camp (Little Grass Valley): "Please bring a shovel and pack out all horse manure." 8 people and 2 vehicles per site; 14-day limit. ^[7]
• Bucks Lake Wilderness: "No permit required for wilderness area, but please register at the trailheads." ^[37]

Is there water for horses in the Plumas National Forest?

Water for horses at trailheads: Not published by the USDA Forest Service. Ridden here? Add it in Ride

What do other agencies publish near the Plumas National Forest?

• Plumas-Eureka State Park · California State Parks · Plumas-Eureka State Park

  Status

  Status (California State Parks): Closed to equestrians and pack animals by superintendent's order ^[38]
  Sources differ: The posted order itself (683-25-012, signed 5/9/2025) closes the park to equestrian use WITH exceptions: service roads, paved park roads/parking/campground roads, and the trail from Jamison Mine to the park boundary toward Grass Lake and Smith Lake. The web page states a full closure. Both kept.

  Status

  Status (California State Parks): All portions of the park are closed to equestrian use with exceptions: established service roads maintained for vehicular travel; paved park roads, parking areas and campground roads; the trail from Jamison Mine to the park boundary along the trail to Grass Lake and Smith Lake ^[39]
  Sources differ: See the park page entry above: the page says animals may not be ridden or unloaded on park property at all.

Places next to the Plumas National Forest run by another agency, from that agency's own page.

Ridden here?

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What other horse campgrounds are near the Plumas National Forest?

• Packsaddle · 31.9 mi away · Tahoe National Forest

• Loafer Creek Horse Camps · 35.8 mi away · Lake Oroville State Recreation Area

• Juniper Lake Stock Corral · 36.5 mi away · Lassen Volcanic National Park

• Summit Lake Stock Corral · 41.7 mi away · Lassen Volcanic National Park

More horse trails in California

Sources

1. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233729, fetched October 25, 2026
2. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233729?tab=seasons, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
3. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10192152, fetched October 25, 2026
4. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10192152?tab=seasons, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
5. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234738, fetched October 25, 2026
6. Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234738?tab=seasons, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
7. USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/plumas/recreation/horse-camp, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
8. USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/plumas/recreation/snake-lake-campground-and-equestrian-camp, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
9. USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/plumas/recreation/whitehorse-campground, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
10. USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/plumas/recreation/opportunities/horse-riding-and-camping, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
11. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10555420&outFields=*&f=html
12. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10597565&outFields=*&f=html
13. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10559720&outFields=*&f=html
14. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10559073&outFields=*&f=html
15. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10584494&outFields=*&f=html
16. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10596690&outFields=*&f=html
17. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10590684&outFields=*&f=html
18. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10554017&outFields=*&f=html
19. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10595103&outFields=*&f=html
20. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10590739&outFields=*&f=html
21. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10585092&outFields=*&f=html
22. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0, fetched October 25, 2026
23. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10556928&outFields=*&f=html
24. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/, fetched October 25, 2026
25. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/10490374
26. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/451801317
27. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/10487547
28. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1444615838
29. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/739473691
30. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1444616836
31. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1058621309
32. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/10580382
33. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1510614041
34. OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1444412374
35. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_InfraRecreationSites_01/MapServer/0/query?where=site_cn%3D'6073.004101'&outFields=*&f=html, fetched October 25, 2026
36. USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_InfraRecreationSites_01/MapServer/0/query?where=site_cn%3D'5088.004101'&outFields=*&f=html, fetched October 25, 2026
37. USDA Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/plumas/recreation/bucks-lake-wilderness, read and verified by hand October 16, 2026
38. California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=507, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
39. California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/507/files/683-25-012%20Plumas-Eureka%20SP%20Superintendent%20Order%202025.pdf, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026