Santiam Horse Camp

Turn right on Gates School coming from Mill City. Sign is small.

It's still there, super clean and ready for campers.

This is a really fantastic and recently-reopened horse camp in Santiam State Forest. We just stayed for a night on 7/30 and found it to be really nicely set up in many ways. There's plenty of privacy between sites, well-established trails between and around the campground, and very easy access to tons of different trails. The maps they provide are easy to read and the signage is clear. The corrals are made with beefy 10-inch round logs with just enough space for our horses to comfortably move around.
This will be on our short list of places to horse camp. The only minor drawback is that the haul-in route is over gravel forest road, which can be steep and skinny in places. I'd recommend 4X4 trucks to be used for hauling more than 2 horses in.

Really peaceful camp with scenic riding despite the fire damage from a few years back. Nice corrals, roomy sites. I cheated and opted for the one pull-thru site, but even I could probably have backed in to some sites.

Great horse camping area!
Nice corrals, and good sites.
No usable water tho - for horses, dogs or people. Plan accordingly!
The hand pump well had plenty of water, but it was gross. Even the dogs wouldn't drink it...
The nice people at the convenience store let us fill the trailer water tank. It's close to Gates and hwy 22, but remote and there's a beautiful old growth forest nearby.