National parks with horse camping
Bright dots offer horse camping. Tap any park to tick it off your checklist.
Quietest picks for horse camping
- 1Great Basin National Park161,210 visits
- 2Guadalupe Mountains National Park206,423 visits
- 3Petrified Forest National Park315,951 visits
By 2025 recreation visits (NPS).
Most parks for horse camping
- California 2
- Arizona 1
- Colorado 1
- Kentucky 1
- Montana 1
- Nevada 1
- North Carolina 1
- North Dakota 1
14 parks
Where to go for horse camping
Photo: NPS PhotoBadlands National Park
South Dakota
1,139,361 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoCapitol Reef National Park
Utah
1,388,476 visits in 2025Quietest: January$20 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoGlacier National Park
Montana
3,136,557 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo/TobiasonGrand Teton National Park
Wyoming
3,800,648 visits in 2025Quietest: December$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoGreat Basin National Park
Nevada
161,210 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS/Patrick MyersGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Colorado
432,498 visits in 2025Quietest: January$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Bob CarrGreat Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina, Tennessee
11,527,939 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS/BieriGuadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas
206,423 visits in 2025Quietest: August$10 / person
Photo: NPS / Emily HassellJoshua Tree National Park
California
2,932,644 visits in 2025Quietest: July$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / J. CooperMammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
660,734 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo/Jon PrestonOlympic National Park
Washington
3,584,187 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoPetrified Forest National Park
Arizona
315,951 visits in 2025Quietest: February$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Steve OlsonRedwood National and State Parks
California
1,202,480 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / Mark MeyersTheodore Roosevelt National Park
North Dakota
729,893 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
FAQ
Horse Camping (see also camping), quickly
- Which national parks offer horse camping?
- 14 of the 63 national parks list horse camping as an activity, according to the National Park Service: Badlands, Capitol Reef, Glacier, Grand Teton, Great Basin, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smoky Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, Joshua Tree, Mammoth Cave, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Redwood, Theodore Roosevelt.
- What's the least crowded national park for horse camping?
- By 2025 recreation visits, Great Basin National Park (161,210 visits), then Guadalupe Mountains (206,423). The busiest park on this list is Great Smoky Mountains, with 11,527,939.
- Which state has the most national parks for horse camping?
- California, with 2, followed by Arizona (1).
Sources · 2
- 1.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
- 2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
Activities are the ones each park lists in the NPS Data API. Check the park's own nps.gov page for current trail, water and permit conditions.
Park'd · free on iPhone & Android
Done some horse camping? Log the trip.
Park'd for iPhone and Android: check off every national park on a map, log trips with photos, notes and a favorite memory, and watch your stats and badges grow.
