Horseback Riding Ashland OR

There are miles upon miles of horseback riding trails to explore when going horseback riding Ashland OR and Southern Oregon. You can either join a guided horseback riding Ashland OR adventure through a local tour company (listed below), or use your own horse to gallop along the beautiful trails in the area.

Ashland Watershed Trails

If you are interested in a nearby option for horseback riding, you are in luck. Ashland allows horses along most trails in town where other animals are allowed, and that includes the wonderful network of trails in the Ashland Watershed trail system. The Ashland Watershed trail map is quite useful for your horseback adventure as it will show you the many options at your disposal.

Bear Creek Greenway

Another option for horseback riding near to town is two separate rides on the Bear Creek Greenway – the 21 mile path that leads from Ashland to Central Point along Bear Creek. There are two portions of the trail that are open to horseback; a shorter section that is close to Ashland that is between mile markers 11 and 13 on the accompanying map, and a longer section on the north side of Medford from mile marker 24 to just past mile marker 28 (also from the map).

For the former route, parking can be reached by heading north out of town on Main St. Pass S. Valley View Rd (which would take you to exit 11 for I-5), and you’ll come to the parking lot on the ride side of the road just under a mile from S. Valley View Rd.

For the latter route, take I-5 north and take exit 33. Take a right on Pine St. off the highway and your first left on Peninger Rd., where you’ll see the parking lot on the northeast corner of the intersection.

Horse Camp at Hyatt Lake

If you’re thinking about a summer horseback riding adventure in Southern Oregon, put Horse Camp – near to Wildcat Campground – at Hyatt Lake on the list. Come up for a day ride on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) or take advantage of the horse camp with five sites and corrals to stay overnight.

When you’re ready to ride, it’s less than a mile to connect with the Pacific Crest Trail. Conditions and maintenance levels vary from year to year, but there’s a maze of dirt roads to explore southeast of Wildcat Campground. Unfortunately, gates will block some roads, while others are opened for the season.

Most of the surrounding area rises and falls gradually but generally remains at around 5,000 feet in elevation. Straightforward long rides involve some “road work” even if you start on the PCT and head northeast to circle Hyatt Lake or Howard Prairie Lake.

Alternatively, head south on the PCT, parallel to the way you drove in (East Hyatt Lake Road), to reach Little Hyatt Reservoir and Hyatt Meadows. Continuing southwest and south takes you back to Highway 66 near Green Springs Mountain Summit, and you can return to the PCT via the unpaved Little Hyatt Prairie Road.

Remember that roads and trails require time and money to maintain. You may not be able to repeat rides from year to year. With that caution in mind, there are numerous dirt roads to the east to reach Wildcat Glades and Crane Prairie. If you are feeling adventurous, you can find various creeks and springs on the way to Little Chinquapin Mountain.

Another network of dirt roads across from the PCT loops around Chinquapin Mountain until you junction with East Hyatt Lake Road. You can choose one of several dirt roads to get back to the PCT.

Directions: From downtown Ashland, head southeast on Siskiyou Blvd. Take a left onto Ashland Street and follow it past the freeway entrances and curve to the right (Ashland Street becomes OR-66/Greensprings Hwy). Take OR- 66 east past Emigrant Lake and continue up to the Green Springs area (approximately 17 miles from the I-5 junction). When you see the Green Springs Inn, turn left on East Hyatt Lake Road and continue for approximately 3 miles until you see the entrance of Hyatt Lake. Stay to the right and turn left about 100 yards from the intersection to reach the entrance booth. Horse Camp and Wildcat Campground are approximately two miles beyond the entrance.

Outdoor Recreation Safety Note: Please be sure to read our safety note on our Outdoor Recreation home page.