Kelsay Valley Oregon Horse Camp

We discovered a new (to us) horse camp recently - Kelsay Valley Horse Camp. The campground is located in Central Oregon, near Lamola Lake and Diamond Lake. The riding trails are all pumice - which is great footing for horses - but does get dusty! The trails are well marked, and there are signs along the way and at the intersections.

The campground is located next to a meadow on the North Umpqua River. There are several trailheads nearby, that go to the Mount Thielsen Wilderness, To Lake Lucille, to Maidu Lake, to Lamola Lake, and also the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The campground is in the Oregon Cascades National Recreation Area - an extremely scenic, mostly roadless area open to all kinds of non-motorized transportation (hiking, horseback riding, backcountry camping, fishing, hunting and cross-country skiing.

Our horses are barefoot, and they live on soft ground, so we always carry boots, but there was no need to use them on any of the trails that we rode from Kelsay Valley Campground.

At an elevation of 4,170 feet, the season for camping doesn't start until May 15th and goes through September 30th, depending on the weather.

The campground has 16 campsites, with many of them having steel corrals for horses. Building of more corrals is an ongoing project. Some of the sites have 1 corral, some have 2, some 3, and some 4. There are also sites with no corrals. You can also tie to hitching racks or high-line. There is a creek at the edge of the campground for watering your livestock. Campfires are allowed in the fire pits all summer long. Each campsite has a picnic table and a fire pit. There is one vault toilet located near the Camp Host's site. There are three manure sites, and wheelbarrows are provided. No reservations are required.

 Mosquitos can be a problem so be sure to have plenty of mosquito repellant.

Wildlife abounds in the Kelsay Valley area. We saw lots of signs of deer, we heard elk nearby, and saw fresh bear tracks.

The temperatures are very volatile, so blankets for the horses are a good idea at night. This helps protect them from the mosquitoes at night, as well.

From Roseburg, go 74 miles east on Highway 138, turn north to Road 60, the Windigo Pass Road. Proceed 4.5 miles and turn right onto Road 6000-98, the Kelsay Valley Road. Go 1.5 miles to the campground.

Our favorite rides were the ones that took us alongside the river. It is incredibly beautiful, as you can see from the video.  These pictures were taken in August - and it looks like spring! The meadows are green, with wildflowers blooming and the water is clear as glass! Fly fishing is allowed in the river - we didn't try it this time - but plan to go back and do some fishing - and explore more of the great trails at Kelsay Valley Horse Camp!