Mackinaw/Big Oaks Equestrian and Trail Camp

Ramona Lokamas

Lovely campground! I give it 5 stars...But with ATV's and dogs barking and howling ALL day that were left alone in equestrian sites next to us (no horses) it wasn't very relaxing for us or our horses. Especially for $20 a night.

Steve Keim

Rustic campground with 25 nice wide relatively level sites. Some of the sites are paired and pull-thru, others are back-in. Sites have a picnic table and fire ring, but do not have electric hook-ups or on-site water. Upper sites get more breeze on hot days. Most sites have 3 picket posts for highlining. One site is set up with 2 10X10 stalls. Site 18 has a trail down to Avery Lake. Lots of trees. Expect to have acorns hitting your trailer - the campground is called Big Oaks for good reason. Dogs are required to be leashed. Pay at the post. There is an additional non-camping site with a grill. There are several mounting blocks around the campground. Pit toilets are located throughout. There is a hand pump and a pump with a solar generator, so while you don't have water right at your site, you can fill your tanks there rather than haul from home. It took about 10 minutes to fill a 30 gallon tank. There is a trail along the lake to the Avery Lake Campground. There is a trail down to Avery Lake by the solar pump. Avery Lake is easy to explore with your kayak. The water is clear, so you can see fish. There are three small islands. We saw two bald eagles soaring overhead one day and enjoyed watching a loon the next day. The official marked trail system is wide and shared use with ATVs, bikes, horses, and hikers. Areas of those trails may be rocky. The State Forest is open riding. You are not allowed to follow wildlife trails on horseback. There is a system of two-tracks supporting the gas and oil wells that are open to riding. There are also some trails marked with blue ribbon by a local horse rider consisting of parts of the official trails, roads, two-tracks, and single-tracks. Ride these at your own risk as you will encounter areas where the trails are narrow, logs or branches are down on the trail, or there are low branches. We saw deer and elk while riding. These trails are mostly sandy and hilly, with some nice panoramic views of the forest. Use caution if watering your horse as some areas are mucky and you can get stuck. There is also quicksand in the area so use caution if you are not on obvious trails.

Mary La Barge

This is now my Favorite Equestrian Horse camp. Sites are very nice, good size with a fair amount of woods between them. The views are Amazing! The trails are very well marked. A Huge thank you to Heidie McDonald for all the work and personal time involved in marking really great trails. I had a wonderful time riding trails over a 3 day weekend!!

Jacqueline Mousseau

Great place to ride. Atv and motorcycle riders very considered of us horse riders.

Michelle Handrich

Good place to camping and ride