Rock Creek Trail Ride

Yesterday I went up to the Rock Creek Camp ground for a day-ride and had a blast.

I started out at the Rock Creek camp ground and meandered my way up the Bells Mountain Trail to the North (upper trail). I rode for about 30-mins before I ran into some logging activity. The trail was still open, but I was on a green bean horse and didn't want to risk the "scare factor" so we turned around and took the lower Tarbell Trail instead.

On this trail, be prepared to pass over a lot of small wood bridges and just past the Cold Creek campground is a steel and concrete bridge that can be quite intimidating to most horses.

The ride is definitely worth it though. The views are amazing. You can ride along the creek and further down the trail you can even splash across the creek and get your horse used to running water.

Be sure to follow safe riding rules (don't ride alone, tell someone where you're going to be, etc. etc.) but be sure to check it out!

Driving Directions:
From Battle Ground, take 503 north for 5-6 miles to Rock Creek Road. Turn right on Rock Creek Road (which becomes Lucia Falls Road) for 8.4 miles to Moulton Falls County Park, where the road swings north toward Yacolt. Instead, turn right on Sunset Falls Road. Go 2.1 miles to Dole Valley Road. Follow this (south) for 5 miles to Rock Creek Campground

Map:
Click here to go to the DNR map.

Footing:
It's dirt most of the ride but they call it Rock Creek for a reason! There are quite a few areas where you'll run into large sharp rocks. Shoes are recommended.

What to bring:
Water! There is a watering hole for horses but nothing for people so be sure to bring clean water for drinking. Also, the map is very helpful as there are lots of different trails to go on.

Parking:
The Rock Creek Campground is great for horse trailers. There are day use parking areas as well as camping areas. The roads are wide and the parking areas all loop around so not too much backing up is called for.

Seasons:
This trail gets wet and snowy in the winter so the best time to check it out is in the summer and fall.

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All in all, this really is a great place to go for a summer day-ride.

Happy Trails!
-Wendy