Jack’s Gulch: Horse camping for beginners

Ever wanted to take your horses camping but are not able to train your horse to hobble or high-line? Jack’s Gulch is the perfect place for you!

Located off of Pingree Park road, Jack’s Gulch has 5 camping sites with horse stalls attached. The stalls are metal pipe fencing, 6’ tall and 12’ by 12’ so there is plenty of room for the horses to wander around. The campsites will fit a horse trailer or camper as well as a tent. There are plenty of trees around to provide the horses shelter and shade. This is a beautiful site and provides access to the Comanche Peak Wilderness and many miles of trails to explore. For the adventurous rider, there is even an old plane wreck near one of the trails that takes a bit of searching to find. 

While this type of camping with horses is far less intensive than backcountry camping, riders still need to be prepared and make sure to bring important supplies for taking care of their horses. The follow list is not a complete list, but is the bare minimum you will need to bring.

Things to bring include:

• Weed-free hay (if possible start feeding this several days before the trip)
• Grain and other treats
• Water (for both people and horses)
• Horses often prefer water from home
• Water is not always available at the campsites
• You may also want to bring flavored electrolytes to help horses drink
• Buckets
• Hay net
• Manure fork 
• Muck bucket
• Other trail riding supplies (see trail riding articles)
• Other camping supplies

There are miles of trails accessible from the Jack’s Gulch campground. Riders should watch signage within the campground as they do not want horses off the trails or in the group camping area. Trails from Jack’s Gulch include Little Beaver Creek and Fish Creek which connect through other trails to make a great loop ride. The Poudre Wilderness Volunteers have a great map of the trails available in this area. 

Also keep in mind:

Some of this area was affected by the High Park Fire, so there may be unseen hazards and downed trees that riders need to watch out for.

This area is in the mountains where the weather can change quickly, it gets very cold at night and there are wild animals around. Riders should be prepared for these conditions and be willing to change plans. 

See these sites for more info on camping at Jack’s Gulch and how to reserve a spot.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=36677

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=36675

Happy trails!