PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – People – and their horses – can return once again to the Santiam Horse Camp south of Gates. After a nearly two-year closure, the camping area reopens on July 1.
Santiam Horse Camp was damaged in the 2020 Labor Day fires and was closed for the 2021 camping season. As of Monday, people could begin making reservations for dates after July 1 on ReserveAmerica.com.
The Santiam Horse Camp is primarily for people camping with horses and some spots are reserved exclusively for equestrians.
The Oregon Department of Forestry has been posting updates on closure areas and anticipated reopening timelines for popular areas in the Santiam State Forest on its website and social media pages.
Visitors to the Santiam Horse Camp will likely still notice the effects of the 2020 Labor Day fires. Most trees in the camp area survived, but staff and volunteers had to rebuild corrals and other infrastructure. Other areas close to the camp were heavily damaged.
The Oregon Department of Forestry asks visitors to respect closures and use caution in burned areas.
Guests should also be careful when driving on single-lane gravel roads in the forest. Logging operations are underway and drivers should watch for oncoming traffic and heavy equipment. Many forest roads cross land owned by different people and agencies and the road maintenance on each parcel of land may vary.