There's a new trail out of Dry Creek Horse Camp, and it's a delight to ride! Oregon Equestrian Trails volunteers recently installed wayfinding signs to make the trail easy to follow.
The primary trail out of Dry Creek Horse Camp is the Giddy Up Go Trail, a 9-mile loop that explores a ridge near the camp. The Giddy Up Go Tie Trail bisects this loop, dividing it into east and west sections.
The New Trail
The new trail, called the Donut Hole Loop, forms a loop within a loop in the east half of the Giddy Up Go Trail. The trail departs from the Giddy Up Go Trail near the top of the ridge and follows a couple of closed forest roads (now mostly grass-covered) to create a fun 2.5-mile loop. By following it, you can vary your ride and enjoy a couple of nice views along the way. The trail is signed with wayfinding signs at important junctions and white diamonds on the trees along the way.
The Other Trails
You'll find several other nice rides of the Dry Creek Horse Camp. You can ride the entire Giddy Up Go Loop, combine the Tie Trail with sections of the Giddy Up Go Trail to create shorter loops, or follow the trail along Dry Creek to see the Brennan Palisades.
The Loop trail offers occasional views of the surrounding Ochoco Mountains, including Lookout Mountain and Steins Pillar, and takes you to a tumbledown cabin at Kidnap Spring. The Giddy Up Go Tie Trail runs through riparian vegetation beside an intermittent creek.
The Brennan Palisades Trail follows Dry Creek for a couple of miles, then veers onto a forest road to reach the Brennan Palisades. The Palisades’ cliffs, pillars, and hoodoos rise abruptly from the forest floor and are truly a sight to see.
If you like, you can continue another mile to reach a picturesque old barn.
The Camping
Dry Creek Horse Camp has six sites with 2- or 4-horse steel corrals, a vault toilet, and a manure pit. Stock water is available in season from nearby Dry Creek, which lives up to its name by drying up in midsummer. You'll want to bring your own stock water and drinking water.
Learn More
You’ll find more information about Dry Creek Horse Camp in Riding Central Oregon Horse Trails, by Kim McCarrel, available at www.nwhorsetrails.com.