Horse Flats Campground

-First come first serve.
-Trust system $12 fee paid in a box
at the entrance
-This campground is small and intimate which is actually really nice.
-There's no water faucet on site.
-Porta potty with swarms of flies living inside. Gnarly!
- Not much shade!! It is so hot in June
-Dogs are allowed.

It was cool for a quick weekend getaway but I think Id rather drive out of LA a little longer for a campground with amenities.

Great place to camp! We didn't know this until we got there but we stayed on the last night of the season Nov 10 and then the campgrounds were closing for the season. It was cold at night but it was great! It's a first come first serve basis and we lucked out with the last spot available. $12 fee. We stayed on #16 it was an alright spot but vverrrryyy close to our neighbors. Not much room for privacy which we were expecting more of. Bathrooms were clean but not actually toilets that flush just a toilet attached to a huge hole in the ground. No showers. Great hiking trails right next to the campgrounds :)

Bring lots of Fly Repellant! for you and your pets. My guess is the outhouses are not cleaned as often as they should be (unlike nearby busier campgrounds) and the fly population has exploded and they will follow you all day.

On the positive side, the campground is peaceful and less busy because of the lack of electrical, showers, and clean bathrooms. The campsites themselves are very clean and the fireplaces have excellent bbq grates that rotate with the pits.

There are 2 very nice hiking trials, one of which has picturesque boulders.

I love this place and been around this section many times. The area is great for exploring and there are tons of boulders nearby. It is also near Mount Hillyer and the trail head that connects from Silver Moccasin to Mount Hillyer Trail. The bathrooms are disgusting like all the previous reviews claim. It is less frequently visited and not much of a party central like Buckhorn on a weekend.

Now here is the information on the location:

5,000-foot elevation.
26 campsites & Fills to capacity most weekends.
Campfires only in the provided campfire rings.
Horse facilities include 4 corrals, hitching rails;
No water available.
Open season for camping in the high-country campgrounds may vary due to weather conditions.
$12 per night per site, first-come, first-served.
Maximum RV length 20 feet

https://youtu.be/Lkqit2Jgfqg

Cannot even believe I am in LA county when I go here for a quick boulder session.

This is up off Angels Crest on the 2. Such a scenic and beautiful ride. ANIMALS TOO! It's crazy. It's more New England than desert and I love it. Fresh air. What?!?

2 thumbs up!

This place is phenomenal. We showed up on a Sunday afternoon camped for 2 nights and each night there was only one other camper there. If you are looking for a secluded campground surrounded by 100 year old pine trees this is your place.

I had my birthday campout here with about 20 people for 2 nights June 2016. Beautiful campgrounds a quick drive from Pasadena. We had sites 19, 20, 21, 22, which all provided adequate shade. It was about 10° cooler up there than in LA. Each campsite has a table and fire pit. Our four campsites were close together to essentially form a group campsite, but the next sites to us were far enough away as to not disturb one another and still feel secluded.

The way payment works, you grab a payment slip from the pay station. You place your cash/check inside the slip, and detach the proof of payment stub and mirror hang tag. You clip your payment stub to your numbered campground post, and hang the mirror tag on your car rearview mirror. A ranger actually came Saturday afternoon and walked through each campsite to make sure we had our payment stubs and car hang tags displayed. Also he made sure we had at most 2 cars per campsite. Since we had 4 campsites, we were allowed 8 cars (although we only had 4 hangtags). There was plenty of room for all 8 cars plus a few more at this campsite. It's $5 more for each additional car.

The 2-stall bathrooms were closeby and were in good clean condition. There was no running water. We had to bring our own firewood. We did a 30 minute hike to some rock climbing locations, and there's also the hike to Mt Hillyer.

Went camping in Horse Flats this weekend and had a fabulous time. Here are a few important things to note:

-The fee is $12 a day paid on the honor system. Put your money in a box type deal.
-I think because the site fee is so cheap, they don't really have typically campground amenities like running water or firewood for sale. Be sure to buy some at the base of the mountain. We used a lot of water for drinking and cleaning dishes.
-I refused to use the toilets. The campsite has a bit of a bee/wasp infestation, which is super annoying when you're trying to cook. I suggest buying a wasp trap to set up around your picnic table. Anyhow, the bathroom situation was bad. Imagine a small room filled with bees. Yep. Be prepared for that or just go in the forest ;)

I really enjoyed Horse Flats because it felt so secluded. I don't think a ton of people care to come here because of the lacking amenities. But that doesn't mean it doesn't kick butt. It's beautiful and the hiking trail leads to large rocks for climbing and a seriously awesome view. I can't believe this is just an hour's drive from LA. I will definitely be back.

This is not a place for small children, there's nothing for them to do. There is no running water and the toilets are "rustic" to say the least. And in drought years, the place is dry as a bone. Now the good news, very people know about this place. Had a great time this weekend. It's only $12 to spend the night, and the campsites are spread out, so you don't feel like you're packed in close to others. There are nice shady trees at most camp sites, picnic tables, and fire rings. There are no "bear boxes," but it is Bear Country, so be prepared to store your food in your vehicle.

To illustrate how unknown this place is, this past Saturday night, still in the height of summer, the campground was not full and there were still several places available.

As an added bonus, you can take a nice short hike to the top of Mount Hillyer from the campground. It's a nice scenic hike, up past trees and boulders, with a reasonably well-marked trail. There is no sign at the top to indicate you've made it, but if you start to see the evil Poodle Dog Bush, or start to see the burnt remains of the forest from the Station Fire, then it's time to snap a few pics and turn back.

I've been to this campground twice now - once a few years ago and again about a month ago. I've loved it both times. Campgrounds are not too close together, plenty of parking, lots of trees, and it's kept clean. Each campsite has a fire pit and picnic table. It's only about 40 minutes up Angeles Crest (about 2 miles past Newcomb's Ranch), but you feel like you're much farther away. There is no water so make sure to bring plenty! The thing I love the most about this place is the hiking right by it. Beautiful views, lots of boulders to climb if you want. I saw a bunch of mountain bikers on the trails as well. Highly recommend this place for a nice getaway from the city.