USFS Wolf Ford Horse Camp

"Do NOT follow your GPS. Make sure to use the directions from the reservation site. Campground is tight & has no water (took 105 gallons & it was more than enough for my 2 horses) but we had a great time, our group was the only horse campers the rest were non horse patrons. The trail was difficult to find, not marked well, but didn’t see anything dangerous/treacherous not even the river crossing was bad on the trail we rode, so don’t let that scare you away because these reviews had me nervous, a truck could drive half of what we rode, but don’t know which trail we rode either since there’s no signage. Would have liked to seen the other trails other posters are speaking of. Agree with others, lots of mtn bike traffic, there was a 200+ bike race when we went and our horses were bike broke by the end of the weekend. Most were polite & of course yielded to us. Scenery was beautiful, wish we knew our way around so we could have checked out the trails better. I agree the forest service needs to do a better job of marking the trails and NCDOT needs to put a SIGN on the road heading up the mtn on the east side, that’s says NO TRAILERS because it was INSANE and once you’re in it there’s no turning back for like 8miles of sharp curves, one lane road & bridges, better hope you’re a solid driver. All in all it was worth the trip, just map your route to camp, & get a trail map app or something before you go. Phone signal was shotty but typical of being in the mountains."

"We had a pretty pleasant stay, that being said, we were mountain biking and not here with horses. I do see the lack of water being an issue if you have a horse. Otherwise the sites were nice and suited well for us. We had 3 cars parked and still had plenty of room."

"Horse Riders beware: camp is primitive but nice, no water source. Trails are poorly marked and poorly kept. South Mill River trail is DANGEROUS. Multiple deep, swift River crossings AND water crossings added due to downed trees - there are no markings where you need to ford and make your own path back to the trail, finding places to do so are treacherous. Most of the trail is overgrown. Horse Cove Gap is DIFFICULT, not moderate. Sure-footed horses are a must as its exceptionally narrow, rooted and rocky. Brandy Creek from Yellow Gap rd is poorly marked, we could not find it. While the scenery was gorgeous, this area is not well suited for horses. Caters to mountain bikes. I'm not even sure why they bother to offer a designated equine campground when the trails are so dangerous. Had I been inexperienced, South Mill River was a recipe for serious injury. Trail should be closed until repaired."

"BEWARE: South Mill River multi use trail is not very well marked or used after the branch off to trail number 147. Trail is overgrown with trees down in multiple places across the trail. Very treacherous river crossings at some points and very steep, slippery slopes. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK, DANGEROUS TRAIL. We were gone from the campground almost 9 hours because of the terrain, and returned well after dark. Horse cove gap trail should be marked as advanced. Campground itself isn’t bad, recommend both front and hind shoes on horses."

"I’ve never camped anywhere where people are so wildly inconsiderate and rude. EVERY campsite with dogs had them off leash, running into other people’s sites and being disruptive. OUR OWN LEASHED DOG was charged at and subsequently injured. This isn’t your farm - you chose to camp at a forest campground and you should abide by the simple safety rules that are set in place. Keep your flea-infested animals on a leash and on your site. Otherwise, small campground with minimal privacy. Outhouse was very well maintained during our stay. Campsite (#5) was very overgrown and covered in poison ivy - weeds were so tall it rendered most of the campsite unusable. This site was not a very flat/level site, just as an FYI. It was okay for our rooftop tent. No check-in/ranger station. This place feels like a total chaotic free-for-all. Most people staying here are just inconsiderate in general - riding horses right through other’s campsites, letting horses and dogs run loose and not doing anything when dogs are out chasing vehicles and other dogs, very rude to people camping sans horses. Would never camp here again."