JEWELL – “I’ve ridden horses my whole life and it’s getting harder and harder to find a good place to ride,” says Chris McClure of Tillamook.

“We appreciate that the state set aside a place like this especially for horseback riding.”

McClure is talking about the Northrup Creek Horse Camp, about 35 miles east of Astoria on Oregon Highway 202. The state completed the camp last October and held its grand opening in May.

On a warm Saturday afternoon, McClure and her husband, Mike Kelly, are out riding their two Arabians on a section of the 81?2-mile horse trail. “This place is a real blessing to the public,” Kelly chimes in. “The camp itself is perfect for horses.”

The Northrup Creek Horse Camp was constructed with a partnership between the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Equestrian Trails, North Coast Chapter. OET is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building horse trails, working with local government agencies on horse related issues, and educating the public on equestrian ethics.

Bryan Nielsen, 34, of Gearhart, is the recreation coordinator for the Clatsop State Forest. He stresses the joint venture that helped create the new camp. “The Department of Forestry has a recreation management plan,” he says. “In that plan it speaks about building a camp for equestrian users in the county. In April 2002, I came out and saw the site. Prior to that, OET had come out and listed Northrup Creek as their preferred location.”

Diane Berry, 50, of Astoria, worked closely with Nielsen in the development of the campground. Berry is a member of OET and is the equestrian representative of the Forest Recreation Advisory Committee for the Department of Forestry.

Just back from a trail ride on her paint, Tuff, Berry relaxes in the shade of camp’s forest. She beams with enthusiasm about the camp.

“This is a great place for a horse camp because it is drier than areas next to the coast,” she says. “This is the only horse trail in the county besides the one at Fort Stevens.”

The horse camp is about five miles past Jewell on Highway 202. From the highway, it is four miles up Northrup Creek Road. Signs clearly mark the directions to the camp.

Northrup Creek Horse Camp has eight sites dedicated to horses and three tent camping sites across the road for non-horse users. Each horse camp has its own four-horse corral, fire pit, picnic table, and large parking area for campers and horse trailers. The camping is “primitive” – there is no electricity, water, or sewer hookup. One well with an old-fashioned hand pump provides water for the campers and horses, and the camp has two restrooms, and a place for campers to deposit their horse manure. The cost for camping is $10 per night.

Camping at Northrup Creek is on a first-come, first-served basis. Nielsen says there is a need for campgrounds hosts, who can commit to at least one month and 20 hours a week. Those interested can contact him at the Department of Forestry office in Astoria at 325-5451.

The Northrup Creek facility is open year-round, although Berry does not think horseback riders will use the campground much in the winter because the trails get slick in the rain. The trail system around the campground travels along Northrup Creek, into the forest, along meadows, up tree-covered hills and has a short stretch along the county road. Riders who camp during the week may have to contend with log trucks along the road, but Nielsen says there are plans for the whole trail to be outside the roads shortly.

Besides the campground, there is a large day use area for horseback riders or mountain bikers. According to Nielsen, both mountain bikers and hikers are welcome on the trails along with the horseback riders, but signs remind them to give right-of-way to the horses.

Alpine Construction of Tillamook won the bid for the construction of the campground, and inmate crews from the South Fork Forest Camp worked to complete the camp sites, including construction of the fire pits, and the picnic tables and grooming the sites.