Santiam Horse Camp reopens for first time since 2020 Labor Day fires; reservations open

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Santiam Horse Camp in the Santiam State Forest reopens to campers Friday, and opportunities to book reservations opened Monday.

Santiam Horse Camp was damaged in the 2020 Labor Day fires, and was closed for the 2021 camping season. You can make a reservation for dates after July 1.

Santiam Horse Camp is primarily for people camping with horses, and some spots are reserved exclusively for equestrians. To make a reservation, visit reserveamerica.com and search for Santiam Horse Camp.

Maps, closure areas, and anticipated re-opening timelines for popular areas are posted to the Santiam State Forest recovery site at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/Pages/santiam-state-forest.aspx. Re-openings will also be announced on ODF’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Visitors to the area are likely to see a patchwork of fire effects from 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. Visitors are asked to respect all closures and take particular caution in burned areas.

No matter where you go, outdoor activity comes with some level of risk. Here are some safety tips:

• Do not enter closed areas.
• Take extra caution when recreating in burned areas.
• Be careful when driving on single-lane gravel roads in the forest. Active recovery and logging operations are underway. Keep to the right and anticipate oncoming traffic such as trucks, heavy equipment, and other vehicles.
• Many forest roads cross multiple ownerships, and levels of road maintenance can vary accordingly.
• Respect all land closures, public and private.