The Deschutes River Equestrian Trail is a 22-mile round trip old railbed trail, shared with mountain-bikers, fishermen, back-country campers and hikers. It starts at the entrance parking lot and ends at Harris Ranch. It’s great for wildlife viewing, wildflower photography, and site-seeing in the Lower Deschutes River Canyon.

Reservations are required + a reservation fee of $8.00 per horse per day to ride your horse at Deschutes River State Recreation Area. Reservations can be made up to 11:59am the day prior (open daily March 1 - June 30)

Rules: Only 10 horses are allowed each day. Horse trail riding is open from sunrise to sunset. No overnight horse camping is allowed. Equestrian riders must stay on the trail at all times. Do not water your horses at the river’s edge. No Llamas, goats or mules. No commercial use. No carts or wagons. Horse manure must be cleaned up. 

Upon completing your online reservation, you will be emailed a general information sheet + reservation confirmation slip, and a trail map. Please read through and follow all instructions carefully & abide by all the equestrian trail rules and trail etiquette.

Need to cancel? You may cancel your horse reservation(s) online BEFORE 12 p.m. (noon) the day before the event and be issued a full refund. No refunds are issued for reservations canceled AFTER 12 p.m. the day before the event or for no-shows. If the park closes the trail due to conditions, we will send you an email notification and issue a full refund.