Kettle Creek State Park, northwest of the town of Renovo, has a pleasant equestrian camping area and about 25 miles of connected horse riding trails among scenic mountains and quiet country.
Day Use Parking
There is a decent size parking lot for day-use horse riders at the north end of the park. Look for information kiosks at the junction of Kettle Creek Road (main park road) and Beaverdam Run Road and a sign for Equestrian Camping.
This parking is adjacent to a meadow at the Equestrian Campground, so there is space for grazing. You could access the stream at the campground for watering horses nearby, but no human drinking water is available here. The pit toilet at the campground is at the other side of the meadow, a short walk away.
The park map also shows horse trailer parking at the main lot at the lake, across from the park office. This allows access to horse trails that head up the mountain behind the park office–a recommended short loop for horse riders.
There are water fountains and restrooms in that area. There is space to pull in a horse trailer with no problems.
Equestrian Campground
The equestrian campground offers a few sites. It is situated among trees and has an adjacent meadow where horses could graze. It appears to be very lightly used; a ranger said they might get 10 horse campers per season.
If you wish to ride God’s Country trails, you may find it more comfortable to camp at Kettle Creek and drive 45 minutes to GCT for day use.
Horse Camping Reservations
It does NOT appear reservations for the equestrian campground can be made via the normal PA camp reservation system!
Contact the park office for more information:
phone 570 923 6004
email KettleCreekSP@pa.gov
The campground has one pit toilet. There is (horse) water available from a small stream nearby, although the trail to it was overgrown when we visited. There is no human drinking water at the campground.
Comfort Facilities
The park office is 1.2 miles south of the equestrian campground. It has restrooms with running water which are accessible 24 hours. There is a turning loop where you can pull through a horse trailer. If you pay for camping you can fill water jugs here or at the Upper Campground.
Lower Campground (below the dam) has showers and it seems likely horse campers can pay to use them. Parking may be limited there, however.
NOTE that Lower Campground will be cut off from upper areas by a bridge project starting in September 2024!
Trail Map
The park office has a printed map showing horse trails and numbers at trail junctions. It was originally color-coded with trail difficulty; unfortunately present copies are in black and white so that information is lost!
We will get this map scanned and put it here.
Live Trail Maps
We will get the trail information from the park map into a live slippy map as soon as possible. You’ll then be able to view it online and download GPS tracks onto a device.
Trail Conditions
A ranger told us most of the horse trails are in reasonable condition. She said park staff can’t always keep up with the horse trails inside the park, but forestry does pretty well with trails in surrounding Sproul state forest.
Previous visitors have told us the trails in the area are steep. The ranger mentioned two areas that are quite steep but said other areas aren’t too bad. Your perspective may depend a lot on what you are used to!
Other Attractions
Near the park office is the large lake with kayak rental, boat ramps, and docks.
Below the dam is a parking area which appears to have easy access to a shallow stretch of Kettle Creek. You may be able to take your horses wading there.
Supplies
The town of Renovo is about 30 minutes south and offers a number of stores, a few dining options, and gas.
We didn’t notice anything closer to get gas or supplies, so it’s a good idea to arrive fully stocked!
Cell Service
Depending on your carrier, cell service can be sketchy to non-existent in the area. Enjoy a break from constant distractions.
Please take appropriate precautions when riding, because you may not be able to instantly summon help!