Cedar Lake Equestrian Camp & Winding Stair Equestrian Trails

Highlights

One of Oklahoma’s premier bring-your-own-horse destinations, with real mileage, mountain terrain, and a camp built around riders.

Riding

The riding is the headline. The Winding Stair system offers loops of different lengths that climb mountains, follow creeks, and move through a changing forest palette, giving riders genuine variety across multiple days. That mix of mileage and terrain is rare enough to make Cedar Lake feel substantial even to well-traveled equestrians. This is the place to choose when you want saddle time to define the trip. You can condition, explore, or simply ride long and beautifully without feeling finished in a single morning.

Rideable terrain

70+ miles

Trailer parking

A true equestrian campground with trailer-friendly loops, electric and water hookups, and corrals at campsites.

Horse regulations

Campers with horses should reserve the equestrian loops only, and horses need proof of a current Coggins. Follow Forest Service guidance, stay on marked routes, and ride with the assumption that trail stewardship matters. This is a destination where etiquette, preparedness, and respect for the land are part of the culture. Bring more water, more supplies, and more basic horse-camp readiness than you would for a quick state-park outing.

Getting here

Use 51663 Cedar Lake Rd near Hodgen and expect a more remote approach than you would have at the state parks. The final stretch is part of the experience, and that is a good thing if you want the sense of leaving everyday traffic behind. Once you arrive, the campground feels purpose-built. Trailer handling, hookups, and campsite corrals make the logistics notably smoother than at generic forest campgrounds that merely allow horses.

Planning your visit

Cedar Lake is best for riders who want Oklahoma to feel immersive. Give it enough time—ideally more than one night—so the mileage and camp atmosphere can really work in your favor. It suits confident trail riders, destination campers, and anyone who values a true equestrian basecamp over polished resort amenities. For the Oklahoma tab, it is one of the essential anchor entries.

Where to stay

Stay is exceptionally horse-forward here. The equestrian loops include electric and water hookups, and corrals at campsites make horse care far easier than in loosely adapted camp settings. That practical elegance—comfort without fuss—is exactly what many riders mean when they talk about a great horse camp. Cedar Lake is rustic in the best sense, but it is organized rustic. You are camping in a forested mountain setting without giving up the infrastructure that keeps multi-day horse travel manageable.