Skillman Horse Camp - Nevada Horse Trails

Looking for a change of scenery from the desert? Head west and pop over the border into California! Located less than two hours from Reno, Skillman Horse Camp is a great place to get into the trees and remind yourself what green really looks like. This popular horse camp is easily accessible and offers access to a variety of beautiful trails.

Campground

Skillman Horse Camp has seven equestrian sites tucked into the trees. Each one has two corrals (one group site has four). Some of the corrals are made of metal panels and others are made of wood and wire. The sites are nicely spaced apart with lots of room for rigs. Each site also has a picnic table, fire ring, and bear bin.

The campground has four bathrooms (vault toilets), two dumpsters, and three spigots and troughs for horse water. There are potable water spigots, but they are not turned on, so bring your own drinking water. You must take manure to one of the two dumpsters located at each end of the campground, so plan to bag it, carry it in a bucket, or have a wheelbarrow.

Some other things to know… Although Skillman has several non-equestrian sites, technically the equestrian sites can be reserved by anyone – including people without horses. Also, the campground is located next to California State Route 20, which is a surprisingly busy highway. There is a steady stream of traffic, including semi trucks, so don’t expect total peace and quiet. You need not worry about bears so much as the crows and squirrels, who are quite quick at stealing unattended food.

Skillman is open May through September.

Trails

You can ride right out of Skillman Horse Camp from two trailheads located at each end of the campground. There are several named trails to ride, including Hallelujah, Pioneer, Towle Mill, Omega, and more. The trails are a combination of singletrack and two track, and there are many Forest Service roads as well. There are enough options to get several days worth of riding. Most of the trail intersect at some point so you can make loops. Signage is spotty the further away from camp you get, so be sure to download maps before you get there (since there is no cell service).

The trails wind and weave through a dense forest of dogwood, cedar, and Douglas fir trees with a thick underbrush of lush green foliage. There are a few places where the view opens up, but for the most part you just ride through the trees. For Nevada equestrians who are used to the open spaces of the desert, the density makes for a nice change, along with all the lush greenery.

The trails are generally not technical, with only a few step ups or step downs and elevation gain/loss is minimal. There are a few small creeks in the area, but for the most part there is no water on the trails. As in camp, unfortunately the traffic noise is pretty noticeable, especially since the main trails run parallel to CA-20.