Horseshoe Park is most famously known as “the lunch spot” for Knights Ferry to Orange Blossom float trips. This park, which is easily accessible by road or by boat, is large, and can be very busy on summer weekends. The park provides picnic tables throughout, so whether you drive in or float, you can grab a seat, use one of the BBQ stands, or use the restroom facilities at the park!

Horseshoe has a main boat put-in/take-out area as well, which is used by both commercial rafters as well as by private. If you are looking for information on river rafting/kayaking, or transportation, please call 209-848-4800.

In addition to day use, Horseshoe Park provides overnight camping. The campgrounds are roughly 1/2 mile away from the main parking lot, so do be aware that there is a bit of a hike in for anything you decide to bring. Because of this, however, the campgrounds remain highly underutilized during the summer months, making them a great option for those wanting to camp riverside. Do be aware of the fact that on summer weekends, Horseshoe Park can see upwards of 800-1000 people per day, as the park is, by far, the most popular lunch stop area for the Knights Ferry float trip.

Horseshoe Park has an incredible amount of parking, and is only lightly used by drive in traffic, which is somewhat of a rarity for a Stanislaus River Park. While a busy weekend will often fill-to-capacity almost every other park on the river, Horseshoe has so much parking room that this is never a problem. The boat put in and take out areas have gradual slopes, so seeing families splashing around in the shallow water here is a common sight.

If you would like more information about reserving group picnic sites or camping sites, please call the Army Corp at 209-881-3517. Camping regulations can be found here (link to camping rules).