4 Pet Friendly Campgrounds near Canberra
Canberra and the surrounding regions have quite a few pet-friendly camping spots where you can set up your tent with your pooch and enjoy some time in the great outdoors. If you’re looking for dog friendly campsites in the ACT here are some great campgrounds for you and your dogs to enjoy.
Wee Jasper Reserves
Although it is located in NSW, Wee Jasper is only located about an hour, 90 km, north-west of Canberra and 60 km south-west of Yass.
A camper’s paradise with four beautiful and unique camping reserves. Wee Jasper Reserve is a pet friendly camping destination on the banks of the Goodradigbee River, Burrinjuck Dam & Micalong Creek and on the Hume and Hovell Walking Track – all in the beautiful Wee Jasper Valley. With stunning camping spots beside the Murrumbidgee River, underground caves, idyllic picnic spots and pristine bush and historical homesteads.
The Wee Jasper Valley offers all sorts of outdoor and underground activities including swimming, kayaking, fishing, caving, and bushwalking.
There are four camping reserves offering a variety of facilities: Billy Grace Reserve, Fitzpatrick Trackhead Reserve, Swinging Bridge Reserve and Micalong Creek Reserve. All four camping reserves are completely dog friendly. Toilets, hot showers, potable drinking water, barbecues and picnic tables are available at most of the reserves, but no power.
Blue Range Hut Recreation Area – Uriarra Forest
Blue Range Hut is approximately 45 minutes west of Canberra City Centre, 3.2km along East-West Road, off Brindabella Road.
Dogs are not permitted to wander around the national park. However, they are welcome on leash at the campground meaning you can still enjoy parts of the reserve with your dog. There’s even a dog exercise area within campground.
Take a day trip to the Murrumbidgee River. Dogs can swim and play in some of the reserves along the river; include Uriarra Crossing East and West, Swamp Creek and Point Hut Crossing recreational area.
The campground caters for a range of camping styles from swags to camper-trailers and small vans. Facilities include toilets and wood-fired and gas barbeques outside.
The area around Blue Range Hut is a popular place to picnic, horse ride, cycle and camp. The recreation area is surrounded by historic relices from a heritage listed World War 2 Italian internment camp, so you will be getting a bit of a history lesson in your camping as well.
There are great hiking trails around the Namadgi National Park as well. You can even have three different walks to Sherwood Homestead and Gardens which will take you three to four hours to finish. During spring many thousands of daffodils flower at the Sherwood Homestead and Gardens.
Kowen Forest
Kowen Forest is a 4,670 hectare area and Canberra’s largest commercial pine plantation first planted in 1926. It is home to Old Kowen Homestead Recreation Area campground and has a strong network of trails for mountain bike enthusiasts.
The campground is a ‘locked forest’ accessed via a dirt road about 10 kilometres behind locked gates. Bookings are essential. Dogs are welcome on leash. Facilities include Gas BBQs , toilets, picnic tables.
Kowen Forest is popular for walking and running, mountain bike riding at Sparrow Hill, horse riding and orienteering enthusiasts.
Woods Reserve
Woods Reserve is located south-west of Canberra on the banks of Gibraltar Creek. It is 15 minutes’ drive from Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and 7 minutes’ drive from Corin Forest.
It is a popular place for camping (tents and campervans), picnics. Facilities include toilets, showers, wash up facilities & picnic tables.
Woods Reserve is the perfect base for exploring. It’s only a short drive away not only from Gibraltar Falls, but also Corin Forest, Corin Dam, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.
Dogs are welcome on-leash within the campground only. Dogs are not permitted on the walking track or at the falls themselves.