Milo McIver State Park — Attraction in Sandy

I love, love Mciver State Park. I have been riding horses here for 25 years. This review is for the trail system at the park. I was riding with some friends this week and a man came running around a blind corner (which there are many on this winding trail) and horribly scared the horses. One horse went down on his haunches but the gal stayed on, the other horse spun quickly and started to run off and the gal was dumped off her horse, my horse spun so quick and was ready to bolt but was able to collect him.

Fortunately my friend who came off, fell in soft ground as we were near the meadow but this type of accident can be deadly for riders. Or at the least broken bones, horses can trample riders by accident when man down.

I write this as the runner did not show any understanding as to how serious something like this can be. Not the best trail to be running/jogging on with all these blind corners. If joggers are, then I would say walk around the blind corners. Sometimes riders are not talking as we were and you can't tell if horses are there until a train wreck is happening.

We did encounter a person walking their dogs and their trail etiquette was fabulous. They went off the trail but stayed in plain site, called out to us so we knew they were there, asked if she should step back further for us. No train wreck, all happy and safe.

Best to google and read trail etiquette for hikers vs horses. Horses get the right away and don't run up on horses. I keep saying, blind corners... joggers please walk them so you don't cause an accident.

All I want is safety and fun for everyone. We have lovely State and this is a...

Milo MacGiver Park is phenomenal, only reason giving it three stars is because of a dangerous encounter with a male running the Horse trails! He literally came out of nowhere and rushed our horses, the horses had strong reactions, one did a 360 , another backed out of the runners way till he went down on his haunches, the other horse was just stunned! The runner was so less concerned about us and the horses, we had to tell him to stay where he was until we could get things calmed down, all he could do is complain that his RUN on the Horse trail was interrupted! He never asked if he could help, if anyone was hurt because I came off my horse into some soft grass luckily enough, but never made a move to even act concerned! His actions were totally inappropriate to the situation! He was very weird and spooky, he is about 5’10, black hair, medium completion, dressed in blue and white, with black sneakers on! He felt he had no responsibility in the whole situation! Now mind you earlier we had encountered bicycles, people with dogs, walkers, etc, all very nice and courteous and mindful of the horses and no negative reaction from the horses at all, but this guy bolts around out in front of us like a blur, and it turned dangerous! He would have heard us because we were talking and laughing very loudly and he was not wearing any ear buds! The whole encounter with this man was very unnerving and surreal! It seemed put upon in...

Milo (as the locals call it) is a really neat place to explore. There are trails for both hikers and equestrians. I've never been there and not see a horse or two. Milo has several miles of trails, and they run both in the woods and along the river (Clackamas). They have a great off leash area. But, it isn't fenced, and placed between an equestrian trail and the road. If your pup isn't quite comfortable with horses and likely to run into the road you might want to re-evaluate letting them run here. The group campsites here are good sized, and I've hosted a group of 50+ at the three of them near the main campground. I'd come back here again with a group. The sites in the main campground have beautiful tall mature trees, and this is a great spot to escape the heat of the Summer. Reservations are required, and they aren't always easy to get. So, do your research and make reservations if you plan to visit between June and September. You can't just run up to Milo and hope to get a spot - you won't. Icy winters often dictate how soon Milo opens and closes each year. Milo has a beautiful disc golf course. They have pro tournaments here, but the amateur can have fun too! Just don't come on a tournament weekend - you won't get to play. Milo can be a lot of fun, just realize you might not get much privacy anywhere in the park on a busy Summer weekend/holiday. There is a day use fee charged to...