Chookarloo Campground

Chookarloo is the main campground in Kuitpo Forest, roughly 45 minutes south of Adelaide, set among shaded pine plantation and eucalypt woodland. Dogs are welcome to camp here on a lead, and the campground opens straight onto the forest trail network, which is the reason to book it rather than a caravan park.

Dogs at Chookarloo

The campground and the surrounding picnic grounds and trails are dogs-on-lead zones. ForestrySA's rule is a physical leash of no more than 3 metres at all times, and dogs are not permitted in the forest's designated Native Forest Reserves, so check signage as you move between plantings. There is no separate dog fee; you pay the standard per-vehicle site fee. Pack out all dog waste because there are no bins.

Booking and the season

All campsites must be booked and paid online through the ForestrySA camping portal before you arrive; there is no self-registration on site. The camping season runs from 1 April to 30 November, which conveniently brackets the comfortable walking months and closes out the worst of summer fire danger.

The campground itself

This is a low-frills forest camp rather than a facility park: individual sites among the trees, picnic tables, long-drop toilets and seasonal fire pits, with open fires banned during the fire danger season. Rainwater tanks are on site but the water is untreated and not for drinking, so bring your own supply, including a bowl and enough for the dog. Rangers get consistently good mentions in reviews, and the setting is quiet enough that a settled dog will do well.

Max: Three-metre lead, every walk, and skip the native reserve signs entirely. Bring six litres a day for the two of you in warm weather because the tank water is not for drinking.

Walking from the tent

The Onkeeta Trail starts near Chookarloo and meanders through pine and native bush, and the wider forest loop tracks connect from the campground, all on-lead. Day walking in the forest is free, so the camp makes a good base for a weekend of short loops. Longer options link toward the Heysen Trail corridor.

Close by with the dogs

A few minutes' drive away, K1 Wines welcomes leashed dogs in its outdoor areas for an afternoon cellar door stop, and the Kuitpo Forest Reserve page covers more of the trail network. If you want a roof instead of a tent, Woodcutter's Cottage is the other Kuitpo stay that takes dogs.

More options in the region are on the SA stays index.