USFS · Montana

Flathead National Forest

The Flathead National Forest is a national forest in the western part of the U.S. state of Montana. The forest lies primarily in Flathead County, south of Glacier National Park. The forest covers 2,404,935 acres of which about 1 million acres (4,000 km2) is designated wilderness. It is named after the Flathead Native Americans who live in the area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.7 million acresUSFSMT44 campgrounds within 10 mi91 Forest Service sites486 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Hh Betty Baptiste Hand Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 8 mi from the center
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMontana
Size2.7 million acres
Forest Service code0110, region 01
Center point48.03° N, 113.81° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Flathead National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.3°F averageFebruary: 27.0°F averageMarch: 35.4°F averageApril: 42.7°F averageMay: 51.2°F averageJune: 57.6°F averageJuly: 64.7°F averageAugust: 63.8°F averageSeptember: 54.5°F averageOctober: 43.4°F averageNovember: 32.2°F averageDecember: 25.3°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Swan Lake, 8 miles from the center point at 3,100 feet, station USC00248087 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. The station sits about 3,900 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

20 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 24 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Ashley Lake South Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Beaver Creek Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Big Creek Campground
Reservable23 sites
FS · Inside
Devil Creek Campground
Reservable13 sites
FS · Inside
Devil's Corkscrew Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Doris Creek Campground
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Emery Bay Campground
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Holland Lake Campground
Reservable43 sites
Show 4 more

32 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 91

The Forest Service lists 91 recreation sites in this forest, among them 24 campgrounds, 18 boat launchs, 15 cabins, 14 trailheads. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 31 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 486 named trails in this forest, 2,298 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Alpine 7 ↗54.7
Big River ↗43.7
Main South Fork ↗38.9
Spotted Bear River ↗33.9
Whitefish Divide ↗32
Holland-Gordon ↗28.9
Canyon SM ↗25.4
Smith - Little Salmon ↗23.3
West Side South Fork ↗23.3
East Side South Fork ↗23.1

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 486 trails in Flathead National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Hh Betty Baptiste Hand Piles Rx

    8 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Gnp Apgar Hand Piles Rx

    35 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Sl Beaver Plie Rx

    45 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Stw New Acquisition Rx

    48 mi from the center point

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 13 mi
Glacier National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 137 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Montana

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • 100 Classic Hikes: Montana
    Douglas Lorain, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Day Hiking Glacier National Park and Western Montana
    Aaron Theisen, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking waterfalls in Montana
    John Kratz, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Montana: Bozeman
    Bill Schneider, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks
    Erik Molvar, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Flathead National Forest?

2.7 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Flathead National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Flathead National Forest in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Flathead National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Flathead National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.029° N, 113.805° W. Glacier National Park is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Flathead National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Hh Betty Baptiste Hand Piles Rx at 8 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Flathead National Forest?

Glacier National Park (13 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Flathead National Forest?

The National Register has 137 listings within 15 miles, including Lake McDonald Lodge and Two Medicine General Store.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Flathead National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.