Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west-central Montana, United States. Spanning 2.8-million acres. The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to this area, different areas of the large forest territory were used by members of the Blackfeet, Sioux, Cheyenne, Flathead and Crow nations for hunting and as an area for their seasonal winter camps. The forests provided shelter from the winter.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Forest |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Montana |
| Size | 3.2 million acres |
| Forest Service code | 0115, region 01 |
| Center point | 46.85° N, 110.67° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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
27 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 18 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
33 more within ten miles are not listed here.
The Forest Service trail layer records 744 named trails in this forest, 2,931 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Continental Divide ↗ | 116.3 | |
| Snowmobile Loop J ↗ | 32.6 | |
| Two Med-Heart Butte ↗ | 27.1 | |
| South Fork Sun ↗ | 25.3 | |
| Tenderfoot ↗ | 24 | |
| North Fk Sun ↗ | 22.5 | |
| Crow Creek ↗ | 22 | |
| Dearborn River ↗ | 20.6 | |
| Moose Creek ↗ | 20.4 | |
| Cabin Creek ↗ | 19.1 |
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 744 trails in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗
Fire nearby
- PrescribedKings Hill Cabin Piles Rx
2 mi from the center point · 1 acre
- PrescribedShowdown Piles Rx
2 mi from the center point · 4 acres
- PrescribedCoyote Divide Piles Rx
8 mi from the center point
- PrescribedMonarch Unit 141 Piles Rx
19 mi from the center point · 3 acres
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
- 2.5 miRussell, Charles M., House and Studio ↗National Historic Landmark
- 8 miTwo Medicine General Store ↗National Historic Landmark
- under 0.1 miMacDonald Pass Airway Beacon ↗Helena, MT
- under 0.1 miNeihart School ↗Neihart, MT
- under 0.1 miRegan, Thomas P., Cabin ↗Helena, MT
- under 0.1 miSummit Lodge ↗Helena, MT
- 0.1 miUnion League of America Hall ↗White Sulphur Springs, MT
- 0.2 miF.m. Mack General Store ↗Augusta, MT
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.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
3.2 million acres.
Source: Forest Service boundary data
Who manages Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
What state is Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in?
Montana.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Helena-Lewis and Clark 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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.849° N, 110.668° W. Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
Is there a fire near Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Kings Hill Cabin Piles Rx at 2 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
The National Register has 161 listings within 15 miles, including Russell, Charles M., House and Studio 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: Helena-Lewis and Clark 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.