USFS · South Dakota, Nebraska

Nebraska National Forest

The Nebraska National Forest is a United States national forest located in western Nebraska, with a total area of 141,864 acres. The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service's Nebraska Forests and Grasslands Supervisor's Office in nearby Chadron. The national forest includes two ranger districts, the Bessey Ranger District and the Pine Ridge Ranger District. In descending order of land, the forest lies in parts of Thomas, Dawes, Blaine, and Sioux counties.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.1 million acresUSFSSDNE9 campgrounds within 10 mi24 Forest Service sites31 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesSouth Dakota, Nebraska
Size2.1 million acres
Forest Service code0207, region 02
Center point43.85° N, 101.91° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 24)

Boundary map

7 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 Nebraska National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.46 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowFebruary: 0.55 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.16 inches of precipitation, 5.9 inches of snowApril: 2.26 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowMay: 3.62 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowJune: 3.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.39 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.59 inches of precipitation, 1.9 inches of snowNovember: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 3.7 inches of snowDecember: 0.54 inches of precipitation, 7.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 25.7°F averageFebruary: 28.5°F averageMarch: 39.1°F averageApril: 48.4°F averageMay: 58.9°F averageJune: 69.2°F averageJuly: 76.8°F averageAugust: 75.3°F averageSeptember: 66.2°F averageOctober: 51.6°F averageNovember: 37.6°F averageDecember: 27.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Interior 3 NE, 7 miles from the center point at 2,440 feet, station USC00394184 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 38 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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 →

7 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 2 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
Bessey Recreation Complex
Reservable51 sites
FS · Inside
Natick Campground
First-comeNE
FS · Inside
Red Cloud Nebraska NF
First-come13 sites
FS · Inside
Roberts Tract Nebraska NF
First-come3 sites
FS · Inside
Steer Creek Campground
First-comeNE
FS · Inside
Toadstool Nebraska NF
Reservable16 sites
FS · Inside
Whitetail Campground
First-comeNE
NPS · 0.3 mi
Cedar Pass Campground
Reservable100 sites
Show 1 more

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 24

The Forest Service lists 24 recreation sites in this forest, among them 7 trailheads, 6 campgrounds, 2 horse camps, 2 visitor centers. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 24

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 31 named trails in this forest, 114 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Pine Ridge C ↗19.6
Trooper ↗10.6
Pine Ridge Mt. Bike ↗9.6
Dismal River Trail ↗9.3
Agate North Trail ↗7.4
Pine Ridge A ↗7.3
Boots and Saddle ↗7.1
Pine Ridge B ↗5.7
Spotted Tail ↗5
Bison3

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 31 trails in Nebraska National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · Adjacent
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
National Park · Adjacent
Badlands National Park
National Park · 14 mi
Wind Cave National Park
National Monument · 18 mi
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
National Memorial · 20 mi
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
National Monument · 23 mi
Jewel Cave National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 89 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for South Dakota and hiking across the country

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

  • Hiking the Black Hills Country
    Bert Gildart and Jane Gildart, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
    Laural A. Bidwell, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    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 Nebraska National Forest?

2.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Nebraska National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Nebraska National Forest in?

The boundary crosses South Dakota and Nebraska.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Nebraska 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 Nebraska National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.846° N, 101.910° W. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Nebraska National Forest?

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (adjacent), Badlands National Park (adjacent) and Wind Cave National Park (14 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Nebraska National Forest?

The National Register has 89 listings within 15 miles, including La Verendrye Site and Bartlett--Myers Building.

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: Nebraska 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.