USFS · National forest · Colorado

Rio Grande National Forest

Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km2) U.S. national forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the world's largest high deserts located around mountains. The Rio Grande rises in the forest, and the Continental Divide runs along most of its western border. The forest lies in parts of nine counties. In descending order of land area within the forest they are Saguache, Mineral, Conejos, Rio Grande, Hinsdale, San Juan, Alamosa, Archuleta, and Custer counties. Forest headquarters are currently located in Del Norte, Colorado. There are local ranger district offices in Del Norte, La Jara, and Saguache.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.9 million acresUSFSCO73 campgrounds within 10 mi152 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
3fires
active
Wolf Creek Rx (prescribed burn) · 20 mi from the center · 1 acres
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size1.9 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0209, region 02
Center point37.7257, -106.6133
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17)

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

45 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 28 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
Alamosa Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Alder Guard Station
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Aspen Glade
Reservable32 sites
FS · Inside
Big Meadows Campground and Picnic Area
ReservableCO
FS · Inside
Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)
Reservable47 sites
FS · Inside
Buffalo Pass Campground
First-come19 sites
FS · Inside
Carnero Guard Station
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cathedral Campground
First-come22 sites
Show 4 more

61 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 152

The Forest Service lists 152 recreation sites in this forest, among them 37 campgrounds, 25 trailheads, 14 backpackings, 10 day hikings. 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; 92 more are on the Forest Service site.

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

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Wolf Creek Rx

    20 mi from the center point · 1 acres

  • Wildfire
    Swiss Roll

    25 mi from the center point · 775 acres · 0% contained

  • Wildfire
    Elk

    49 mi from the center point · 7,257 acres · 73% contained

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 & Preserve · 4 mi
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
National Register listings within 15 miles · 67 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Rio Grande National Forest?

1.9 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Rio Grande National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Rio Grande National Forest in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Rio Grande National Forest?

45 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Alamosa Campground, Alder Guard Station and Aspen Glade. 73 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Rio Grande National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 152 recreation sites here, including 37 campground campgrounds, 25 trailheads and 14 backpackings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Rio Grande National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.726, -106.613. Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is 4 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Rio Grande National Forest right now?

3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Wolf Creek Rx at 20 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Rio Grande National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 17 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Rio Grande National Forest?

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (4 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Rio Grande National Forest?

67 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Shenandoah--Dives Mill and Pike's Stockade.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Rio Grande 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.
  • 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.