USFS · Colorado

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado.

National Forest2.5 million acresUSFSCO79 campgrounds within 10 mi227 Forest Service sites444 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size2.5 million acres
Forest Service code0210, region 02
Center point40.85° N, 103.86° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 29)

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 Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.27 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowFebruary: 0.42 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowMarch: 0.93 inches of precipitation, 6.3 inches of snowApril: 1.87 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowMay: 2.82 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowJune: 2.35 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.51 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowOctober: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowNovember: 0.57 inches of precipitation, 6.2 inches of snowDecember: 0.44 inches of precipitation, 6.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 27.3°F averageFebruary: 28.7°F averageMarch: 37.2°F averageApril: 44.1°F averageMay: 53.8°F averageJune: 64.7°F averageJuly: 71.5°F averageAugust: 69.3°F averageSeptember: 60.5°F averageOctober: 47.1°F averageNovember: 35.6°F averageDecember: 27.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at New Raymer 21 N, 6 miles from the center point at 5,180 feet, station USC00055934 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 42 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 →

48 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 31 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
Ansel Watrous
Reservable17 sites
FS · Inside
Arapaho Bay
Reservable85 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen Glen Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Bellaire Lake Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Big Bend Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Big South Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Browns Park Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Camp Dick
Reservable42 sites
Show 4 more

67 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 227

The Forest Service lists 227 recreation sites in this forest, among them 62 trailheads, 49 campgrounds, 36 picnic areas, 14 backpackings. 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; 167 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 444 named trails in this forest, 1,356 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Beaver Creek ↗24.8
South Fork ↗23.9
Mount Nystrom ↗19.9
Stillwater Pass ↗19.7
Flowers ↗18.7
High Lonesome ↗17.9
Medicine Bow ↗17.1
Blue Lake ↗16.9
Buchanan Pass ↗15.8
Cub Creek ↗15.3

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 444 trails in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 7 mi
Rocky Mountain National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 250 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Colorado

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

  • Hiking Colorado's Western Slope
    Bill Haggerty, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Dog Hikes Colorado
    Emma Walker, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Colorado Springs
    Stewart M. Green, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best wildflower hikes Colorado
    Chris Kassar, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best hikes Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness
    Kent Dannen, 2017
    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 Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

2.5 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

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 Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 40.852° N, 103.859° W. Rocky Mountain National Park is 7 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

Rocky Mountain National Park (7 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

The National Register has 250 listings within 15 miles, including Winks Panorama and Georgetown Schoolhouse.

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.
  • 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.