USFS · Colorado, Kansas

Pike and San Isabel National Forests

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

National Forest4.0 million acresUSFSCOKS119 campgrounds within 10 mi270 Forest Service sites558 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesColorado, Kansas
Size4.0 million acres
Forest Service code0212, region 02
Center point37.19° N, 102.70° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 26)

Boundary map

6 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.30 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.32 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitationApril: 1.33 inches of precipitationMay: 1.75 inches of precipitationJune: 1.85 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.81 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.53 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.38 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.02 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.43 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.58 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.5°F averageFebruary: 34.6°F averageMarch: 42.8°F averageApril: 50.2°F averageMay: 60.3°F averageJune: 71.2°F averageJuly: 75.5°F averageAugust: 73.5°F averageSeptember: 66.1°F averageOctober: 52.8°F averageNovember: 41.0°F averageDecember: 32.4°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Springfield Comanche, 8 miles from the center point at 4,383 feet, station USW00003028 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year.

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 →

90 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 29 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
Alvarado Campground
Reservable51 sites
FS · Inside
Angel Of Shavano Group
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Aspen
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Baby Doe
Reservable51 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Lake Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Belle Of Colorado
First-come19 sites
FS · Inside
Blue Lake Campground
Reservable16 sites
FS · Inside
Blue Mountain
Reservable21 sites
Show 4 more

107 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 270

The Forest Service lists 270 recreation sites in this forest, among them 77 campgrounds, 38 picnic areas, 37 trailheads, 14 fishings. 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; 210 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 558 named trails in this forest, 2,201 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Colorado ↗193.8
Rainbow ↗99.4
CDNST ↗91.7
Turtle Mountain ↗56.7
Santa Fe Nat Hist ↗42.5
Brookside-McCurdy ↗32.1
Signal Butte Multi Use ↗31.8
Midland Bike Trail ↗19.7
Cimarron River Trail ↗19.2
Companion ↗18.3

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 558 trails in Pike and San Isabel National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 3 mi
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
National Park & Preserve · 8 mi
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
National Historic Site · 9 mi
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 369 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

4.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Pike and San Isabel National Forests in?

The boundary crosses Colorado and Kansas.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Pike and San Isabel 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.192° N, 102.700° W. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (3 mi), Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (8 mi) and Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site (9 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

The National Register has 369 listings within 15 miles, including Tabor Opera House 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.