USFS · Colorado

San Juan National Forest

The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. national forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande National Forest to the east. The forest covers most of the southern portion of the San Juan Mountains west of the Continental Divide. The forest contains two alpine wilderness areas; the Weminuche and South San Juan, as well as the Piedra Area. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad passes through the National Forest.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.1 million acresUSFSCO54 campgrounds within 10 mi65 Forest Service sites395 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Groundhog Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 38 mi from the center · 30 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size2.1 million acres
Forest Service code0213, region 02
Center point37.49° N, 107.65° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 San Juan National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.70 inches of precipitation, 29.1 inches of snowFebruary: 2.48 inches of precipitation, 28.5 inches of snowMarch: 1.97 inches of precipitation, 18.9 inches of snowApril: 1.63 inches of precipitation, 9.8 inches of snowMay: 1.63 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowJune: 0.95 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.04 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.48 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.43 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.50 inches of precipitation, 3.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.07 inches of precipitation, 14.1 inches of snowDecember: 2.41 inches of precipitation, 25.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.2°F averageFebruary: 25.5°F averageMarch: 33.2°F averageApril: 40.2°F averageMay: 49.0°F averageJune: 58.6°F averageJuly: 63.9°F averageAugust: 61.9°F averageSeptember: 55.6°F averageOctober: 45.1°F averageNovember: 34.1°F averageDecember: 25.2°F average0 in10 in20 in30 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Lemon Dam, 8 miles from the center point at 8,110 feet, station USC00054934 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 28 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 131 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,300 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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 →

35 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 19 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
Blanco River Group Campground
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bridge
First-come19 sites
FS · Inside
Burro Bridge
First-come14 sites
FS · Inside
Cayton Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Chris Park
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Cimarrona
First-come22 sites
FS · Inside
East Fork Campground
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Florida Campground
Reservable20 sites
Show 4 more

42 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 65

The Forest Service lists 65 recreation sites in this forest, among them 33 campgrounds, 18 trailheads, 2 viewpoints, 2 cabins. 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; 5 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 395 named trails in this forest, 1,875 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Continental Divide NST ↗72.9
Pine-Piedra ↗41
Aspen Loop ↗34.9
Monument Park Winter ↗30.3
Pine River ↗23.2
First Notch Winter ↗23
Endlich Mesa ↗20.8
Highline - Co.trail ↗20.7
Turkey Creek ↗20.4
Vallecito ↗19.5

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 395 trails in San Juan National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Groundhog Piles Rx

    38 mi from the center point · 30 acres

  • Wildfire
    Gold Mountain

    39 mi from the center point · 39,747 acres · 92% contained

  • Prescribed
    Upd Baldy Mountain Piles Rx

    42 mi from the center point · 120 acres

  • Wildfire
    Elk

    46 mi from the center point · 7,257 acres · 90% 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 · 12 mi
Mesa Verde National Park
National Monument · 18 mi
Yucca House National Monument
National Monument · 22 mi
Hovenweep National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 42 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 San Juan National Forest?

2.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages San Juan National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is San Juan National Forest in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at San Juan 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 San Juan National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.494° N, 107.650° W. Mesa Verde National Park is 12 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near San Juan National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Groundhog Piles Rx at 38 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near San Juan National Forest?

Mesa Verde National Park (12 mi), Yucca House National Monument (18 mi) and Hovenweep National Monument (22 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near San Juan National Forest?

The National Register has 42 listings within 15 miles, including Shenandoah--Dives Mill and Old Bank of Telluride 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: San Juan 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.