USFS · Colorado

White River National Forest

White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twelve ski areas within its boundaries.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.5 million acresUSFSCO110 campgrounds within 10 mi471 Forest Service sites727 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Willow · 33 mi from the center · 7,359 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size2.5 million acres
Forest Service code0215, region 02
Center point39.56° N, 106.89° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

2 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 White River National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 18.8°F averageFebruary: 20.7°F averageMarch: 28.1°F averageApril: 35.8°F averageMay: 45.6°F averageJune: 54.3°F averageJuly: 60.4°F averageAugust: 59.4°F averageSeptember: 51.6°F averageOctober: 42.2°F averageNovember: 28.9°F averageDecember: 19.2°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Meredith, 16 miles from the center point at 7,825 feet, station USC00055507 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. The station sits about 2,400 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 →

54 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 56 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
Avalanche Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Blue River Campground
Reservable24 sites
FS · Inside
Bogan Flats Campground And Group
Reservable37 sites
FS · Inside
Camp Hale East Fork Group
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Camp Hale Memorial
Reservable21 sites
FS · Inside
Cataract Creek Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Chapman Campground And Group
Reservable84 sites
FS · Inside
Columbine Landing Recreation Site
First-comeCO
Show 4 more

98 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 471

The Forest Service lists 471 recreation sites in this forest, among them 165 day hikings, 127 trailheads, 54 campgrounds, 16 OHV Campings. 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; 411 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 727 named trails in this forest, 2,412 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Colorado ↗58.4
Gore Range Trail ↗46.7
Continental Divide N.S.T ↗40.8
Cline Top C1-A1l ↗36
SP Trail - Miles Not Accounted ↗30
CDNST - Colorado ↗25.2
Cross Creek ↗25.1
Transfer Trail ↗25
Sunlight / Powderhorn Area ↗23
Oyster Lake ↗22.8

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 727 trails in White River National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Willow

    33 mi from the center point · 7,359 acres · 92% 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 Register listings within 15 miles · 120 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 White River National Forest?

2.5 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages White River National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is White River National Forest in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at White River 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 White River National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 39.561° N, 106.893° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near White River National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Willow at 33 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near White River National Forest?

The National Register has 120 listings within 15 miles, including Georgetown Schoolhouse and Tabor Opera House.

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: White River 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.