USFS · Arizona

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests

The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests is a 2.76-million-acre (11,169 km2) United States national forest which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona and into the U.S. state of New Mexico. Formerly two forests, it is currently managed as one unit by USDA Forest Service from the Forest Supervisors Office in Springerville, Arizona. Apache–Sitgreaves has over 400 species of wildlife. With its high elevation and cool summer breezes it is a popular weekend destination from the hot desert for Phoenix, Arizona, residents. The forest is divided into 5 Ranger Districts that span almost 300 miles (480 km) from Clifton, Arizona in the east-central portion of Arizona to the eastern boundary of the Coconino National Forest in north-central Arizona. The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest borders the western and northern borders of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. It is located in parts of Greenlee, Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in eastern and east-central Arizona, and Catron County in western New Mexico. The more northwesterly Sitgreaves National Forest portion lies adjacent to the north side of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and is located entirely in Arizona, within Navajo, Apache, and Coconino counties. It has a total area of 818,651 acres (3,313 km2). The more southeasterly and much larger Apache National Forest portion lies adjacent to the east side of the Fort Apache and the San Carlos Indian Reservations. It lies on both sides of the border with New Mexico, in Greenlee, Catron, and Apache counties. It has a total area of 1,813,601 acres (7,339 km2).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.1 million acresUSFSAZ65 campgrounds within 10 mi233 Forest Service sites336 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
D3 Hagen Rx (prescribed burn) · 9 mi from the center · 5,757 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateArizona
Size2.1 million acres
Forest Service code0301, region 03
Center point33.54° N, 109.27° 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 Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 10.7 inches of snowFebruary: 1.13 inches of precipitation, 9.9 inches of snowMarch: 0.92 inches of precipitation, 8.2 inches of snowApril: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowMay: 0.71 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowJune: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.91 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.61 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowNovember: 1.16 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowDecember: 1.44 inches of precipitation, 7.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 30.5°F averageFebruary: 33.2°F averageMarch: 38.2°F averageApril: 43.4°F averageMay: 50.1°F averageJune: 58.4°F averageJuly: 62.6°F averageAugust: 61.2°F averageSeptember: 55.5°F averageOctober: 46.7°F averageNovember: 37.8°F averageDecember: 30.9°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Alpine, 22 miles from the center point at 8,050 feet, station USC00020159 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 45 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 →

46 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
Alpine Divide Campground
First-comeAZ
FS · Inside
Apache Trout Campground
Reservable64 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen
Reservable136 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen Campground
First-come6 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
First-comeAZ
FS · Inside
Benny Creek Group Area
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Black Canyon Rim Campground
Reservable20 sites
FS · Inside
Black Jack Group Campground
First-comeAZ
Show 4 more

53 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 233

The Forest Service lists 233 recreation sites in this forest, among them 75 trailheads, 47 campgrounds, 22 day hikings, 21 boat launchs. 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; 173 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 336 named trails in this forest, 1,441 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
General Crook ↗58.4
Maverick Motorized ↗49.5
Steeple ↗26.8
Long Draw OHV Loop ↗23.6
Eagle National Recreation Tr ↗22.7
Bonanza Bill ↗20.4
Dye Snowmobile Loop ↗19.4
Sunrise Snowmobile 409/261 ↗19.1
Railroad Grade ↗18.7
Saffel OHV ↗17.7

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 336 trails in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    D3 Hagen Rx

    9 mi from the center point · 5,757 acres

  • Prescribed
    D3 Bear Rx

    10 mi from the center point · 5,072 acres

  • Prescribed
    D6 - Heifer Rx

    17 mi from the center point · 3,116 acres

  • Prescribed
    D6 Wallow West Unit 6 Rx

    20 mi from the center point · 7,605 acres

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 · 38 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Arizona

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

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests?

2.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in?

Arizona.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Apache-Sitgreaves 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 Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.544° N, 109.271° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest D3 Hagen Rx at 9 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests?

The National Register has 38 listings within 15 miles, including Alpine Elementary School and Bear Mountain Lookout Complex.

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: Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests 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.