USFS · National forest · Arizona

Coconino National Forest

The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff, with elevations ranging from 2,600 ft (800 m) to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 ft (3,851 m). Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S. National Forest by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt on July 2, 1908, when the San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve was merged with lands from other surrounding forest reserves to create the Coconino National Forest. Today, the Coconino National Forest contains diverse landscapes, including deserts, ponderosa pine forests, flatlands, mesas, alpine tundra, and ancient volcanic peaks.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.0 million acresUSFSAZ55 campgrounds within 10 mi91 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1fire
active
Cy26 Knf Rx Support (prescribed burn) · 42 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateArizona
Size2.0 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0304, region 03
Center point34.9129, -111.5585
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

34 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 21 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
Apache Maid Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Ashurst Lake
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Blue Ridge Campground
First-comeAZ
FS · Inside
Bonito Campground
Reservable44 sites
FS · Inside
Canyon Vista
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Cave Spring
Reservable84 sites
FS · Inside
Chavez Crossing
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Clear Creek Campground
Reservable19 sites
Show 4 more

43 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 91

The Forest Service lists 91 recreation sites in this forest, among them 19 campgrounds, 15 picnic areas, 6 interpretive sites, 5 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; 31 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Cy26 Knf Rx Support

    42 mi from the center point

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Coconino National Forest?

2.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Coconino National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Coconino National Forest in?

Arizona.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Coconino National Forest?

34 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Apache Maid Cabin, Ashurst Lake and Blue Ridge Campground. 55 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Coconino National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 91 recreation sites here, including 19 campground campgrounds, 15 picnickings and 6 interpretive areass. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Coconino National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.913, -111.558. Montezuma Castle National Monument is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Coconino National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Cy26 Knf Rx Support at 42 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Coconino National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 14 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Coconino National Forest?

Montezuma Castle National Monument (adjacent), Walnut Canyon National Monument (adjacent) and Tuzigoot National Monument (1 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Coconino National Forest?

88 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Office and Ashurst House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Coconino 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.
  • 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.