USFS · New Mexico

Santa Fe National Forest

The Santa Fe National Forest is a protected national forest in northern New Mexico in the Southwestern United States. It was established in 1915 and covers 1,558,452 acres (6,306.83 km2). Elevations range from 5,300 feet (1600 m) to 13,103 feet (4000 m) at the summit of Truchas Peak, located within the Pecos Wilderness. The Jemez, Coyote, and Cuba districts are located in the Jemez Mountains; the Pecos/Las Vegas district is located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains; and the Española district is located in both mountain ranges. In descending order of land area the forest lies in parts of Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Mora, and Los Alamos counties. Forest headquarters are located in the city of Santa Fe.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.7 million acresUSFSNM36 campgrounds within 10 mi85 Forest Service sites223 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Mesa Juan Domingo Fall Rx (prescribed burn) · 25 mi from the center
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateNew Mexico
Size1.7 million acres
Forest Service code0310, region 03
Center point36.07° N, 106.55° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

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 Santa Fe National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.41 inches of precipitation, 2.8 inches of snowFebruary: 0.34 inches of precipitation, 2.0 inches of snowMarch: 0.58 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowApril: 0.79 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMay: 0.80 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.62 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.65 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.75 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.19 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 0.89 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowDecember: 0.54 inches of precipitation, 3.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 29.9°F averageFebruary: 34.4°F averageMarch: 42.3°F averageApril: 49.0°F averageMay: 58.2°F averageJune: 68.5°F averageJuly: 72.9°F averageAugust: 70.9°F averageSeptember: 64.1°F averageOctober: 52.2°F averageNovember: 40.6°F averageDecember: 31.2°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Abiquiu Dam, 14 miles from the center point at 6,380 feet, station USC00290041 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 11 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 3,400 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 →

28 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 8 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
Aspen Basin Campground
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Big Tesuque Campground
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Black Canyon Campground
Reservable36 sites
FS · Inside
Borrego Mesa Campground
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Clear Creek Campground
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Clear Creek Group Campground
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cowles Campground
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Coyote Canyon Camping Area
First-comeNM
Show 4 more

24 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 85

The Forest Service lists 85 recreation sites in this forest, among them 25 campgrounds, 18 trailheads, 12 picnic areas, 8 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; 25 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 223 named trails in this forest, 915 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Sky Line ↗63.4
Continental Divide Nat Scenic ↗43.6
Winsor ↗24.7
Borrego ↗20.6
Bancos Loop ↗14.4
Beattys ↗13.4
Beaver Creek ↗13
Hamilton Mesa ↗11.6
Las Trampas ↗11.6
Sierra Mosca ↗10.9

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 223 trails in Santa Fe National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Mesa Juan Domingo Fall Rx

    25 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Paliza South Rx

    25 mi from the center point · 412 acres

  • Prescribed
    Stone Angel Fall Rx

    26 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Willow Irtc Piles Fall Rx

    49 mi from the center point · 411 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historical Park · Adjacent
Manhattan Project National Historical Park
National Monument · 1 mi
Bandelier National Monument
National Historical Park · 2 mi
Pecos National Historical Park
National Preserve · 6 mi
Valles Caldera National Preserve
National Monument · 19 mi
Fort Union National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 165 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for New Mexico

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 Santa Fe National Forest?

1.7 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Santa Fe National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Santa Fe National Forest in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.071° N, 106.550° W. Manhattan Project National Historical Park is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Santa Fe National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Mesa Juan Domingo Fall Rx at 25 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Santa Fe National Forest?

Manhattan Project National Historical Park (adjacent), Bandelier National Monument (1 mi) and Pecos National Historical Park (2 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Santa Fe National Forest?

The National Register has 165 listings within 15 miles, including O'Keeffe, Georgia, Home and Studio and National Park Service Southwest Regional Office.

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: Santa Fe 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.