USFS · Idaho

Boise National Forest

Boise National Forest is a National Forest covering 2,203,703 acres (8,918.07 km2) of the U.S. state of Idaho. Created on July 1, 1908, from part of Sawtooth National Forest, it is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as five units: the Cascade, Emmett, Idaho City, Lowman, and Mountain Home ranger districts.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.5 million acresUSFSID102 campgrounds within 10 mi214 Forest Service sites468 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Rx Mores South (prescribed burn) · 15 mi from the center · 245 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateIdaho
Size2.5 million acres
Forest Service code0402, region 04
Center point44.03° N, 115.63° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

Boundary map

3 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 Boise National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.8°F averageFebruary: 28.9°F averageMarch: 36.9°F averageApril: 43.3°F averageMay: 51.5°F averageJune: 58.9°F averageJuly: 65.7°F averageAugust: 63.7°F averageSeptember: 56.2°F averageOctober: 44.3°F averageNovember: 32.4°F averageDecember: 24.7°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Lowman, 4 miles from the center point at 3,920 feet, station USC00105414 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. The station sits about 1,900 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 →

73 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 29 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
Amanita
Reservable11 sites
FS · Inside
Antelope
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Bad Bear Campground
Reservable6 sites
FS · Inside
Badger Creek Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Bald Mountain Campground
First-come4 sites
FS · Inside
Barneys Campground
Reservable8 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Valley Campground
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Big Eddy Campground
First-comeID
Show 4 more

90 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 214

The Forest Service lists 214 recreation sites in this forest, among them 89 trailheads, 66 campgrounds, 13 boat launchs, 11 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; 154 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 468 named trails in this forest, 1,907 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Kirkham Ridge ↗35.8
Bear Valley Snowmobile ↗33.2
Clear Creek / Bear Valley Snow ↗31.3
Johnson Creek ↗30.5
Thorne Butte Loop ↗27.4
Clear Creek ↗26.9
Edna/Rock Creek ↗24
Deadwood Ridge ↗21.9
Bull Creek ↗18.3
Willow Creek Snow Loop ↗18

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 468 trails in Boise National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx Mores South

    15 mi from the center point · 245 acres

  • Prescribed
    Round Ferry 2026 Rx

    29 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Rx Fawn Tussock

    36 mi from the center point · 86 acres

  • Prescribed
    Great Scott Rx

    38 mi from the center point · 15 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 · 180 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Idaho

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 Boise National Forest?

2.5 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Boise National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Boise National Forest in?

Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Boise 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 Boise National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.029° N, 115.635° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Boise National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Mores South at 15 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Boise National Forest?

The National Register has 180 listings within 15 miles, including Atlanta Dam and Power Plant and Atlanta Historic District.

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: Boise 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.