USFS · National forest · Idaho

Payette National Forest

The Payette National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in central western Idaho, in parts of Valley, Idaho, Adams, and Washington counties. The land area consists of approximately 2.3 million acres (9,300 km2) of federally managed lands. It is bordered by Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the Hells Canyon to the west, Salmon-Challis National Forest to the east, Boise National Forest to the south, and the Nez Perce National Forest to the north. The Payette National Forest is a part of the Intermountain Region. It is under the jurisdiction of a forest supervisor in McCall and is divided into five ranger districts: McCall, Krassel, New Meadows, Council, and Weiser.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.4 million acresUSFSID78 campgrounds within 10 mi106 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2fires
active
Payette National Forest Rx (prescribed burn) · 20 mi from the center
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateIdaho
Size2.4 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0412, region 04
Center point45.0838, -115.7921
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

35 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 43 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
Big Bar Camping Area
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Big Creek
Reservable5 sites
FS · Inside
Big Flat
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Brownlee
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Buck Park Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Buckhorn Bar
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Burgdorf
Reservable5 sites
FS · Inside
Burgdorf Guard Station
Reservable1 site
Show 4 more

66 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 106

The Forest Service lists 106 recreation sites in this forest, among them 36 trailheads, 33 campgrounds, 12 dispersed campings, 10 interpretive sites. 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; 46 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
    Payette National Forest Rx

    20 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Weasel Rx

    40 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

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 47 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Payette National Forest?

2.4 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Payette National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Payette National Forest in?

Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Payette National Forest?

35 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Big Bar Camping Area, Big Creek and Big Flat. 78 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 Payette National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 106 recreation sites here, including 36 trailheads, 33 campground campgrounds and 12 dispersed campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Payette National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.084, -115.792. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Payette National Forest right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Payette National Forest Rx at 20 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Payette National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 11 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Payette National Forest?

47 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Ah Toy Garden and Arctic Point Fire Lookout.

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: Payette 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.