USFS · Idaho, Utah

Sawtooth National Forest

Sawtooth National Forest is a national forest that covers 2,110,408 acres in the U.S. states of Idaho and Utah. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was originally named the Sawtooth Forest Reserve in a proclamation issued by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 29, 1905. On August 22, 1972, a portion of the forest was designated as the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), which includes the Sawtooth, Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds, and Hemingway–Boulders wilderness areas. The forest is managed as four units: the SNRA and the Fairfield, Ketchum, and Minidoka Ranger Districts.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.2 million acresUSFSIDUT86 campgrounds within 10 mi149 Forest Service sites629 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
3 fires
active
Paradise Rx (prescribed burn) · 13 mi from the center · 400 acres
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesIdaho, Utah
Size2.2 million acres
Forest Service code0414, region 04
Center point43.86° N, 114.73° 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 Sawtooth National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 27.0 inches of snowFebruary: 1.88 inches of precipitation, 17.2 inches of snowMarch: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 10.5 inches of snowApril: 1.17 inches of precipitation, 3.2 inches of snowMay: 1.78 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.40 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowNovember: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 10.3 inches of snowDecember: 2.57 inches of precipitation, 32.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.6°F averageFebruary: 23.1°F averageMarch: 30.6°F averageApril: 39.4°F averageMay: 48.2°F averageJune: 54.8°F averageJuly: 62.6°F averageAugust: 61.1°F averageSeptember: 52.6°F averageOctober: 41.8°F averageNovember: 29.3°F averageDecember: 19.7°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ketchum RS, 22 miles from the center point at 5,890 feet, station USC00104845 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 102 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,800 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 →

59 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 27 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
Abbott Campground
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Alturas Inlet Campground
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Alturas Lake Inlet
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Baumgartner Campground
Reservable31 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Creek Transfer Camp
First-come6 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Gulch Campground
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Bennett Springs Campground
First-come6 sites
FS · Inside
Big Hole
First-comeID
Show 4 more

74 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 149

The Forest Service lists 149 recreation sites in this forest, among them 72 campgrounds, 23 trailheads, 9 interpretive sites, 7 picnic areas. 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; 89 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 629 named trails in this forest, 2,313 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Skyline Trail ↗26
Redfish Creek - Baron Creek ↗21.9
Lake Fork Loop ↗21.8
Livingston Mill-Castle Divide ↗21.6
Cold Springs Canyon Loop ↗21.2
Warm Springs Creek ↗20.5
Alice Lake-Redfish Lake ↗20.4
South Fork Payette River ↗19.6
Harriman Trail ↗18.8
Harriman Trail Ski ↗18.4

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 629 trails in Sawtooth National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

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

    13 mi from the center point · 400 acres

  • Wildfire
    East Fork

    18 mi from the center point · 266 acres · 60% contained

  • Prescribed
    Rx Mores South

    50 mi from the center point · 245 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 Reserve · 3 mi
City Of Rocks National Reserve
National Historic Site · 24 mi
Minidoka National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 43 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 Sawtooth National Forest?

2.2 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Sawtooth National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Sawtooth National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Idaho and Utah.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Sawtooth 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 Sawtooth National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.857° N, 114.735° W. City Of Rocks National Reserve is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Sawtooth National Forest right now?

3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Paradise Rx at 13 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Sawtooth National Forest?

City Of Rocks National Reserve (3 mi) and Minidoka National Historic Site (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Sawtooth National Forest?

The National Register has 43 listings within 15 miles, including Day, Ivan W., House and Niece Brothers' Store.

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: Sawtooth 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.