USFS · Idaho, Wyoming

Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Caribou–Targhee National Forest is located in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, with a small section in Utah in the United States. The forest is broken into several separate sections and extends over 2.63 million acres (10,600 km2). To the east the forest borders Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Bridger–Teton National Forest. Most of the forest is a part of the 20-million-acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.1 million acresUSFSIDWY88 campgrounds within 10 mi118 Forest Service sites956 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesIdaho, Wyoming
Size3.1 million acres
Forest Service code0415, region 04
Center point43.53° N, 111.16° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

10 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 Caribou-Targhee National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.85 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.32 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.54 inches of precipitationApril: 1.88 inches of precipitationMay: 2.53 inches of precipitationJune: 2.07 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.25 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.25 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.55 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.81 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.59 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.44 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 20.7°F averageFebruary: 24.2°F averageMarch: 33.3°F averageApril: 41.6°F averageMay: 50.3°F averageJune: 57.8°F averageJuly: 65.3°F averageAugust: 64.2°F averageSeptember: 55.9°F averageOctober: 43.9°F averageNovember: 31.6°F averageDecember: 22.0°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Swan Valley, 8 miles from the center point at 5,397 feet, station USC00108937 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The station sits about 1,800 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 →

45 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
Albert Moser
Reservable9 sites
FS · Inside
Alpine North Loop
Reservable19 sites
FS · Inside
Beaver Creek Campground
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Big Elk
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Big Springs - Caribou
Reservable16 sites
FS · Inside
Big Springs Grp. Area - Island Park
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Big Springs Warming Hut
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Box Canyon Campground
First-comeID
Show 4 more

76 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 118

The Forest Service lists 118 recreation sites in this forest, among them 49 campgrounds, 14 boat launchs, 12 trailheads, 9 ski 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; 58 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 956 named trails in this forest, 2,919 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Highline ↗60
Continental Divide Trail ↗55.7
Continental Divide ↗43.7
Railroad Right-Of-Way ↗38.2
Boundary Trail ↗27.5
Divide ↗19.7
Crooked Creek - Willow Creek ↗16.9
Big Bend Ridge Trail ↗16.3
Sheep Driveway ↗16.2
Teton Crest ↗16

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 956 trails in Caribou-Targhee National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 8 mi
Grand Teton National Park
National Historical Park · 29 mi
Golden Spike National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 271 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 Caribou-Targhee National Forest?

3.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Caribou-Targhee National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Caribou-Targhee National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Idaho and Wyoming.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Caribou-Targhee 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 Caribou-Targhee National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.528° N, 111.164° W. Grand Teton National Park is 8 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Caribou-Targhee National Forest?

Grand Teton National Park (8 mi) and Golden Spike National Historical Park (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Caribou-Targhee National Forest?

The National Register has 271 listings within 15 miles, including Old Faithful Inn and Albaugh, Eleanor, Cabin.

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: Caribou–Targhee 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.