USFS · California

Cleveland National Forest

Cleveland National Forest is a U.S. national forest in Southern California that encompasses 460,000 acres/720 mi2 (1,900 km2) of inland montane regions. It is approximately 60 miles (97 km) from the Pacific Ocean, within the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange. The landscape varies somewhat, with mostly chaparral canyons, arroyos and high desert, but dotted with meadows and oak and conifer forests. Near water sources, riparian environments and perennial aquatic plants attract native and migratory wildlife, such as at San Diego's man-made Lake Cuyamaca. A generally warm and dry, inland-Mediterranean climate prevails over the Forest, with the cooler months producing morning frost and snowfall. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. The area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, and is locally overseen by the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest561,887 acresUSFSCA20 campgrounds within 10 mi61 Forest Service sites126 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Oak Woodlands Wcsl Rx (prescribed burn) · 8 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size561,887 acres
Forest Service code0502, region 05
Center point32.88° N, 116.72° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 31)

Boundary map

4 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 Cleveland National Forest50°60°70°80°January: 3.21 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.65 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.73 inches of precipitationApril: 1.18 inches of precipitationMay: 0.57 inches of precipitationJune: 0.13 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.10 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.12 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.25 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.59 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.48 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.04 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 53.2°F averageFebruary: 53.3°F averageMarch: 55.8°F averageApril: 58.8°F averageMay: 62.6°F averageJune: 67.8°F averageJuly: 73.4°F averageAugust: 75.5°F averageSeptember: 73.1°F averageOctober: 66.2°F averageNovember: 59.1°F averageDecember: 52.3°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Alpine, 5 miles from the center point at 1,695 feet, station USC00040136 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 16 inches a year.

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 →

18 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 2 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
Atáxam Mámta’ash Campground
First-come17 sites
FS · Inside
Blue Jay Campground
First-come51 sites
FS · Inside
Bobcat Meadow Campground
Reservable18 sites
FS · Inside
Boulder Oaks Eqst
Reservable33 sites
FS · Inside
Burnt Rancheria
Reservable124 sites
FS · Inside
Cibbets Flat Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Corral Canyon Campground
Reservable19 sites
FS · Inside
Crestline Group Campground
Reservable1 site
Show 4 more

8 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 61

The Forest Service lists 61 recreation sites in this forest, among them 15 beachcombings, 13 campgrounds, 12 day hikings, 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; 1 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 126 named trails in this forest, 326 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Pacific Crest Trail-Boulder ↗13.9
Secret Canyon ↗13.9
Pacific Crest Trail-Thing Vall ↗12.8
San Juan ↗11.6
Pacific Crest Trail-South Fo ↗11.1
Cutca ↗10.4
Wildhorse Peak ↗10.1
Noble Canyon ↗10
Tenaja ↗8.6
Los Pinos ↗8.2

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 126 trails in Cleveland National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Oak Woodlands Wcsl Rx

    8 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Trail · 16 mi
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
National Monument · 27 mi
Cabrillo National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 162 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Walkabout Northern California
    Tom Courtney, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking California
    Wilderness Press, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Coastal trails of Southern California
    Linda B. Mullally, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking northern California
    Bubba Suess, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California
    Shawnte Salabert, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Cleveland National Forest?

561,887 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Cleveland National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Cleveland National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Cleveland 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 Cleveland National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 32.881° N, 116.719° W. Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is 16 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Cleveland National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Oak Woodlands Wcsl Rx at 8 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Cleveland National Forest?

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (16 mi) and Cabrillo National Monument (27 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Cleveland National Forest?

The National Register has 162 listings within 15 miles, including Modjeska House and Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station.

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: Cleveland 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.