USFS · National forest · California, Oregon

Klamath National Forest

Klamath National Forest is a 1,737,774-acre national forest, in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range, located in Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension into southern Jackson County in Oregon. The forest contains continuous stands of ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, Douglas fir, red fir, white fir, lodgepole pine, Baker Cypress, and incense cedar. Old growth forest is estimated to cover some 168,000 acres (680 km2) of forest land. Forest headquarters are located in Yreka, California. There are local ranger district offices located in Fort Jones, Happy Camp, and Macdoel, all in California. The Klamath was established on May 6, 1905. This forest includes the Kangaroo Lake and the Sawyers Bar Catholic Church, which are located within the boundaries of the Forest. The Forest is managed jointly with the Butte Valley National Grassland.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.7 million acresUSFSCAOR58 campgrounds within 10 mi137 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1fire
active
White Rock Rx (prescribed burn) · 41 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesCalifornia, Oregon
Size1.7 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0505, region 05
Center point41.6287, -121.7459
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

26 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 32 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
Carter Meadows Horse Group
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Curly Jack Campground
Reservable16 sites
FS · Inside
Dillon Creek Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Fort Goff Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Grider Creek Campground
First-come10 sites
FS · Inside
Hidden Horse Equestrian Campground
Reservable6 sites
FS · Inside
Humbug OHV Recreation Area
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Idlewild Campground
First-come11 sites
Show 4 more

46 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 137

The Forest Service lists 137 recreation sites in this forest, among them 46 paddling accesss, 43 backpackings, 28 campgrounds, 8 day hikings. 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; 77 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
    White Rock Rx

    41 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 Monument · 6 mi
Lava Beds National Monument
National Monument & Preserve · 7 mi
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve
National Monument · 17 mi
Tule Lake National Monument
National and State Parks · 26 mi
Redwood National and State Parks
National Register listings within 15 miles · 82 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Klamath National Forest?

1.7 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Klamath National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Klamath National Forest in?

The boundary crosses California and Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Klamath National Forest?

26 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Carter Meadows Horse Group, Curly Jack Campground and Dillon Creek Campground. 58 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 Klamath National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 137 recreation sites here, including 46 boating - non-motorizeds, 43 backpackings and 28 campground campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Klamath National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 41.629, -121.746. Lava Beds National Monument is 6 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Klamath National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest White Rock Rx at 41 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Klamath 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

Which national parks are near Klamath National Forest?

Lava Beds National Monument (6 mi), Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve (7 mi) and Tule Lake National Monument (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Klamath National Forest?

82 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Sawyers Bar Catholic Church and White's Gulch Arrastra.

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: Klamath 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.