USFS · National forest · California

San Bernardino National Forest

The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California encompassing 823,816 acres (3,333.87 km2) of which 677,982 acres (2,743.70 km2) are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Ranges, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular Ranges. Elevations range from 2,000 to 11,499 feet. The forest includes seven wilderness areas: San Gorgonio, Cucamonga, San Jacinto, South Fork, Santa Rosa, Cahuilla Mountain and Bighorn Mountain. Forest headquarters are located in the city of San Bernardino. There are district offices in Lytle Creek, Idyllwild, and Fawnskin. The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail runs through part of the San Bernardino National Forest.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest805,483 acresUSFSCA60 campgrounds within 10 mi182 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size805,483 acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0512, region 05
Center point34.0554, -116.9474
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

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 →

46 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 14 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
Applewhite Campground
Reservable44 sites
FS · Inside
Barton Flats
Reservable53 sites
FS · Inside
Big Pine Equestrian Group Campground
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Big Pine Flat Equestrian Group Campground
ReservableCA
FS · Inside
Black Mountain (San Bernardino)
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bluff Mesa Group Camp
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Boulder Basin
Reservable37 sites
FS · Inside
Boulder Group Camp
Reservable1 site
Show 3 more

48 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 182

The Forest Service lists 182 recreation sites in this forest, among them 41 OHV areas, 23 campgrounds, 19 group camps, 14 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; 122 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Trail · 3 mi
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
National Register listings within 15 miles · 116 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is San Bernardino National Forest?

805,483 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages San Bernardino National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is San Bernardino National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at San Bernardino National Forest?

46 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Applewhite Campground, Applewhite Campground and Barton Flats. 60 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 San Bernardino National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 182 recreation sites here, including 41 ohv road ridings, 23 campground campgrounds and 19 group campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to San Bernardino National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.055, -116.947. Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at San Bernardino National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near San Bernardino National Forest?

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (3 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near San Bernardino National Forest?

116 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Estudillo Mansion and Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station.

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: San Bernardino 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.