USFS · Washington

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Washington.

National Forest2.0 million acresUSFSWA56 campgrounds within 10 mi168 Forest Service sites405 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Gamma Creek · 24 mi from the center · 29 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size2.0 million acres
Forest Service code0605, region 06
Center point47.91° N, 121.38° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

3 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 Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest30°40°50°60°70°January: 16.72 inches of precipitation, 13.8 inches of snowFebruary: 10.60 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowMarch: 11.90 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowApril: 8.35 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowMay: 5.02 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.96 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.90 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.79 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 12.30 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 18.06 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowDecember: 14.56 inches of precipitation, 17.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.7°F averageFebruary: 39.2°F averageMarch: 42.8°F averageApril: 48.2°F averageMay: 55.0°F averageJune: 58.8°F averageJuly: 64.4°F averageAugust: 64.7°F averageSeptember: 59.5°F averageOctober: 49.9°F averageNovember: 41.6°F averageDecember: 36.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Baring, 11 miles from the center point at 770 feet, station USC00450456 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 110 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 44 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 →

36 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 20 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
Bayview Campground
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Beaver Creek Group Campground
ReservableWA
FS · Inside
Beckler River Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Bedal Campground
Reservable22 sites
FS · Inside
Boardman Group Camp
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Boulder Creek Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Buck Creek Campground
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Clear Creek Campground
Reservable13 sites
Show 4 more

44 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 168

The Forest Service lists 168 recreation sites in this forest, among them 88 trailheads, 29 campgrounds, 9 nordic ski trails, 8 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; 108 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 405 named trails in this forest, 1,735 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Greenwater/Naches ↗65
PCT: MBS Darrington ↗54
PCT: Cle Elum North ↗51.8
PCT: Cle Elum South ↗34.7
PCT: MBS White River ↗33.7
Finney Creek Rd Snowmobile 18 ↗33
Segelson Pass Snowmobile 18 ↗27
Beckler River Road ↗22.5
Meadow Mtn ↗17.6
Tonga Ridge Road ↗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 405 trails in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Gamma Creek

    24 mi from the center point · 29 acres

  • Wildfire
    King

    31 mi from the center point · 3,427 acres · 72% contained

  • Wildfire
    Three Queens

    35 mi from the center point · 9,575 acres · 90% contained

  • Prescribed
    Rockwood Rx

    35 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

Guidebooks for Washington

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

  • Backpacking Washington
    Douglas Lorain, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington
    Andy Selters, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Waterfalls in Washington
    Sawyer Scheer, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Washington's Fire Lookouts
    Amber Casali, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hikes in the Washington Region Part C
    Larry Broadwell and William Needham, 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 Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest?

2.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie 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 Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.909° N, 121.378° W. North Cascades National Park is 9 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Gamma Creek at 24 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest?

North Cascades National Park (9 mi), Mount Rainier National Park (9 mi) and Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area (21 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest?

The National Register has 137 listings within 15 miles, including Yakima Park Stockade Group and Austin Pass Warming Hut.

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.
  • 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.