USFS · Oregon

Mt. Hood National Forest

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

National Forest1.1 million acresUSFSOR87 campgrounds within 10 mi211 Forest Service sites468 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Stone Ck/Clackamas Guard Station Rx Piles- West (prescribed burn) · 10 mi from the center
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateOregon
Size1.1 million acres
Forest Service code0606, region 06
Center point45.24° N, 121.83° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8)

Boundary map

1 outline

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. Hood National Forest30°40°50°60°January: 12.61 inches of precipitation, 48.8 inches of snowFebruary: 9.64 inches of precipitation, 39.5 inches of snowMarch: 9.41 inches of precipitation, 35.6 inches of snowApril: 7.78 inches of precipitation, 17.6 inches of snowMay: 5.75 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowJune: 4.01 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowJuly: 0.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.06 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowOctober: 8.42 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowNovember: 12.69 inches of precipitation, 30.6 inches of snowDecember: 14.43 inches of precipitation, 51.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 31.8°F averageFebruary: 32.0°F averageMarch: 34.5°F averageApril: 37.8°F averageMay: 44.9°F averageJune: 50.2°F averageJuly: 58.4°F averageAugust: 59.3°F averageSeptember: 54.4°F averageOctober: 44.9°F averageNovember: 35.9°F averageDecember: 30.5°F average0 in20 in40 in60 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Government Camp, 6 miles from the center point at 3,980 feet, station USC00353402 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 90 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 232 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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 →

68 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 19 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
Alpine Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Armstrong
Reservable11 sites
FS · Inside
Badger Lake Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Bagby Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Bear Springs Campground
Reservable5 sites
FS · Inside
Black Lake Campground & Day Use Area
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Bonney Crossing Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Bonney Meadows Campground
First-comeOR
Show 4 more

75 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 211

The Forest Service lists 211 recreation sites in this forest, among them 73 trailheads, 61 campgrounds, 17 RV campings, 11 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; 151 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 468 named trails in this forest, 1,313 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
PCT: Mt. Hood ↗74.3
Timberline ↗29.3
5800 Road Snow ↗18.4
Surveyors Ridge ↗17.5
Eagle Creek ↗15.6
4800 Road Snow ↗15.4
Salmon River ↗14
4200 Road Snow ↗13.3
Still Creek Road Nordic ↗12.4
Badger Creek ↗12.2

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 468 trails in Mt. Hood National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Stone Ck/Clackamas Guard Station Rx Piles- West

    10 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Timber Lake/Ripplebrook Admin Piles Rx - West

    15 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Fawn Stew Piles Rx - West

    15 mi from the center point

  • Wildfire
    Grasshopper

    16 mi from the center point · 93,972 acres · 98% contained

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 Site · 14 mi
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 605 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Oregon

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

  • Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington
    Andy Selters, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Oregon's Ancient Forests
    Chandra LeGue, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking Oregon
    Douglas Lorain, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best dog hikes Oregon
    FalconGuides (Publisher), 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best hikes near Portland, Oregon
    Fred Barstad, 2016
    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. Hood National Forest?

1.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Mt. Hood National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Mt. Hood National Forest in?

Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Mt. Hood 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. Hood National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.236° N, 121.831° W. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is 14 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Mt. Hood National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Stone Ck/Clackamas Guard Station Rx Piles- West at 10 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Mt. Hood National Forest?

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (14 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Mt. Hood National Forest?

The National Register has 605 listings within 15 miles, including Bonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase) and Columbia River Highway Historic District.

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.