USFS · Oregon, Idaho

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, in Wallowa, Baker, Union, Grant, and Umatilla counties, and includes small areas in Nez Perce and Idaho counties in Idaho. The forest is named for the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce people, who originally lived in the area, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, Presbyterian missionaries who settled just to the north in 1836. Forest headquarters are located in Baker City, Oregon with ranger districts in La Grande, Joseph and Baker City.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.5 million acresUSFSORID70 campgrounds within 10 mi173 Forest Service sites1 trail
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Starvation 11A Rx (prescribed burn) · 34 mi from the center · 719 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesOregon, Idaho
Size2.5 million acres
Forest Service code0616, region 06
Center point45.23° N, 117.47° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

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 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 10.7 inches of snowFebruary: 1.06 inches of precipitation, 9.2 inches of snowMarch: 1.43 inches of precipitation, 10.1 inches of snowApril: 1.92 inches of precipitation, 6.3 inches of snowMay: 2.61 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowJune: 1.91 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.85 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.70 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.12 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowOctober: 1.39 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowNovember: 1.39 inches of precipitation, 7.3 inches of snowDecember: 1.29 inches of precipitation, 8.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.9°F averageFebruary: 29.2°F averageMarch: 36.3°F averageApril: 41.1°F averageMay: 49.7°F averageJune: 56.3°F averageJuly: 64.0°F averageAugust: 64.5°F averageSeptember: 57.0°F averageOctober: 45.0°F averageNovember: 33.9°F averageDecember: 26.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Joseph, 14 miles from the center point at 4,184 feet, station USC00354329 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 54 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 3,000 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 →

50 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
Anthony Lake
Reservable41 sites
FS · Inside
Arrow Forest Camp
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Bird Track Springs Campground
Reservable22 sites
FS · Inside
Black Lake Campground
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Blackhorse Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Boulder Park Campground
Reservable7 sites
FS · Inside
Boundary Campground
Reservable8 sites
FS · Inside
Buck Creek Campground
Reservable4 sites
Show 4 more

58 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 173

The Forest Service lists 173 recreation sites in this forest, among them 47 campgrounds, 24 trailheads, 16 backpackings, 16 viewpoints. 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; 113 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 1 named trail in this forest, 7 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Rankin Mill ↗6.6

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.

The one trail in Wallowa-Whitman National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Starvation 11A Rx

    34 mi from the center point · 719 acres

  • Prescribed
    Birdtrack Unit 620 Rx

    41 mi from the center point · 200 acres

  • Prescribed
    Sumac 2A Rx

    43 mi from the center point · 417 acres

  • Prescribed
    Wwrd 2026 Fall Pile Rx

    47 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 Register listings within 15 miles · 55 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 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest?

2.5 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Wallowa-Whitman National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Oregon and Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Wallowa-Whitman 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 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.233° N, 117.472° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Wallowa-Whitman National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Starvation 11A Rx at 34 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Wallowa-Whitman National Forest?

The National Register has 55 listings within 15 miles, including Antlers Guard Station and Billy Meadows Guard 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: Wallowa–Whitman 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.