USFS · Kentucky

Daniel Boone National Forest

The Daniel Boone National Forest is a national forest in Kentucky, United States. Established in 1937, it includes 708,000 acres (287,000 ha) of federally owned land within a 2,100,000-acre (850,000 ha) proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was changed in 1966 in honor of the explorer Daniel Boone.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.0 million acresUSFSKY29 campgrounds within 10 mi91 Forest Service sites175 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Ste - Goodin Ridge Rx (prescribed burn) · 36 mi from the center · 2,604 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateKentucky
Size2.0 million acres
Forest Service code0802, region 08
Center point37.29° N, 83.87° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Daniel Boone National Forest30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.00 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.90 inches of precipitationMarch: 4.68 inches of precipitationApril: 4.62 inches of precipitationMay: 5.24 inches of precipitationJune: 4.81 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.28 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.88 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.47 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.30 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.39 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.69 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 33.6°F averageFebruary: 37.3°F averageMarch: 44.6°F averageApril: 54.6°F averageMay: 63.5°F averageJune: 71.0°F averageJuly: 74.6°F averageAugust: 73.6°F averageSeptember: 67.4°F averageOctober: 56.1°F averageNovember: 44.8°F averageDecember: 37.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Booneville 12Sw, 7 miles from the center point at 880 feet, station USC00150860 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 51 inches a year.

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 →

26 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 3 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

NPS · Inside
Alum Ford Campground
Reservable6 sites
FS · Inside
Barren Fork Horse Camp
Reservable41 sites
NPS · Inside
Bear Creek Campground - Ky
Reservable22 sites
FS · Inside
Bee Rock Campground
First-come25 sites
FS · Inside
Bell Farm Horse Camp
First-comeKY
NPS · Inside
Blue Heron Campground
Reservable45 sites
FS · Inside
Boat Gunnel Group Campground
Reservable1 site
USACE · Inside
Buckhorn Campground
Reservable38 sites
Show 4 more

17 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 91

The Forest Service lists 91 recreation sites in this forest, among them 29 boat launchs, 15 campgrounds, 13 picnic areas, 6 fishings. 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; 31 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 175 named trails in this forest, 676 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Sheltowee Trace ↗285
Redbird Crest ↗70.4
Gilbert Ck / Elisha Ck Loop ↗13.5
Nathan McClure ↗13.3
Piney Butte ↗9.7
Rockcastle-Narrows ↗7.9
Rough ↗7.9
White Sulphur OHV Trail ↗7.8
Middle Ridge ↗7
Left Fork of Elisha Creek ↗6.7

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 175 trails in Daniel Boone National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Ste - Goodin Ridge Rx

    36 mi from the center point · 2,604 acres

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 River & Recreation Area · 5 mi
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
National Monument · 12 mi
Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument
National Historical Park · 19 mi
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
National Monument · 29 mi
Camp Nelson National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 191 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Daniel Boone National Forest and Kentucky

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

  • Day Hiking the Daniel Boone National Forest
    Johnny Molloy, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Kentucky
    Falcon Guides and Carrie Stambaugh, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge
    Sean Patrick Hill, 2019
    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 Daniel Boone National Forest?

2.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Daniel Boone National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Daniel Boone National Forest in?

Kentucky.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Daniel Boone 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 Daniel Boone National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.291° N, 83.872° W. Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is 5 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Daniel Boone National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Ste - Goodin Ridge Rx at 36 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Daniel Boone National Forest?

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (5 mi), Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (12 mi) and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (19 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Daniel Boone National Forest?

The National Register has 191 listings within 15 miles, including Wendover and Lincoln Hall.

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: Daniel Boone 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.